ALTERNATE BOARD MEMBER
Name Of Organisation: HUTAN Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Programme
Membership Number: 600251300000
Name Of Nominee: Harjinder Kler
Position In The Organisation: Sustainability Engagement Lead
Summary of Nominee Profile
Harjinder Kler is with HUTAN – Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Programme (KOCP), which is a community-based research and conservation Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO); based in the village of Sukau, along the Kinabatangan river in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.
Within his capacity at HUTAN, Harjinder engages with Government agencies, NGOs, universities, funders and the oil palm sector (primarily via the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil). He did his undergraduate degree in Parks & Recreation at Lincoln University in New Zealand and prior to working with HUTAN – KOCP, Harjinder was journalist based in Sabah before joining the NGOs fraternity with WWF-Malaysia.
Harjinder believes that we can all help do better for communities and the environment while still being economically progressive.
Summary of Organisation Profile
HUTAN is a grassroots non-profit organisation working to conserve orang-utan and other wildlife populations in the forests of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. In 1998, HUTAN set up the Kinabatangan Orang-Utan Conservation Programme in collaboration with the Sabah Wildlife Department. We work with a wide range of partners - local communities, research institutions, government agencies and the private sector - to find realistic solutions where the sustainable use of natural resources and durable socio-economic development can be compatible with, and even support, the conservation of wildlife and their habitat.
Through KOCP, HUTAN has developed an integrated approach combining scientific research, protection and management of orang-utan habitat, capacity building, awareness campaigns, and community outreach and development projects. Over the past two decades, HUTAN has encountered many challenges but our efforts have resulted in many successes: discoveries are being made on the ecology of the orang-utan, new protected areas are created - such as the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary -, sound policies for the conservation of orang-utan and other wildlife are established in Sabah, solutions are implemented that reduce the levels of conflicts between human activities, and wildlife and pioneering initiatives by local communities are leading to tangible economic and conservation gains.
Since the start of our work, we placed a high priority on the intensive training of our local staff to conduct high quality research and conservation activities. Today, our team is composed of 80 highly skilled staff hailing from the native community, working with immense dedication.
In 2013, HUTAN joined RSPO as an Environmental Non Government Organisation to have a suitable platform to engage with the palm oil industry and has been a member of the Biodiversity & High Conservation Values Working Group in 2014 (and Co-Chair since 2018), Market Development Standing Committee in 2019 and Shared Responsibility Working Group in 2020.
