Johor:A new sustainability partnership between PETRONAS and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team is making significant strides in Malaysia, focusing on mangrove restoration efforts. The initiative, part of Yayasan PETRONAS’ One Million Trees campaign, has successfully planted over 40,000 trees with a survival rate of approximately 86 percent.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, this project is part of the Blue Carbon Collective, a five-year research initiative in collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia and the University of São Paulo. The aim is to enhance understanding of how mangrove ecosystems absorb and store carbon, crucial for mitigating climate change effects.
Charlotte Wolff-Bye, PETRONAS Vice President and Group Chief Sustainability Officer, highlighted the importance of the collaboration, noting the initiative's ability to compare mangrove ecosystems in Malaysia and Brazil. She emphasized the broader role of mangroves in protecting coastlines and supporting biodiversity.
The Blue Carbon Collective is also reaching the public through an exhibition at Petrosains in Suria KLCC, running for six months starting September 30. The exhibition aims to raise awareness of the importance of mangroves and the threats they face from development and climate change.
Research at the Sungai Santi Forest Reserve in Johor employs Brazilian methodologies to assess various ecological factors, including carbon stocks and soil quality. Additionally, the Universiti Putra Malaysia team is focusing on biodiversity impact monitoring and water resource management to further understand ecosystem dynamics.
The initiative is aligned with PETRONAS' broader sustainability goals, which intertwine climate change efforts with biodiversity protection. Wolff-Bye stressed the necessity of collaboration among diverse partners to tackle these global challenges effectively.
Ir Norafizal Mat Saad, PETRONAS Vice President of Group Strategic Relations and Communications, praised the role of local communities in the initiative, highlighting their contribution to combining local knowledge with scientific expertise.
Bradley Lord, Deputy Team Principal of the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, noted the project's relevance to F1's global footprint, suggesting that the sport's audience could help raise awareness and interest in expanding such collaborations.
The Blue Carbon Collective aims to serve as a model for cross-sector and cross-country cooperation, demonstrating how sustainability initiatives can achieve tangible outcomes by integrating sport, science, industry, and communities.