KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 10 (Bernama) -- Malaysia will pursue its first carbon offset conservation programme involving the conservation of carbon at a biologically diverse forest site within the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) campus here.

The programme, a collaboration between FRIM and Bumi Armada Bhd, would involve the conservation of carbon stored at Field 11, a 5.6 hectare of rich, biologically diverse forest site within FRIM's 544 hectare campus.

The signing of the collaborative effort was signed Wednesday by FRIM director-general Datuk Dr Abd Latif Mohmod and Bumi Armada's executive director and chief executive officer Hassan Basma.

Dr Abd Latif said Field 11 has the capacity to store the equivalent of 3,938.6 tons of carbon dioxide annually and Bumi Armada's RM107,000 contribution would cover the carbon credits from the conservation of the forest within the project site for over a period of five years.

Carbon offsets enable individuals, companies and countries to reduce their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by offsetting, reducing or displacing CO2 in another place.

-- BERNAMA