en.Wedoany.com Reported - Ferrero UK, Chester Zoo, and the wildlife research and conservation organization Hutan have launched a three-year Biodiversity Research Forest programme in the Kinabatangan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. The project will focus on bioacoustics, ecosystem and soil health, and flagship species monitoring, and will run until 2028.
Led by Hutan, which has been working locally since 1998, the Kinabatangan Reserve is located along the Kinabatangan River, one of Malaysia's longest waterways, and is connected to Borneo's mountains, headwaters, and wetlands. It is a Ramsar site of international importance.
Scientists plan to use thermal imaging drones, bioacoustic recorders, and camera traps to monitor key species such as the Bornean elephant and Bornean orangutan, as well as soil invertebrates, birds, and frogs. Through these technologies, Hutan, Ferrero, and Chester Zoo aim to gain a clear understanding of how the broader landscape functions and determine what types of conservation methods are needed and where to achieve the greatest positive impact.
The Kinabatangan Reserve was chosen for its "mosaic landscape," which integrates farmland used by local communities with native forests rich in wildlife. Amanda Shia, Scientific Officer at Hutan, stated that the area features a mixed landscape where farmland coexists with native forests. She further noted that at Hutan, their mission is to ensure people and nature can thrive together in balance, and with support from Ferrero, Chester Zoo, and other partners, ongoing monitoring is helping them see what was previously invisible, providing a more accurate understanding of wildlife distribution and how management plans can benefit them in this mosaic landscape.
Within the first year, researchers deployed 30 camera traps and identified 15 key areas within the reserve, including corridors connecting two forest fragments used by Bornean orangutans and elephants. Scientists also used thermal imaging drones above the forest canopy to directly identify orangutans. The collected data can help conservationists inform and refine biodiversity and ecosystem management across the reserve, including assessing animal responses to existing landscape management strategies such as wildlife corridors, orangutan bridges, and buffer zones. The findings will be discussed and presented to local stakeholders, including oil palm plantation managers.
This biodiversity project is part of a collaboration between Ferrero UK and Chester Zoo aimed at supporting the growth and use of sustainable palm oil, conservation, education, and consumer awareness. The partnership is now expanding into wildlife monitoring and applied research, aligning with Ferrero's sustainable approach. Paola Nogales, Responsible Sourcing Manager at Ferrero, noted that Ferrero's sustainable palm oil approach concerns the landscapes where palm oil is grown, the communities that depend on them, and the wildlife they support. She stated that the Biodiversity Research Forest programme is the next step in their collaboration, aiming to generate research that helps guide the management of palm oil landscapes, with the goal of driving broader landscape transformation.
Within the Kinabatangan Reserve, Ferrero also supports the TRAILS project, coordinated by CIRAD, which works with Hutan and Melangking Oil Palm Plantations to study how oil palm plantations can integrate native forest species to restore biodiversity.
This project is linked to Ferrero's broader sustainability goals. Ferrero demonstrates its commitment to a sustainable supply chain by prioritizing traceability, responsible sourcing, and long-term partnerships with suppliers, carefully managing the procurement of key raw materials including cocoa, hazelnuts, dairy, and palm oil. Kirsten Pullen, Chief Conservation Officer and Deputy CEO at Chester Zoo, stated that palm oil is often misunderstood but can be an efficient crop when sourced sustainably, and the challenge lies in ensuring it is produced in a way that protects nature and supports communities. She emphasized that effective wildlife management in landscapes like Kinabatangan relies on long-term collaboration between conservation organizations, researchers, and industry, and their partnership with Ferrero UK exemplifies this.
Ferrero maintains visibility over its ingredients throughout the supply chain through its "sacco conosciuto" ("know what's in the bag") approach, using advanced traceability systems to trace raw materials back to their origin. The company sources 100% RSPO-certified palm oil, has been a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) since 2005, and ranked second among 285 companies in the 2024 World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard. The company also works with a limited number of trusted suppliers and uses satellite technology to monitor its palm oil supply chain, supporting a zero-deforestation and zero-exploitation sourcing model.
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