From Racetrack To Mangroves: Blue Carbon Collective Takes Root In Johor

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 5  (Bernama) -- A sustainability partnership forged on the Formula One (F1) racetrack is taking root in Malaysia’s mangroves, with over 40,000 trees already planted under Yayasan PETRONAS’ One Million Trees initiative and a survival rate of around 86 per cent.

The progress forms part of the wider Blue Carbon Collective, a five-year South-South research initiative by PETRONAS and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team in collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and the University of São Paulo (USP), aimed at advancing understanding of how mangrove ecosystems absorb and store carbon.

PETRONAS Vice President and Group Chief Sustainability Officer Charlotte Wolff-Bye said bringing together Malaysian and Brazilian researchers allowed the initiative to compare mangrove ecosystems and their blue-carbon sequestration capacity across the two countries.

“I think the partnership is very strong and has been fruitful so far. We already see promising results,” she told Bernama and The Star in an interview recently.

Launched in 2025, the Blue Carbon Collective forms part of PETRONAS' Thriving with Nature ambition, which seeks to rehabilitate, conserve and protect ecosystems in Malaysia and in the countries where it operates.

The initiative focuses on coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, seagrass and salt marshes that absorb carbon, while recognising the wider role mangroves play in protecting coastlines, supporting marine life and providing habitats for wildlife.

The initiative is also being brought closer to the public through a six-month Blue Carbon Collective exhibition at Petrosains in Suria KLCC, which began on Sept 30.

Wolff-Bye said mangroves were particularly important because their value extended beyond carbon absorption to protecting coastlines from storms and large waves, as well as providing breeding grounds for fish and habitats for animals including crabs, shrimp, birds and monkeys.

She said the initiative was launched amid risks facing mangroves in Malaysia from development, climate change and coastal changes, bringing together the F1 team, Yayasan PETRONAS, universities and local communities.

At the Sungai Santi Forest Reserve in Johor, the research applies established Brazilian methodologies to assess carbon stocks, soil quality, ecosystem health and carbon stabilisation, while also examining the impact of land-use changes.

Beyond these shared research objectives with USP, the UPM team is also exploring biodiversity impact monitoring and assessment, as well as an integrated water resource management plan to assess water quality and microbial dynamics.

For PETRONAS, Wolff-Bye said tackling climate change could not be separated from protecting biodiversity, with both forming part of its broader sustainability priorities.

“It is very important to us because climate change cannot be addressed in isolation from biodiversity. By addressing one, we can also help address the other, as they are two sides of the same coin,” she added.

She said addressing nature loss also required collaboration among partners that could contribute diverse knowledge, expertise and resources, while ensuring that local communities remained integral to the effort.

“This forms part of our strategic ambition. Nature loss is a real and pressing concern globally, including here in Malaysia. Our focus therefore extends beyond carbon to protecting coastlines and involving local communities.

“It is very important work and you can’t do it on your own. You have to partner and complement each other’s knowledge, know-how and resources,” she said.

Meanwhile, PETRONAS Vice President of Group Strategic Relations and Communications Ir Norafizal Mat Saad highlighted the local communities’ active role in the initiative.

“The Blue Carbon Collective reflects PETRONAS' belief that lasting outcomes are best achieved through collaboration. Local communities are our partners in conservation, enabling us to combine local knowledge with scientific expertise to strengthen conservation results and support effective ecosystem management.

“This creates opportunities for two-way knowledge-sharing, increased awareness of environmental challenges, and a deeper appreciation of the importance of protecting these ecosystems,” said Norafizal, who is also a member of the Yayasan PETRONAS Board of Trustees.

For Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord, the collaboration also extends a long-standing partnership with PETRONAS beyond motorsport, reflecting shared objectives, values and sustainability commitments.

“The Blue Carbon Collective reflects PETRONAS' belief that lasting outcomes are best achieved through collaboration. Local communities are our partners in conservation, enabling us to combine local knowledge with scientific expertise to strengthen conservation results and support effective ecosystem management.

“This creates opportunities for two-way knowledge-sharing, increased awareness of environmental challenges, and a deeper appreciation of the importance of protecting these ecosystems,” said Norafizal, who is also a member of the Yayasan PETRONAS Board of Trustees.

For Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team Deputy Team Principal Bradley Lord, the collaboration also extends a long-standing partnership with PETRONAS beyond motorsport, reflecting shared objectives, values and sustainability commitments.

“As a team, we’re very conscious that not only do we put on a sporting show that helps to raise awareness of new technology and future technology, but we also need to be responsible for our impact on the world as we fly around the globe and take our travelling team to different race destinations every week or every other week,” he said.

Lord said the Blue Carbon Collective was particularly relevant to F1’s global footprint as the championship races in regions including Malaysia, Singapore and Brazil, while several important mangrove areas are also located in destinations on its calendar.

He said the team could use F1’s large global audience to raise awareness of the research and encourage interest in expanding such collaboration beyond Malaysia and Brazil.

Lord also drew a parallel between F1’s constant development of technology and the mangrove research taking place in Johor, describing the project as another form of laboratory.

For him, bringing sport, science, industry and communities into one initiative could also demonstrate a model for collaboration across sectors and countries, and show F1 fans and partners that sustainability efforts could translate into tangible outcomes.

“I think the sincerity of our commitment can demonstrate a true sort of ambition to break down barriers to be at the cutting edge and to advance collective understanding of the importance of these habitats. Hopefully, it will create a model for cross-continent collaborations that can be used on other projects as well,” he said.

-- BERNAMA