SKG Green strengthens conservation work with in-house tree climbers

13 January 2026

KOTA KINABALU: SKG Green Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Sabah-owned Sawit Kinabalu Group, has enhanced its conservation and operational work by training and certifying its own tree climbers.

The company now has four certified tree climbers, including one ranger who has attained advanced Level 2 certification, marking a first for SKG Green, which previously relied on external specialists for tree-based work.

SKG Green Senior Manager of Conservation and Biodiversity, Charis Saliun, said the move would improve efficiency while significantly reducing annual costs.

“Before this, we had to hire competent climbers for all activities that required climbing, which cost us between RM10,000 and RM20,000 a year, and our maintenance schedules were often delayed due to availability,” he said.

He noted that only certified climbers are allowed to perform tasks such as maintaining three overhead canopy bridges for wildlife crossings, servicing eight aerial habitat nodes, installing and removing camera traps, collecting seeds, and pruning trees across the 2,632-hectare Sungai Pin Conservation Area.

“With our own trained climbers, our work can be carried out on time and more camera traps can be installed higher up in trees, instead of mostly on the ground, which improves the quality of our wildlife monitoring,” Charis added.

He said one of the four rangers has completed Level 2 certification, while the remaining three are currently certified at Level 1, with plans already in place to upgrade their skills.

“In Sabah, certified tree climbers are still limited, so this is an important capability for us. We plan to continue training our rangers and upgrading their certification,” he said.

Beyond operational needs, SKG Green is also exploring ways to diversify its eco-tourism offerings by introducing guided tree-climbing activities for visitors.

“We are currently evaluating suitable trees near our facilities, including around the Canopy View Café, where a platform about 20 metres high is being considered. With certified climbers, we can ensure safety and compliance,” he said.

The training was conducted by veteran tree climbing instructor Jamiluddin Jami, who has 23 years of experience.

Charis said the company also sees potential to offer professional tree-climbing services to other organisations in the future.

“This skill set could eventually open up a new business segment for us, especially as competent tree climbers are still scarce in Sabah,” he said.