Yinson  signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) with Malaysia Forest Fund (“MFF”), an agency under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, to explore the development of Nature-based Solutions (“NbS”) projects in Malaysia. 

Under the MoU, both parties aim to establish connections and collaborations between landowners, NbS developers, and investors. Yinson and MFF will also be working closely to scale up NbS projects that promote sustainable economic development and land management in Malaysia, encompassing the conservation and management of tropical lands and biodiversity, environmental offsets, and social development initiatives. 

NbS involve activities related to the conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, such as restoring native forests to function as carbon sinks, adopting climate-smart agricultural practices to increase carbon retention in fields, and reducing deforestation by offering incentives to farmers to protect forested areas. According to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), NbS can contribute up to 37% of the emission reductions required by 2030 to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement. These approaches offer immediate, scalable, and cost-effective methods for reducing net emissions while providing positive societal impacts such as economic growth and jobs, better accessibility to food and water security, disaster resilience and enhanced well-being and biodiversity.  

Lim Chern Yuan, Yinson Group Chief Executive Officer commented, “As a leader in the sustainability space, we are passionate about working with likeminded partners to unlock opportunities in the Malaysian NbS market. We want to create sustainable business value while safeguarding and rejuvenating our natural environment. Our collaboration with MFF paves the way for innovative NbS that not only contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions but also foster economic growth and social development.” 

Datuk Hj Jeffri bin Abd Rasid, MFF Chief Executive Officer expressed, “We are thrilled to work together with Yinson to facilitate and explore NbS projects here in Malaysia. MFF has been working diligently to enhance private sector involvement in sustainable forest initiatives and this collaboration marks a significant milestone for this effort. This auspicious MoU also coincides with the recent launch of our Forest Conservation Certificate (“FCC”), developed to incentivise private sector entities that contribute to forest initiatives. Yinson will be among the pioneer companies to realise this aspiration of Public-Private Partnership and work with us to showcase a successful collaboration model. Together, we can work towards the protection, conservation, and sustainable management of Malaysian forests, bringing hope for a future where our natural ecosystems are preserved and enhanced for future generations.”