Chery Corporate Malaysia has partnered with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) to launch “Cherish the Nature”, an 18-month mangrove rehabilitation programme along Selangor’s North-Central coastline.
The project was introduced at Kuala Selangor Nature Park and brings together government agencies, researchers, local communities and Chery owner groups in a coordinated conservation effort.
The initiative targets at least six hectares of degraded mangrove forest across the 130-km coastal stretch, an ecosystem that underpins fisheries, coastal protection and eco-tourism in Kuala Selangor.
Restoration sites will be identified using IUCN’s ecological assessment tools, while local communities will raise and plant the saplings — combining scientific planning with traditional knowledge and creating direct livelihood participation.
Beyond tree-planting, the programme is structured around long-term ecological monitoring, environmental education and the introduction of Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to link mangroves with adjacent marine and terrestrial habitats.
This landscape approach supports Malaysia’s commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including the 30×30 target to protect 30% of land and sea by 2030.
For Chery, the project signals a shift from one-off CSR activities to multi-year, outcome-based sustainability programmes tied to measurable biodiversity gains. For the coastal communities, the restoration is directly tied to fish, crab and shellfish populations that are declining as mangrove coverage shrinks due to land-use change.
Public participation — including vehicle owner clubs — is built into the programme through citizen-science activities and planting sessions, positioning conservation as a shared, ongoing effort rather than a ceremonial launch.
