Activities undertaken in the period of January – March 2025 

This report covers activities implemented during the period of January–March 2025 under the YPPH-GEC Recovery Project. These activities include stakeholder engagement, maintenance fire prevention indicator and firefighting equipment, aerial site monitoring and community nursery inventory. 

1. Stakeholder Engagement 

GEC have been actively engaged with various stakeholders, including the Pahang State Forestry Department (JPNP), SMPEM Project, Pekan District Office, Department of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA), Department of Environment (DOE), Department of Agriculture (DOA), Enggang (Pekan) Sdn. Bhd., and YP Plantation Holdings (YPPH). Stakeholder meetings were organised and participated focused on addressing peatland fire issues within the Southeast Pahang Peatland Landscape (SEPPL). Key discussions centered on identifying collaborative actions to improve fire prevention through strategies such as canal blocking, degraded peatland rehabilitation, enhanced land management (including boundary/buffer zones), community-based fire patrols and monitoring, public awareness campaigns, and biodiversity surveys to pinpoint critical habitat areas for protection.

2. Maintenance of Fire Monitoring and Patrolling Tools and Equipment 

GEC conducted maintenance on seven Fire Danger Rating System (FDRS) signboards in Kg. Meranti – replaced damaged components such as arrow indicators and card holder boxes to ensure the boards remain functional for daily fire risk updates. One FDRS board in Kg. Meranti, which had been severely damaged due to vandalism, was removed—leaving the steel frame intact. Additionally, in Kg. Cenderawasih, another FDRS board was found to be damaged due to heavy weather and was also removed (Figure 4). Both boards will be replaced after ordering new sets in near future. As part of the maintenance, GEC also supplied the community patrollers with new colour cards to match the newly replaced card holder boxes, ensuring the boards remain updated and accurate. These actions were taken following reports from the community patrollers.

Regular aerial monitoring has been conducted along the YPPH-GEC Recovery Project area and buffer zones, focusing on detecting burned or smouldering within the Project site, and checking condition of the canal blocks to maintain optimal water levels. These efforts provided valuable insights for protecting estates, forest reserves, and surrounding areas, especially during the dry season. On 13 February 2025, a fire along the Pekan-Nenasi roadside spread between eastern and northern area from the Ladang Pekan Timur, nearby the Pekan Forest Reserve. On 2 March 2025, another fire occurred at Kg. Cenderawasih pineapple farm (Phase 3 area), spreading into the buffer zone and the Pekan Forest Reserve. GEC responded promptly, and aerial footage was shared with BOMBA and DOE to assist in firefighting efforts. In collaboration with YPPH, Enggang, and JPNP, GEC also facilitated engagement of excavator to assist in constructing fire breaks at the site to support fire suppression during the incident at Kg. Cenderawasih and Pekan FR. GEC conducted daily aerial and ground monitoring until 10 April when the smouldering ceased. Canal blocks constructed in the area have been providing sufficient water source to support fire suppression operation including water bombing by helicopters.

4. Community Nursery Inventory 

GEC conducted a seedling inventory at the Kg. Meranti Community Nurseries to monitor conditions of the seedlings, seedling stock availability and preparation for the YPPH-GEC Recovery Project tree planting activity. The seedlings in the community nurseries will be purchased under the seedling buyback program to rehabilitate the degraded peat area in the YPPH-GEC Recovery Project area. Species nurtured in the nurseries are Shorea sp. (Meranti), Dipterocarpus sp. (Keruing), Hopea sp. (Merawan), Koompassia malaccensis (Kempas), Cratoxylum sp. (Geronggang), Melaleuca leucadendra (Gelam), Alstonia sp. (Pulai), Fagraea fragrans (Tembusu), and Durio carinatus (Durian Hutan). The number of seedlings in the nurseries is nearly 5,000 seedlings. Besides solely depending on GEC to purchase the seedlings under the YPPH-GEC Recovery Project, GEC encourages the community members to expand marketing their seedlings to other buyers interested in purchasing the seedlings.

5. Community Livelihood Enhancement Activities 

Two community members in Kg Meranti were selected to initiate a livelihood enhancement pilot activity on vegetable farming to diversify income sources and strengthen local engagement, restoration, and community livelihood efforts. GEC has distributed necessary items such as gloves, hand shovel, hand rake, organic soil and few selections of vegetable seeds for the participants to try and plant on their own farming area. Discussions have been conducted on the farming and both of them were supportive and are willing to try planting different types of plants. This activity is vital to aid in their current livelihood situation as by planting a certain vegetable which suitsin their area could enable them to generate income besides being able to consume it by themselves. 

As the monsoon season comes to an end, a canal block inventory session in the project area was conducted on 10 February 2025. Ground and aerial monitoring were conducted to observe the current condition of the existing canal blocks. Canal block number 11 (CB11) was noticed to still be able to withhold a large amount of water upstream although maintenance is urgently needed. There was a peat fire occurred at the old ex-logging post area in northeast part of the Ladang Pekan Timur. GEC has been monitored the water level and flow in the canal to identify water source that can be used to suppress the fire. During a series of meetings with stakeholder regarding the canal block maintenance, GEC proposed to transfer water source from CB11 to burning area by water pump, and add another block in downstream of CB11 before the water source flow to Kg Cenderawasih, in order to raise the water level in between CB9 and CB11, as well as to strengthen the downstream bank of the CB11. On 2 March 2025, another fire occurred which was spread from Kg Cenderawasih to the Pekan Forest Reserve and its buffer zone. GEC conducted daily monitoring of the water level due to the water at CB8 and CB10 have been used for water bombing, by observation – there was no difference in the water level which shows that the water recharge to the canal blocks is fast and can withhold enough water to support water bombing during fire suppression by the BOMBA.