Lagenda Properties and KUASA restores mangrove forest in Perak

 By Sharen Kaur - June 23, 2022

sharen@nst.com.my

Lagenda Properties has teamed up with the environmental NGO Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam (KUASA) to restore the mangrove forest adjacent to Changkat Keruing Riverbank Park in Perak.

The affordable township developer has planted 1,000 mangrove trees alongside the local population, to mitigate the harm done over time by aquaculture fishing and deforestation.

Mangrove forests are among the planet's most productive and biodiverse wetlands, and they produce 10 times as much oxygen as tropical forests do. But among the most endangered habitats are these distinctive coastal tropical forest landscapes.

This ecosystem not only offers vital habitat for a variety of marine and terrestrial flora and fauna, but it also lessens vulnerability to natural disasters and extreme climatic events and serves as a natural coastal defense system, particularly for the local communities.

To ensure a healthy and thriving ecosystem, Lagenda has invested in planting Rhizophora apiculata and Bruguiera cylindrica in Sg. Keruing mangrove forest, two species that are local to the area and known to be a good source of natural antioxidants for medicinal uses.

"The value of the mangrove forests in providing economic, social, and environmental benefits to the locals is extremely important. As a company that greatly prioritises sustainability and communities, we wanted to play our part in ensuring that afforestation efforts were quickly underway. We believe that volunteering on environmental conservation is a powerful way to become part of the solution as protecting our natural environment is key to the survival of fragile ecosystems, wildlife, and humankind," said Mohamad Ali Ariffin, director of Lagenda.

The company's managing director, Datuk Jimmy Doh, said that at Lagenda, sustainable development is a way of creating homes and spaces that meet all the needs of the homeowners, while not compromising on the environment and the needs of future generations.

"Therefore, we carefully select land that requires the minimal intervention of its environmental profile. This involves the assessment of long-term land productivity where Lagenda only permits land conversion from the non-primary forest and unproductive land," he said.

Doh believes that conserving and improving environmental ecosystems will provide infinite value to society and the country's biodiversity and food resources.

At its Bandar Baru Setia Awan Perdana development in Sitiawan, Perak, Lagenda had planted over 18,000 plants, some of which were Hopea odorata and Agathis borneensis, being vulnerable and endangered species respectively.