Nazir Razak Adopts a Tree for His Daughter, Wins Hearts Online

Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, the former CIMB Bank chairman, made a heartfelt tribute to his daughter Marissa on his Instagram account for her passion in saving trees and the environment.

His caption read, “Adopted a tree, a Merlimau. So pleased to be able to do this for Marissa.”

I bet you’ve heard of adopting a child and adopting a pet, even adopting a family. But have you ever considered adopting…a tree?

Hold your horses! We know, we know, we can already hear you yelling- “HOW do you adopt a TREE???” When we say adopt a tree, we’re not talking about bringing it home and making it the latest member of your family, we’re talking about having a tree planted in your name!

Alright, now that that’s been cleared up, you may be wondering, how exactly does one go about adopting a tree? Let us make it easier for you – check out the Taman Tugu Project!

Part of the forest trails currently opened to the public. (Source: tamantuguproject.com.my)

One of the gazebos- a winning entry from the Taman Tugu Greenovation Design Competition in 2017 (Source: tamantuguproject.com.my)

Taman Tugu is a 66-acre urban forest park located in Kuala Lumpur, southwest of the Tugu Negara, Malaysia’s national monument and war memorial. It is contiguous to the Perdana Botanical Garden, and serves as an expansion of the green space. Clear enough? In that case, let’s move on to the project in question…

Led by Khazanah Nasional Berhad (Khazanah Nasional), and supported by various public sector agencies and civil-society organisations, the Taman Tugu Project is a not-for-profit CSR (that’s corporate social responsibility, for those of you who didn’t know) initiative. The initiative currently has 2 aims, namely to:

Conserve a 66-acre green-lung in the heart of Kuala Lumpur and turning it into an urban forest park for the community; and

Establish a public trust to own, manage and protect Taman Tugu as well as other potential assets of heritage value – including our natural heritage.

In adopting a tree, you get to have a tree named for you (or a friend!), and also contribute to the preservation of Malaysia’s natural heritage. How? Simple! In adopting one of the trees available, you will be choosing one of the 4000+ trees indigenous to Malaysia and preserving it in perpetuity. And even better, you can choose to adopt one tree or more!

While it may seem like a tall order, the scope and costing of the Taman Tugu Project has already gone through multiple iterations, based on feedback form key stakeholders, budget availability and engagement with the public sector. That’s right folks, the entire project has been scrutinised to the minutest detail!

With the Amanah Warisan Negara (AWAN) or the National Heritage Trust established in July 2018 per the Trustees Incorporation Act (1952), Khazanah Nasional is now working with the relevant ministries to transfer the Taman Tugu site to the care of AWAN to be managed and protected as a public green space in perpetuity. This includes managing day-to-day operations, overseeing the maintenance and driving fund raising activities for the upkeep of the park and other assets in the future.

If you’re interested in taking part in this initiative and wish to adopt a leafy green pal today, you can email ask@tamantuguproject.com.my!

Alternatively, you can also check out the Free Tree Society’s environmental education programme here (with courses available online!) and volunteer in the preservation efforts while educating yourself on the importance of preserving our natural heritage.