KEEP TABS ON THE HEART OF BORNEO

CONSERVATION ....The rainforest at the Maliau Basin Conservation area which forms part of the Heart of Borneo.

By : REBECCA CHONG

THE SABAH Forestry Department hosted the International Conference on “Heart of Borneo (HoB ) on the 6th and 7th of November 2012. The conference with over 600 participants seeks to keep track of what member countries are doing to carry out the aims of the HOB initiative in key sectors that influence conservation.

It is also intended to provide an avenue for all relevant stakeholders to re-assess their respective roles and contributions in these key sectors, and to streamline and coordinate actions towards realizing HOB’s initiative.

Dr Yee Moh Chai, representing the Chief Minister accompanies Landscape Malaysia Advisor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi touring the exhibition booth.

Dr Yee Moh Chai, representing the Chief Minister accompanies Landscape Malaysia Advisor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi touring the exhibition booth.

The two-day conference received 11 presentations from international and local speakers who shared their perspectives on conservation and sustainable development. Present at the opening of the conference were Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, the 5th Malaysian Prime Minister, in his capacity as the Advisor to the Malaysian Landscape.

Representing the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman was Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Resource Development and Information Technology of Sabah, Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai. Datuk Masidi Manjun, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment also attended the conference.

The HOB initiative is a ‘three countries - one vision’ initiative, which is to conserve and efficiently manage the rich biodiversity within the contiguous countries on the Borneo island. The initiative hinges on a voluntary trans-boundary cooperation aimed at conserving and managing the ecologically inter-connected highlands of Borneo and parts of the adjacent foothills and lowland rainforests, covering an area of approximately 22 million hectares.

With the support of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Malaysia, the State has formulated the HOB vision into the 'Sabah Strategic Plan of Action' which was adopted and published in 2009.

Programs and plans of action include the management of boundaries, protected areas and natural resources, ecotourism development and capacity building. In 2011, the “Sabah Heart of Borneo: Conservation in Action” document was published, highlighting what the Sabah Forestry Department has achieved.

In his speech read by Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Dr. Yee Moh Chai who represented him at the opening of the conference Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Hj. Aman said that much has been achieved in Sabah since the inception of HOB.

Under the 9th and 10th Malaysia Plans, the Sabah Forestry Department has received funds through the Federal Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for the implementation of the HOB program. These funds are used to carry out biodiversity documentation on various selected forests reserves.

To date, 17 forest reserves have been surveyed and the results incorporated into the preparation of forest management plans that contribute significantly to the forest management practices. Improvement in wildlife monitoring and enforcement, infrastructure development, capacity building and environmental education are among some of the major on-going activities under the HoB programs within the department.

Musa also pointed out that the "Totally Protected Area (TPAS)" in Sabah now covers 1.3 million hectares or about 20 percent of Sabah’s total land area, an achievement that exceeds the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) standard of 10 percent.

These protected areas are further complemented with key conservation initiatives such as Ulu Segama-Malua involving about 240,000 hectares of forest reserves for Orang Utan conservation and the Kinabatangan Corridor of Life made up of about 150,000 hectares of wildlife-rich ecosystem.

Other initiatives include the conservation of the Lower Kinabatangan and Segama Wetlands involving about 79,000 hectares of pristine wetland ecosystem, and the Trusmadi, Danum Valley, Maliau Basin and Imbak Canyon conservation areas.

Musa further added that the reclassification of about 180,000 hectares comprising about 54,000 hectares of a wildlife corridor linking Maliau Basin and Imbak Canyon to Danum Valley and Ulu Segama, and 130,000 hectares of the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve as a Class 1 Forest Reserve, has resulted in these areas being  totally protected.

The State Government is committed to conservation despite the enormous opportunity cost and forgone income.

“While much has been accomplished in the implementation of the HoB, the State Government will not cease but continue to strive to excel in forest management and conservation practices,” Musa stressed.

Musa also said that he believes that this conference is the right platform for participating territories to  report on the implementation of the HoB, and what needs to be done in the next five years and beyond.

“I trust that speakers and participants gathered here for two days will provide the State Government with ideas and recommendations to make the HoB, a better place for wildlife, the environment, the economy and a better tomorrow for us all and our future generations.” (Insight Sabah)