KOTA KINABALU : Tiga badan
bukan kerajaan (NGO) di Sabah Jumat menyatakan sokongan terhadap langkah
Jabatan Hutan Sabah mahu mewartakan semula 183,000 hektar Hutan Komersil Kelas
2 yang terlibat dengan kegiatan pembalakan secara besar-besaran, sebagai Hutan
Perlindungan Kelas 1 yang menjadikannya kawasan yang dilindungi.
Mengulas kenyataan jabatan
itu tentang rancangan menjadikan Hutan Simpan Ulu Segama dan bahagian utara
Hutan Simpan Gunung Rara sebagai kawasan yang dilindungi baru-baru ini,
Pengarah Saintifik HUTAN (Program Pemuliharaan Orang Utan Kinabatangan) Dr Marc
Ancrenaz berkata langkah tersebut akan menyelamatkan habitat populasi orang
utan terbesar di Malaysia dan kepelbagaian biologi.
"Oleh kerana HUTAN juga
turut membantu dalam kaji selidik dan memantau orang utan di kawasan ini sejak
beberapa tahun lepas, maka kami amat gembira apabila kerajaan negeri mengambil
langkah itu," katanya dalam kenyataan bersama di sini.
Pengasas LEAP (Land
Empowerment Animals People) Cynthia Ong (gambar) pula berkata di peringkat kebangsaan
dan serantau, Sabah muncul sebagai peneraju dalam usaha memajukan pengurusan
ekosistem semula jadi dan dalam mengurus hutan sebagai kawasan simpanan air,
karbon serta biodiversiti, bukan semata-mata sebagai sumber balak.
"Banyak lagi masalah
dan isu utama yang perlu kami tangani, tapi inilah bentuk perubahan yang kami
ingin lihat," katanya. (Bernama)
Sama-sama kita menjaga dan melindungi hutan yang terdapat di Negeri kita ini.
ReplyDeleteUsaha kerajaan dalam melindungi hutan di Sabah perlu kita sama-sama sokong.
DeleteContohi apa yang telah dilaksanakan oleh Musa Aman terhadap perlindungan hutan.
DeleteHutan Sabah perlu dilindungi dan dipelihara untuk mengekalkan ekosistem yang ada.
ReplyDeletesyabas kepada kerajaan terutamanya Jabatan Hutan Sabah kerana terus berusaha melindungi hutan2 di negeri ini dari sebarang aktiviti pencerobohan atau pembangunan..
ReplyDeletehutan2 kita harus dilindungi.
ReplyDeleteGood job to the Sabah government for their efforts in protecting the forestry reserves within the state. 183,000 hectares of commercial forest will be protected from logging activities after this.
ReplyDeleteThe Sabah government's effort in forestry protection has even gotten Prince William and Duchess Kate's interests, their trip to Borneo in 15th September will be to visit the forestry reserve in Danum Valley.
ReplyDeleteSabah is fast becoming a trailblazer in sustainable forest management. This is evident from the numerous accolades, notably from the United Nations, World Wildlife Fund Malaysia, Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the Prince Charles Charity, for the success of its forest conservation efforts.
ReplyDeleteWith the global community looking at Sabah as a fine example in tropical rainforest protection and management, several forest conservation-related international meetings and conferences were held in the state over the past few months.
ReplyDeleteAt one of them, the United Nation Development Programme's resident representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, Kamal Malhotra, described Sabah as a model of sustainable forest management not only for Southeast Asia, but also the world.
ReplyDeleteIn recognition of Sabah's efforts, the UNDP has agreed to fund a RM14 million project on multi-use forest landscape planning and management at a 260,000ha active production forest area at the Kalabakan-Gunung Rara forest reserve in Tawau.
ReplyDeleteEchoing Malhotra, WWF Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Dr Dionysius S.K. Sharma commended the visionary leadership of the state government under Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman for its political will and for "walking the talk" in implementing programmes and initiatives to protect and conserve the environment. "Sustainable development will determine if we get to keep this planet, and Sabah, with the leadership that it has, will be able to keep this part of the world intact," remarked Dr Dionysius.
ReplyDeleteSabah's forest conservation effort has also attracted the attention of Charles, the Prince of Wales, whose foundation is involved in funding numerous rainforest conservation programmes.
ReplyDeleteState Forestry director Datuk Sam Mannan was recently invited by the prince to share Sabah's success in sustainable forest management at the WWF Global Forest Trade Network (GFTN) Anniversary Forum in London.
ReplyDeleteIt is heartening to note that these strict practices have helped Sabah improve the way it manages its forests.
ReplyDeleteThis was evident particularly in terms of phasing out short-term logging licences that did not adhere to sustainability principles.
ReplyDeleteThrough new practices, long-term forest management plans were designed and reduced-impact logging was introduced.
ReplyDeleteThe state also started giving priority to the protection of High Conservation Value Forests, which are home to diverse wildlife and plants, and also serve as watersheds. By committing to sustainable ways of logging, Sabah has also safeguarded the interests of local communities whose lives depend on the forest.
ReplyDeleteSwitching from conventional logging to sustainable harvesting was perhaps one of the most difficult decisions the state government had to make.
ReplyDeleteThis was due to the fact that Sabah was hugely dependent on timber for revenue, and opting for sustainable forestry management means making sacrifices such as losing short-term monetary gains, and doing away with old ways of logging.
ReplyDeleteTime and resources were instead allocated to finding the best ways to harvest timber without negatively impacting the environment and communities.
ReplyDelete