In celebration of World Sustainability Day, Solarvest Holdings Berhad took this belief to heart through its CSR initiative, “Plant A Mangrove!”, a collaborative effort with EcoKnights and Inspirasi Kawa at Kampung Kuantan Firefly Park, Kuala Selangor.
Held on 4 October 2025, the event brought together more than 40 volunteers, including 30 Solarvest employees alongside community members and NGO participants, all working hand in hand to restore one of Malaysia’s most vital ecosystems.
Guided by the experienced team from EcoKnights, volunteers rolled up their sleeves and planted 100 saplings and 500 seedlings of the Nypa fruticans (known as nipa palm or Pokok Nipah) and Sonneratia caseolaris (crabapple mangrove, also known as Pokok Berembang), a special species that’s closely associated with Kuala Selangor’s iconic firefly population.
Inspirasi Kawa, a youth-led organisation, conducted an educational session focused on the critical role of mangroves in biodiversity conservation and the significance to local communities. By restoring this habitat, volunteers helped revive a living ecosystem that supports the fireflies, protects the coastline, and sustains the community’s ecotourism livelihood as the villagers rely on ecotourism as their primary source of income.
Why Mangroves?
Mangroves are among the most valuable ecosystems and powerful natural allies in the fight against climate change, capable of storing three to five times more carbon per hectare than terrestrial forests, and yet they are often overlooked.
Mangroves provide shelters for thousands of species, many of which are threatened with extinction. form natural barriers against rising tides, and shield millions of people from floods and storm surges each year. Despite their importance, mangroves only cover 0.1% of the planet’s surface, and this precious ecosystem is disappearing rapidly due to coastal development, deforestation, and pollution.
Solarvest’s Journey in Mangrove Conservation
Recognising the importance, Solarvest launched its mangrove conservation initiative in 2022 as part of its long-term sustainability journey. Since then, over 2,450 saplings have been planted across Langkawi and Kuala Selangor, in collaboration with the Lions Club of Langkawi and EcoKnights.
Solarvest believes that raising awareness among community and youth is the key to driving lasting behavioural change. To date, more than 680 volunteers from NGOs, local communities, universities, and its employees have joined the campaign, demonstrating the strength of sustainability partnerships in making real impacts on the ground.
“It was a meaningful and enjoyable CSR initiative. The highlight was the strong team spirit and the shared enthusiasm for protecting nature. Planting over a hundred mangroves left us with a powerful sense of accomplishment, and our hope is to welcome broader participation next time. The more contributors we involve, the bigger our positive impact will be. Together, we nurtured the environment and strengthened our collective commitment to sustainability and community resilience for future generations.” — Ms Ruqayyah Binti Rashid, Project Engineer at Solarvest Holdings Berhad.
Staying true to its long-term sustainability goals and its commitment to SDGs 11, 13, 14, 15, and 17, Solarvest continues to expand its impact beyond clean energy to addressing environmental degradation through nature-based solutions like mangrove restoration.
As part of its broader environmental initiatives, Solarvest has been integrating biodiversity management plans into its solar projects. This includes Solarvest’s 13 MWp LSS4 Sinarmas solar farm, located 10 kilometres away from the firefly park, showcased a living example of how thoughtful engineering and biodiversity can coexist.
A Call to Grow Together
As the world celebrates World Sustainability Day, Solarvest hopes to inspire collective actions to take part in preserving biodiversity and restoring natural habitats. Every mangrove planted represents a promise to protect the environment, empower communities, and create a regenerative future where both people and nature can flourish.