Biodiversity Research Forest: Ferrero UK, Hutan and Chester Zoo are working together to shape the future of conservation in Borneo’s ecologically vital Kinabatangan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
- Ferrero UK and Chester Zoo extend their long-standing partnership in support of sustainable palm oil through the Biodiversity Research Forest, with Hutan leading field activities.
- The monitoring programme aims to generate insights into ecosystem and wildlife health, informing future landscape management practices in the Kinabatangan area.
On World Rainforest Day, Ferrero UK, Hutan and Chester Zoo are announcing details of a three year Biodiversity Research Forest programme in the Kinabatangan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
Led by Hutan, a community led conservation organisation working in the region since 1998, scientists have launched an innovative study combining cutting-edge methods, including thermal drones, bioacoustics recorders and camera traps to monitor several iconic species such as the Bornean elephant and orangutans as well as key indicator species that act as a barometer of overall ecosystem health, including soil invertebrates, birds and frogs.
By deploying these monitoring technologies, Hutan, Chester Zoo and Ferrero aim to build a clearer picture of how the wider landscape is functioning and identify where conservation efforts can have the greatest impact. The monitoring takes place in a mosaic landscape that blends agricultural land supporting local communities with patches of native forest rich in biodiversity and wildlife.
In the first year of the research programme, researchers deployed 30 camera traps and confirmed 15 key species including Bornean orangutans and Bornean elephants are using a corridor linking two fragments of forest. The team also trialled the use of thermal drones flying above the forest canopy after dark to identify orangutans directly.
The data collected will enable conservationists to inform and refine biodiversity and ecosystem management across the Kinabatangan Biosphere Reserve. This includes evaluating how animals respond to existing landscape management strategies like wildlife corridors, orangutan bridges and buffer zones. Results will also be discussed and presented to local stakeholders, including palm oil plantation managers, to develop management practices that take wildlife needs and movement patterns into account.
“Ferrero’s approach to sustainable palm oil has never been only about what we source. It is about the landscapes where palm oil is grown, the communities who depend on them, and the wildlife they support. Our long-standing partnership with Chester Zoo has been central to that approach, from raising public awareness about the importance of sustainable palm oil through to supporting the education team to deliver teaching materials to inspire and inform the next generation on this vital topic. The Biodiversity Research Forest programme is the next step in our work together, generating research that can help inform how palm oil landscapes are managed, with the view to hopefully help drive wider landscape transformation beyond our own sourcing regions. Long-term strategic partnerships with experts are what allow us to go beyond our own supply chain and help contribute to the wider industry,” said Paola Nogales, Responsible Sourcing Manager, Ferrero.
The programme marks the next phase of Ferrero UK and Chester Zoo’s long-term partnership to support sustainable palm oil, spanning conservation, education and consumer awareness.
With the launch of the Biodiversity Research Forest, the partnership moves into active field monitoring and applied research, reflecting Ferrero’s broader sustainability approach. This recognises that responsibility extends beyond the supply chain, with the programme generating insights that benefit both the landscapes and communities involved, as well as the wider palm oil industry.
Kirsten Pullen, Chief Conservation Officer and Deputy CEO, Chester Zoo said: “Palm oil is often misunderstood, but when it is sourced sustainably, it can be a highly efficient crop with an important role to play. The challenge is ensuring it is produced in a way that protects nature and supports communities. Effective wildlife management in landscapes like the Kinabatangan depends on long term collaboration between conservation organisations, researchers and industry. Our partnership with Ferrero UK reflects exactly that. Through the Biodiversity Research Forest, we are generating vital new insights into how wildlife is using these complex landscapes and how they can be better managed. This kind of robust, on-the-ground science is essential to improving conservation outcomes. We are proud to be working with Ferrero and Hutan to help drive that progress and support the transition to sustainable palm oil at scale.”
Amanda Shia, Scientific Officer, Hutan said: “The Kinabatangan has a blended landscape where agricultural land sits alongside native forest rich in wildlife and exceptional biodiversity. At Hutan, our mission is to ensure that people and nature can thrive together in balance. With the support from Ferrero, Chester Zoo and other partners, the monitoring we are doing is helping us see what we have never been able to see before, building a much more accurate picture of where wildlife are and how management plans can benefit them across this mosaic landscape.”
The work undertaken by Ferrero forms part of its wider sustainability effort. Within the Kinabatangan, Ferrero also supports a further initiative, TRAILS. This research programme, coordinated by CIRAD and delivered in partnership with Hutan and Melangking Oil Palm Plantations, explores how palm oil landscapes can incorporate native forest species and oil palms in an agroforestry approach to restore biodiversity. These projects sit alongside Ferrero’s supply chain credentials: a Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) member since 2005, sourcing 100% RSPO-certified palm oil, and ranked second out of 285 companies in the 2024 WWF Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard.
The Biodiversity Research Forest programme will run through to 2028, with Ferrero UK, Chester Zoo and Hutan committed to sharing further insights from the research as the work progresses. The ambition is for those insights to inform sustainable palm oil practices not only in Borneo, but across their sourcing areas.
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