Vantage Data Centers, a leading global provider of hyperscale data centre campuses, has partnered with the Malaysia Forest Fund (MFF), an agency under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability of Malaysia (NRES). The collaboration aims to strengthen the efforts to protect and conserve Malaysia’s forests while delivering tangible benefits to local communities in Selangor. Vantage will contribute to the Penjaga Gunung (Mountain Guardian) project, one of the key initiatives under the Forest Conservation Certificate (FCC) protocol managed by the Malaysia Forest Fund.
The initiative covers approximately 108,000 hectares of the Selangor Royal Heritage Forest area and engages villages from the Orang Asli community. The Penjaga Gunung project intends to foster environmental stewardship among the youth of the Orang Asli, the Indigenous people of Peninsular Malaysia, while preserving their cultural heritage and creating sustainable livelihoods for the community.
Through structured programme and certified skills development, participants will be trained to become nature guides and community rangers, enabling them to develop village-based eco-tourism and conservation services that generate long-term income streams. This new generation of forest guardians will be equipped with essential knowledge to enhance protection of Selangor’s forest reserves and biodiversity while supporting habitat restoration to strengthen ecosystem resilience.
“Our support for Penjaga Gunung turns conservation into high-calibre, meaningful career opportunities,” said Fitri Abdullah, Country Managing Director, Malaysia of Vantage Data Centers. “We are shaping a future where sustainable livelihoods and professional skills development go hand in hand with protecting the planet, ensuring environmental sustainability is guided by the wisdom of protecting indigenous cultural heritage.”
