Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim marked the milestone with a ceremonial planting of Malaysia’s national tree, the merbau, at Parliament.

It’s a whole lot of trees! Malaysia announced that it has surpassed its ambitious target of planting 100 million trees ahead of the 2025 deadline. At a simple ceremony on Tuesday, December 10, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim planted the milestone 100 millionth tree, a merbau (Intsia palembanica), Malaysia’s national tree, at Taman Herba on the Parliament complex grounds. He was joined by his wife, Bandar Tun Razak MP Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, along with several key government officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

THE 100 MILLION TREE CAMPAIGN

Launched on January 5, 2021, the campaign aimed to bolster Malaysia’s forest cover while promoting ecological restoration. The initiative included cooperation from agencies such as the Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department, Sarawak Forest Department, and Sabah Forestry Department. During the campaign, several indigenous species were planted, including the bakau minyak (Rhizophora apiculata), kelempayan (Neolamarckia cadamba), binuang (Octomeles sumatrana), meranti pasir (Parashorea densiflora), and nyatoh tembaga (Palaquium leiocarpum).

According to the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry, Malaysia has maintained 18 million hectares of forest cover, representing 54.58% of its total land area – a commitment first pledged at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. The programme also contributes to restoring biodiversity and mitigating the impacts of climate change. The Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department estimates that between 20,000 and 80,000 hectares of forest will be rehabilitated by 2025.

WERE 100 MILLION TREES REALLY PLANTED?

In order to plant 100 million trees in four years’ time, a whopping average of over 68,000 trees per day, every day, would need to be planted. It’s a sobering figure, and some have wondered just how (and where) so many trees were planted, and by whom.

So has Malaysia really planted 100 million trees? Simply put, it’s very possible, but we don’t know for sure. While such an ambitious goal is certainly attainable with large-scale coordination, unfortunately there doesn’t appear to be any comprehensive independent assessment of Malaysia’s 100 Million Tree campaign so far. Most information comes from government reports and media coverage about progress updates.

As of late 2023, official sources had claimed over 80 million trees have been planted, though the verification and tracking mechanisms for these figures was unclear. A year later, with the 100 million tree target presumably being met, there still doesn’t seem to be any external audit or independent verification of the initiative’s success.

The campaign has been primarily driven by the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia, with public and corporate involvement, such as donations facilitated through platforms like Touch ‘n Go. While the effort includes initiatives like reforestation and mangrove restoration, there hasn’t been an external audit or detailed analysis by environmental watchdogs or independent organizations to validate the campaign’s impact, survival rate of planted trees, or adherence to ecological best practices.

According to some analyses, planting 100 million trees in less than four years is “ambitious, but not impossible if the initiative is well-coordinated and supported by government agencies, private organizations, NGOs, and local communities.” For perspective, large-scale tree-planting campaigns in other countries, like Ethiopia’s planting of 350 million trees in a single day in 2019, show that such massive efforts can indeed be achieved when there is strong mobilization and adequate resources.

In Malaysia’s case, the true success of this campaign depends on several factors:

1. Collaborative Efforts: The involvement of multiple forestry departments (Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, and Sabah) and other agencies highlights a broad coalition working toward the goal.
2. Approach: Large-scale planting efforts often combine direct human involvement with mechanized planting methods, nursery programmes, and incentives for private landowners to participate.
3. Reporting and Verification: If the count includes saplings or seeds planted in nursery settings, the numbers can scale quickly. However, ensuring the survival and growth of these trees into maturity remains a long-term challenge.

Still, any initiative to plant trees should be commended, regardless of the scale, even if the numbers that get reported are more symbolic than literal. It’s clear that, through this campaign, a lot of trees have been planted in Malaysia, and that’s a good thing.

The milestone ceremony, held at Parliament, was attended by Dewan Rakyat Speaker Tan Sri Johari Abdul, Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek, and the ministry’s secretary-general Datuk Dr Ching Thoo Kim. Officials highlighted the campaign’s success as an example of national dedication to environmental preservation and its potential for long-term benefits in combating climate change.