KUALA LUMPUR: Straits Energy Resources Bhd’s subsidiary, Benua Hijau Sdn Bhd, has received the Environmental Sustainability Award in the Biodiversity & Natural Resources Protection category at the ESG PLUS Awards.
In a statement, Straits Energy said the award recognises Benua Hijau’s record-setting ESG and CSR effort to restore degraded forest areas in the Setiu Wetlands State Park, one of the largest natural wetlands on the East Coast.
Straits Energy managing director Datuk Ron Ho Kam Choy said securing the award reflects the group’s long-term vision and strategy for its ESG initiatives.
“We are taking a proactive, hands-on approach to environmental and social sustainability that we believe will translate into meaningful impact.
“Together with our partners and stakeholders, we will continue our efforts to restore the natural beauty of the Setiu Wetlands and create a positive impact that will benefit future generations,” he added.
The Setiu Wetlands, covering over 50,000 acres, encompasses riverine forests, Pokok Gelam swamps, peat swamps, mangroves, brackish lagoons with sand islands, seagrass beds, and sandy beaches.
It is Malaysia’s only wetland featuring nine interconnected ecosystems: the sea, beach, mudflat, lagoon, estuary, river, islands, coastal forest, and mangrove forest.
Benua Hijau aims to plant 100,000 Pokok Gelam trees in the Setiu Wetlands within five years, rehabilitating 200 acres of degraded forest using the indigenous Melaleuca tree species.