Forest & Habitat Restoration - MESCOT Kinabatangan, Sabah, Malaysian Borneo The MESCOT Initiative has been carrying out forest habitat restoration  in degraded floodplain forests since 1999. The forest habitat  restoration work was done in response to unprecedented forest fires  that occured during the widespread droughts of 1983 and 1998.  Studies showed almost zero natural regeneration for the proceeding  20 years after the 1983 fires.   What started as an experimental program in swamp and flooded forest the MESCOT Initiative has pioneered a number of restoration  techniques such as blanket liberation of vines and weed grasses, as  well planting trees that had never before been observed. Working with  previously unstudied rainforest tree species the initiative as planted  more that 100,000 trees in four different floodplain forest types.   In late December 2006 experimental planting spured a revitalised approach which was in full swing by early 2008 care of funds from Global Releaf - American Forest Foundation The Global Releaf funded restoration work by MESCOT by 2010 had established a fledgling closed tree canopy by early 2010 through tree planting and other silviculture work Before (2008) After (2010) MESCOT Tree Nursery... The core of the tree planting efforts this tiny nursery  can produce 50,000 trees per year for MESCOT’s own  and other tree planting efforts...  read more...  De-vining... After the first year of failed tree planting MESCOT  experimented with vine clearing with outstanding  results. Helping nature heal itself...  read more...  How to support...  Come and visit, join in the volunteer work, support our  partners which contribute in major ways to funding our  habitat restoration efforts.. read more...  Tree planting... Tree planting of fast growing pioneer species and wild  fruit trees that provide immediate food for orang-utan  and other threatened wildlife ..  read more...  © created for KOPEL by CREST Sustainable Tourism Planning