By Dr Henry Chan, Senior Conservation Director WWF-Malaysia

The 13th Malaysia Plan (13MP) approved with a majority by Parliament on 21 August 2025 reaffirms the government’s commitment towards conservation and sustainable development to protect our unique biodiversity and addressing climate change while supporting economic growth based on good governance.  

With the main theme, Reshaping Development, the five-year road map (2026-2030) includes four key strategies that could position Malaysia as a globally competitive economy underpinned by People, Planet and Profit. An effective implementation of the 13MP will serve as a vital stepping stone towards conserving and sustainably managing 70% of our country’s total landmass at 23 million hectares of land. By ensuring that at least 50% of our land to be under forest cover and capping 20% for oil palm plantations, both managed effectively for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, Malaysia can be positioned as a Wildlife Friendly Nation. 

The four key strategies to position Malaysia as a globally competitive nation are: advancing climate and environmental change management, strengthening biodiversity conservation, boosting the subsector on agrifood and agricommodity, and pushing for integrated spatial planning processes in all jurisdictions through the National Physical Plan, Sabah Structure Plan, and its equivalent plan in Sarawak.

Firstly, the focus on green investment growth through carbon trading and reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) creates financial value for our forests. Forest Carbon Offsets and Forest Conservation Certificates will generate sustainable financing for forests under diverse forms of legal protection. The funds generated can be used to support forest management, wildlife habitats and the wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples and local communities.  
 
In pursuing this green growth agenda, we must remember that the primary purpose of this carbon and conservation financing mechanism is to contribute to combating the climate crisis.  Trading forest carbon should be restricted to corporations that are committed to achieving Net Zero, not those using forests as an easy way to offset emissions without genuine decarbonisation. Without deep and sustained emission cuts, global temperatures will continue to rise, thus undermining our climate goals, and this may lead to more extreme droughts, intense rainfall, and rising sea levels that will endanger low-lying areas. 

The 13th plan’s support for the expansion of demand and supply of green products will further enhance the sustainable management of our forest reserves.  Our tropical forest was once well known for our hard wood species for making premium furniture and timber products. Campaigns against logging in the past has made environmentally conscious consumers shun away from our products. Forest management standards recognised by international organisations are now mandated in Malaysia to prevent forest degradation and habitat loss, as well as provide for the recognition on rights of Indigenous Peoples. However, compliance with the standards means increased operational cost with lower timber volume produced. Malaysia cannot continue to rely on traditional export markets that do not offer prices commensurate with the cost of operation. Therefore, we need innovative solutions to access high value markets that requires strict adherence to standards and regulations. Eco-conscious consumers need to be assured that their timber products do not come from forests that have displaced our Malayan tigers, Orangutans, elephants and other wildlife. Therefore, to achieved this, our production forest reserves must be positioned as wildlife friendly, and we need to work towards that by looking into the next strategy. 

Secondly, the strategy to enhance biodiversity conservation and preservation safeguards Malaysia’s wildlife and natural habitats, ensuring they are effectively managed to reduce human–wildlife conflicts. Guided by the National Physical Plan, the National Forestry Policy and the National Policy on Biological Diversity, and further supported by Other Effective Conservation Measures under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Malaysia’s extensive network of totally protected areas and forest reserves (which together could constitute more than 50% of nation’s land mass), shall provide expansive and healthy habitats for wildlife species that require vast areas of land for their survival.

By 2040, through the 4th National Physical Plan (NPP 4) and the Central Forest Spine (CFS) Master Plan, Peninsular Malaysia will potentially see an additional 850,000 hectares of land restored to forest. This will help secure and reconnect habitats for the Malayan tiger, Asian elephant, tapir, sambar deer and other fauna. The Heart of Borneo initiative in Sabah and Sarawak along with other landscape level conservation initiatives aims to establish wildlife corridors reaching the island’s edges, benefiting the Orangutan, Bornean elephant, banteng, clouded leopard and a variety of other species.

Thirdly, boosting the subsector on agrifood and agricommodity, alongside the implementation of certification schemes like the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), can transform 20% of our landmass capped for oil palm cultivation into a globally competitive economic sector. 

Around the world, industrial-scale oil palm plantations are often linked to deforestation, forest fires, and habitat loss. These perceptions about the industry cannot easily be reversed. This stigma largely arises from the reality that large-scale deforestation around the world frequently occurs in regions dominated by plantation agriculture. To change this perception, Malaysia should first emphasise that 50% of its total landmass remains under forest cover, preserving biodiversity and functioning as a critical carbon sink. It should then highlight how the connectivity and wildlife corridors integrated within the 20% of land used for palm oil cultivation provide vital links between fragmented forests, supporting both ecosystem health and wildlife movement. 

Notable examples include Sabah Softwoods dedicating more than 1,000 hectares to link the Ulu Kalumpang Forest Reserve with Central Forest Sabah, as well as Sawit Kinabalu and KLK creating corridors that connect the Silabukan Forest Reserve with the Tabin Wildlife Reserve. In Peninsular Malaysia, the NPP 4 aiming to increase forest cover offers the palm oil sector an opportunity to contribute portions of their land banks to conservation. By embedding conservation at the core of the oil palm sector’s identity, Malaysia can reposition its product as a genuinely green commodity, capturing environmentally conscious consumers and reshaping the global perception around palm oil production.

Existing legislations provide for comprehensive spatial planning at both state and district levels by combining physical, economic, social and environmental aspects into nation-wide structural planning.  At district level, the interests of primary stakeholders on environmental sustainability and safeguarding food security for overall community well-being can be identified and addressed through focus group discussions and public hearings.

In the Lahad Datu and Tawau Districts in Sabah, a collaborative initiative facilitated by the Sabah Town and Regional Planning Department is embarking on District Plans that would integrate all aspects mentioned above. With biodiversity conservation, provision of ecosystem services, and the sustainability of oil palm plantations included as key considerations, two distinctive features stand out. First, land set aside by oil palm plantations as wildlife corridors to connect fragmented forest reserves, enabling isolated orangutan populations to mix and breed with other larger orangutan population groups to ensure genetic variation. Second is a mechanism to address human-elephant conflict through strategic placement of electric fencing to prevent elephants going into local community areas, camp settlements and young oil palm planting blocks. At the same time, the electric fencing does not prevent elephants from moving freely between the edges of plantations and the forest reserves. 

In the Lipis District in Pahang, PlanMalaysia and WWF-Malaysia are adopting similar principles of addressing human-wildlife conflicts in the revision of the Lipis District Plan 2025-2030. A key feature will be the establishment of wildlife corridors linking Taman Negara in the east to the Ulu Jelai Forest Reserve in the west. The presence of the corridor will enable wildlife to pass through a large landscape dominated by human presence such as villages, fruit gardens and oil palm plantations. The goal is for oil palm plantations to set land aside as well as for local communities to accept the presence of a wildlife corridor.  

At all levels of planning, national, state and district, it is crucial to integrate sustainable green infrastructure, such as wildlife crossings, into future highway construction to enhance road safety for both humans and wildlife, as roads are key areas of human-wildlife conflict.

For WWF, the framework to coordinate these physical, economic, social and environmental aspects is through the Living Landscape Approach (LLA). The LLA is guided by three principles of Protect, Produce and Restore. The principle of Protect is about conserving wildlife and protecting ecosystem services in the landscape, while the principle of Produce is the compliance of all palm oil growers with the standards of certification such as both MSPO and RSPO. The third principle of Restore is to establish wildlife corridors and restoration of places crucial for the provision of ecosystem services including carbon capture and storage.  
 
By using spatial data to plan and coordinate land use across districts and states in line with the Central Forest Spine Master Plan and the Heart of Borneo, we can identify patterns of similarity and connectivity across vast areas. Beyond state boundaries, districts with interconnected forest complexes and wildlife habitats can be grouped together to facilitate wildlife corridors, riparian zones, and watershed forests. In areas where natural habitats have been fragmented, this approach also enables reconnection and restoration.

Certification standards can also be applied with forest managers and rubber producers to embrace sustainability. By fully adopting certifications in a collaborative manner, the private sector could collectively work together to conserve biodiversity beyond a company’s area of interest. Through certification requirements prescribed by the High Conservation Value Toolkit and innovative approaches such as Nature Positive Agriculture, we could see isolated forest reserves seemingly scattered all over the place, to be connected via conservation areas effectively managed by plantation companies. With the right enabling conditions put in place, wildlife that was once absent in an area would find its way back to the restored forest.  
 
Once most districts with significant forest cover in Malaysia adopt the District Area Plans underpinned by biodiversity conservation, and when wildlife has returned to populate once empty habitats, Malaysia can be branded as a Wildlife Friendly Nation. Branded as wildlife friendly, our green products will gain access to premium markets, and a new structure of a green economy can be established for Malaysia. A low carbon green economy has the prospect of attracting investment into Malaysia from manufacturers who have to relocate due to rising energy and labour cost, besides the challenge of getting access to sustainably produced raw materials.

The 13th Malaysia Plan sets a strategic roadmap towards balancing economic growth with environmental sustainability. By integrating carbon trading with genuine emission reductions, restoring and reconnecting critical habitats, and promoting sustainable practices in palm oil industry, Malaysia can position itself as a global leader in sustainable development. 
 
Achieving these goals will require strong governance, cross-sector collaboration, and political will but the payoff is clear: a resilient economy, thriving biodiversity, and a legacy of environmental responsibility for future generations. 
 
WWF-Malaysia, as a non-profit and guided by her vision, “Reversing the decline of nature and transforming Malaysia into a sustainable nation by 2030,” will work with all relevant government agencies and institutions, corporations and local communities, to support the government’s commitment towards conservation and sustainable development to protect our unique biodiversity and addressing climate change while supporting economic growth based on good governance.  

Together Possible.

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About WWF-Malaysia
Established in 1972, WWF-Malaysia is part of WWF, the international conservation organisation. Working to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife, WWF-Malaysia’s efforts to conserve nature focus on six major goals - forests, oceans, wildlife, food, climate and energy, as well as freshwater – and three key drivers of environmental problems – markets, finance and governance. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

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