By: Noor Eszereen Juferi
IPOH, 11 March – Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) has established collaboration with the National Landscape Department (JLN) and Ipoh City Council (MBI) in completing a green sustainability project.
The Project Leader for the urban forest research in Ipoh City, Dr. Mohamad Nazrin Abd Malik, said that the urban forest park initiative applies the Miyawaki method, previously applied at UPM Bintulu Campus (UPMKB) in 1991.
"The Miyawaki method is a forest planting method based on the theory of a dense and multi-layered natural forest which has a high ability to reduce the effects of climate change and help conserve the environment.
"This method is named after the famous biologist from Japan, Prof. Dr. Akira Miyawaki, who developed this method in the 1970s," he said.
He added that the urban environment is viewed as an area that releases a high rate of carbon dioxide gas which results in global warming and climate change, so the initiative to plant forest trees in urban areas is seen as one of the climate change mitigation initiatives.
"Naturally, forest trees can help promote healthier city ventilation.”
"The high wood density of forest trees, which is capable of absorbing more carbon, is seen as a good initiative for the absorption of carbon gas, and this can help the environment and the local community," he said.
Dr. Mohamad Nazrin Abd Malik who is also a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Forestry Science and Biodiversity, Faculty of Forestry and Environment (FHAS), UPM, said that planting forest trees in cities helps in the production of clean air for the local community. "It is estimated that through this method, within 15 to 20 years, dense forests with tropical forest tree species will be produced, and this can also ensure a balanced ecosystem and help prevent the extinction of forest tree species," he said.
The trees are planted using the method discovered by Prof. Dr. Miyawaki from Yokohama National University (YNU) and UPM lecturer Dato' Dr. Nik Mohamad Nik Ab Majid and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Azani Alias.
To date, 350,000 forest trees from 128 species have been planted on the 47-hectare land of the UPM Bintulu Campus (UPMKB).
Dr. Mohamad Nazrin Abd Malik was interviewed during the national level celebration of the National Landscape Day 2023 (HLN 2023) at the Laman Sejahtera Amphitheatre, Taman D.R. Seenivasagam which was officiated by YAB Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim. - UPM
