KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — Malaysian tropical peat soil expert Lulie Meiling is now the first Asian to be voted in as a member of the International Peat Society’s (IPS) executive board, according to a news report.

Lulie, who hails from Sarawak and is also the chairman of the Malaysian Peat Society (MPS), hoped her appointment would cast the spotlight on Sarawak’s conservation commitment for tropical peatland.

"Tropical peatland is a very important Sarawak resource. With both research and innovation, tropical peatland, which was once regarded as a wasteland, has now become a very important arable land for both food and economic security to the state.

"Therefore, being in IPS is a very good platform of cooperation at the international forum and my appointment will help to draw their attention towards the state’s commitment to both development and conservation,” she was quoted saying by local daily The Borneo Post.

She said MPS firmly believes that there would be responsible and sustainable use of tropical peatland for agriculture development if there is strong support from both the federal and state governments.

Lulie said the eight-year-old MPS’ achievements include its previous successful bidding to host the 15th International Peat Congress 2016 in Kuching, Sarawak.

"It was the first time the International Peat Congress was held in Asia, away from Europe and North America,” the Sarawak Tropical Peat Research Institute (Tropi) director said.

According to the Borneo Post, the IPS is the sole global professional body that deals with the development, protection, management and restoration of peatlands and peat, as well as related research.