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Transcript of sabahsedia.com.my/SDC_Blueprint/Blueprint_Eng/7.Conserveand...Here in the north of Borneo, the range...
sabah development corridor _169
CHAPTER 7
Embracing the Future by Conserving
Age-Old Natural Endowment
sabah development corridor _171
CHAPTER 7
Conserve and Protect the Environment for
Future Generations
7.1 Overview of Sabah’s Forest Reserves and Biodiversity
Protecting the environment is one of the three principles of this Blueprint to enable
sustainable growth in industries such as eco-tourism, agriculture and manufacturing,
as well as to leverage Sabah’s biodiversity to flourish. In the case of Sabah, biodiversity
is a vital asset and major natural endowment of the state. Here in the north of Borneo, the
range of flora, fauna and coral life is one of the most extensive in the world.
Clearly, maintaining the health of the environment through conservation of land, forests
and biodiversity is vital to the SDC. Environmental monitoring, land-use planning,
education and awareness, and mitigation measures to address possible environmental
impacts are key areas of focus for managing the environment during the implementation
of the SDC Blueprint.
Geographically, Sabah is fortunate to have two-thirds of its borders as coastline - over 1,440
km in length, with the South China Sea to the north-west, the Sulu Sea to the north-east
and the Sulawesi Sea to the south-east.
Apart from the mainland, Sabah also has over 497 islands36, including Malaysia’s only
oceanic island, Sipadan Island. In terms of physical characteristics, Sabah has a rugged
topography. It has cultivated coastal plains, while further inland it has forests and mountain
ranges.
A part of the state also features an enormous swampy, forest-covered flood plain along
with the longest river, the Kinabatangan, which is dotted with ox-bow lakes and limestone
outcrops, and contains the richest natural freshwater fisheries in Malaysia.
36 Jabatan Pemetaan Malaysia
sabah development corridor _172
As of 2005, 59% of Sabah’s land mass was covered with forest. The composition of Sabah’s
forest (known as forest estate) is listed in Figure 7.1. The forest of Sabah is classified into
seven classes. The Class II Commercial Forest Reserve (or Production Forest) has the largest
hectarage (2.7 million hectares), followed by Class I Protection Forest Reserve and Class V
Mangrove Forest Reserve.
Figure 7.1: Permanent Forest Estate in Sabah (2007*)
Note: *Includes areas to be gazetted as PFE
Source: Forestry Department Sabah
In terms of biodiversity, there have been numerous research studies conducted to determine
the status of Sabah’s biodiversity in the past three decades. Table 7.1 details some of the
works initiated pertaining to this subject matter.
Protectionforestreserve
Class I
Commercialforestreserve
Class II
Domesticforestreserve
Class III
Amenityforestreserve
Class IV
Mangroveforestreserve
Class V
Virginforestreserve
Class VI
Wildlifereserve
Class VII
Total
348,016
2,682,636
7,355 21,284 320,522
92,401132,653
3,604,867
Permanent Forest Estate in Sabah (2007)
Hectares
sabah development corridor _173
Table 7.1: List of Authors and their Research on Sabah’s Flora and Fauna
Source: IDS (1998) ”Sustainable Utilisation of Non-Timber Forest Products: Issues and Prospects”
Sabah’s rich flora and fauna must be protected for future generations.
AuthorsNo. Number of
Species
Research Items
10,000 – 20,000
220
900
449
155
140
145
103
4,000
Flowering plants (represent
5-6% of the world’s total)
Wild land mammals
Butterflies
Birds
Freshwater fishes
Frogs
Snakes
Termites
Vascular plants
Van Steenis (1950), Kiew (1984),
Mat Salleh et al., (1992)
Payne et al., (1985)
Otsuka (1988)
Rajaratnam (1997)
Inger and Chin (1990)
Inger and Stuebing (1997)
Inger and Tan (1996)
Thapa (1981)
Beaman and Beaman (1990)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
sabah development corridor _174
7.2
7.2.1
Key Challenges
Sustainable Utilisation and Harvesting of Natural Resources
As the state develops, a number of critical challenges will impact the stability of the
environment in Sabah. The environment will continue to be strained if economic
development is not planned with sustainability in mind. On the outset, the key challenges
that need to be tackled include: sustainable harvesting of natural resources (especially
timber), lack of integrated approach to conservation, habitat fragmentation, inadequate
wastewater treatment systems, pollution from industries and absence of statutory
regulation on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
Forest Activities
For the last three decades, the volume of logs extracted from the natural forest has been far
greater than the natural timber regeneration rate. This conventional practice has over time
reduced the raw material supplies to feed downstream industries, resulting in the substantial
closure of various timber processing mills throughout the state.
Mindful of the issue, the Sabah Government has taken a positive step by embarking on
a sustainable forest management policy where only the tree growth volume is extracted
from the forest. Following a lengthy effort and substantial amount of investment, Deramakot
Forest Reserve was certified and internationally recognised as the first natural forest managed
in a sustainable manner. Moving forward, more forests would be harvested based on the
Deramakot model to encourage sustainability.
Fishery Activities
Related to the excessive harvesting of natural resources is the need to contain the risks of
excessive fishing which impacts the sustainable development of the aquaculture industry.
This has a direct impact on the fishery industry resulting in the need for the Sabah State to
import fish, with an associated loss in foreign exchange and reduction in food security.
The use of destructive fishing methods such as small-sized nets, illegal pump boats, fishing
using electricity and poison, encroachment of medium-sized trawlers on inshore waters and
incidental catching of endangered marine species such as dugong and turtles are urgent
issues confronting Sabah’s fishing industry.
Environmental protection efforts will continue to focus on prevention against incidental
catching of endangered marine species and illegal, destructive fishing methods such as fish
bombing which destroys precious coral reefs.
sabah development corridor _175
Agriculture Activities
The development of industrial crop plantations such as oil palm, if unregulated in the
absence of systematic management, will have significant bearing on the environment. Oil
palm plantations located too close to a river system and road side, without proper provision
for riparian and buffer zones, would result in environmental impact such as riverbank
erosion, surface water run-off with fertilisers and herbicides flowing into the river system,
water pollution and loss of riverine biodiversity.
In some cases, fragmented development of agriculture activities without proper planning
and management could result in habitat fragmentation which is a threat to wildlife
movement and survival.
The absence of a riparian reserve or buffer zone along river systems is a threat to wildlife
communities inhabiting the river ecosystem. Irresponsible agricultural development has in
the past extended up to the riverbanks. In addition, open burning activity on private land
adjacent to forest reserves and land clearance adds to biodiversity loss.
Swamp and Mangrove Areas
The biggest threat to swamp and mangrove areas is the complete clear felling of tracts of
the swamp especially along the coastline and along the river banks. Activities resulting in
such clearing include (a) property development by reclamation of swamps; (b) aquaculture
in earthen ponds; (c) bunding and draining of swamps for the planting of oil palm; and (d)
resort development where construction is extended to the edge of the river bank.
During the SDC implementation period, there will be systematic planning against future loss
of biodiversity in terms of terrestrial (including forest and peat swamp) and marine (including
mangroves) biodiversity.
Biodiversity on land in Sabah is contained in the forest37. Thus, every hectare of forest
converted to alternative land-use may result in loss of biodiversity from that hectare. In the
past, repeated logging has resulted in the loss of biodiversity, in favour of weedy “pioneer”
plants.
It is fortunate that no species has yet become extinct in Sabah, but there have been historical
losses of intra-species genetic diversity. Some plants and invertebrate animal species
most sensitive to disturbances are likely to drift to extinction in the absence of active
forest restoration efforts. This is an area that will be mitigated through the SDC plan.
37 Several different types including (lowland dipterocarp forests, hill dipterocarp forests, conifer forests, lower montane
forests, upper montane forests, peat swamp forests, freshwater swamp forests, kerangas forests, kerapah forests,
transitional forests, mangrove forests and forests on ultrabasic soils).
sabah development corridor _176
7.2.2 Industrial Pollutants (‘Brown’ Environmental Issues)
Aside from the ‘green’ environmental issues highlighted in the previous section, there are
several key risks in terms of the ‘brown’ environment which are associated with industrial
development. Programmes will be designed to mitigate these risks which include inter alia:
• Enhancingthetreatmentofpalmoilmilleffluent(POME)byprovidingincentivesfor
companies to adopt cleaner technologies
• Enforcingrequirementsforbufferzonesonriversnearplantationestates
• StrengtheningDOEmonitoringstationsalongmajorriversinSabahtocheckagainst
excessive sedimentation
• Ensuringstringentadherencetozoningandbetterwastetreatmentinindustrialestates
(for example, food separated from heavy industries)
• Ensuringsystematicmanagementoforganicwasteinindustrialfarms(forexample,
checking against manure dumped into rivers and streams)
• Allocatingmoreresourcesforefficientsolidwastehandlingsystems
• Providing facilities in Sabah to handle scheduled waste (used oil and toxic waste
among others)
Lack of Integrated Approach to Conservation
Currently, there are active programmes across the full spectrum of conservation needs
which are anchored by the respective government agencies (Forestry Department and
Sabah Parks among others), local district councils and NGOs. While this has served the state
thus far, moving forward, there is a need to bind these conservation efforts into an integrated
approach towards environmental monitoring, conservation and enforcement. This would
ensure better co-ordination, systematic planning and better utilisation of conservation
resources.
Currently, there is an overlap in jurisdiction and responsibility for natural resource
management. National Parks and Forest Reserves cover similar assets where the
boundaries of the land between park and forests are often not clear-cut.
Elements of the integrated approach should include:
• Integratedenvironmentalinformationmanagementsystem
• Integrated water resources management spanning catchment areas, water supply
and enforcement against water pollution
sabah development corridor _177
• Overallprogrammemanagementoversightanchoredbykeygovernmentagencies,
for instance the Department of Environment (‘Brown’ environment) and Environment
Protection Department (‘Green’ environment)
• Cleardefinitionofscopeandtargetedoutcomesforeachrespectivestakeholder
7.2.3
7.2.4
Habitat Fragmentation
Inadequate Wastewater and Sewerage Treatment Plants
Apart from logging and conversion of former forest to alternative land uses, there is an
additional threat to biodiversity and the survival of large animals – fragmentation of forest
habitat into small patches. The empirical rule is that the larger a piece of forest, the more
species it contains. If large tracts of forest are divided by land-use changes, it is just a matter
of time before large animals, naturally rare species and species sensitive to change will drift
to eventual extinction. Only very large areas of continuous forest (for example, greater than
1 million hectares) in good condition will be able to retain the full complement of their original
species composition.
Inadequate sanitation facilities in major urban centres such as Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan and
Tawau have a direct bearing on the environment. Most urban towns in Sabah lack centralised
wastewater and sewerage treatment plants. This is compounded by the lack of maintenance
of the present wastewater treatment system, such as leakages in the main sewerage lines
due to aged sewerage pipes and insufficient funds.
With regard to sanitation and public health in rural districts, (for example, Sipitang, Kudat
and Tambunan) gravity water and rain are the main sources of treatment for sewerage in the
villages.
The capacity of the current water treatment and processing plants will be enhanced to take
into account planning for adequate waste treatment systems in major island resorts and
diving sites such as Sipadan Island and the various marine parks across Sabah.
sabah development corridor _178
7.2.5
7.3
Sustainable Agriculture Practices
Strategies
Currently there are insufficient guidelines and enforcement capacity relating to the following:
• Excessive use of pesticides and fertilisers on plantation estates
• Conformance to relevant state legislation with regard to riparian reserves
(in the vicinity of rivers), buffer zones and social displacements
• Bestpracticesorcodeofconductforaquaculture
• Agricultureenactmenttoregulatepesticideuse,whichlimitstheexportpotentialof
agriculture products
Measures will be put in place to mitigate the above pollution risks during the SDC
implementation. These measures are not meant to impede the agriculture sector but are in
line with the overall vision to develop Sabah into a centre of excellence for sustainable
agriculture practices. There may be initial costs to plantation owners but this will be
mitigated by access to more discerning markets and possibility of commanding
premium pricing in future.
Co-ordination with the State Department of Agriculture will be undertaken to address the
above issues, leveraging on standards issued by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm
Oil (RSPO). If necessary, these standards can be translated into law with a management
authority to address such issues like implementation of better practices, control over toxic
chemicals used in agriculture, and so forth.
To enhance the conservation and protection of the environment in Sabah, a number of
strategies need to be developed:
• Formulate a State Policy on the environment in line with the National Policy on
the same
• Enhancemonitoringandenforcement in termsofcapacitybuildingandmanpower
training
• Manage development impacting the rainforests, marine life, wildlife and water
resources
• Designate or gazette specific areas as ‘Special Management Areas’ within
which all development will be regulated to comply with best practices in terms
of sustainability; key sites are Kundasang and Kinabatangan
sabah development corridor _179
• Ensurebetterinfrastructureplanning–inparticular,thereshouldbe“ecologicalcorridors”
mandated or restored across major roads
• Explore the use of unused land in rural areas and clearly demarcate environmentally
sensitive areas
• PartnerwithhighqualityNGOsandlargecorporationsforfunding,capacitybuildingand
positive perception management
• Cultivate and increase awareness, education and training for the general public,
tourists and industry
Figure 7.2: Summary of Key Strategies for Balanced Conservation of Environment
7.4 Programmes and Projects
The following section depicts the main programmes and projects currently on-going
that contribute towards preservation of Sabah’s environment for future generations. New
conservation programmes will be planned in line with the strategies that are identified
in this Blueprint.
Education and awareness
Infrastructure
Sustainable development
Forests
Biodiversity
Physical conservation
sabah development corridor _180
7.4.1 Heart of Borneo
On February 12, 2007, a tri-country declaration was signed between the Governments of
Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia to conserve the ‘Heart of Borneo’ – one of
the most important centres of biological diversity in the world, covering around 220,000
square kilometers of equatorial rainforests. While Borneo has a long history of research and
exploration, there are still thousands of plants and animal species yet to be discovered.
sabah development corridor _181
Sabah has one of the most diverse biological resources in the world.
The ‘Heart of Borneo’ initiative seeks to manage and conserve the second largest
contiguous forest landscape in the world by leveraging on trans-boundary collaboration
of governments, engaging local interests in short- and long-term planning, and securing
sustainable and long-term finance, with the co-operation led by the Bornean governments
and supported by a global effort.
‘Heart of Borneo’s’ Vision is to:
…co-operate in ensuring effective management and conservation of a network of protected
areas, productive forests and other sustainable land-uses within the area called ‘Heart of
Borneo’, thereby maintaining Bornean natural heritage for the benefit of present and future
generations, with full respect of each other’s sovereignty and territorial boundaries, and also
without prejudice on the on-going negotiations on land boundary demarcation.
as signed by the three Ministers during the ‘Heart of Borneo’ Declaration
February 2007, Bali
The initiative is aimed at conserving and sustainably managing the biological diversity of
the ‘Heart of Borneo’, especially the endangered orang utan, elephant, rhinoceros, bay cat
(catopuma badia) and banteng.
sabah development corridor _182
7.4.2 Kinabatangan Corridor of Life
The Kinabatangan Corridor of Life (KCoL) includes a floodplain stretching from the upland
forests of the Deramakot Forest Management Unit to the coastal mangroves at the mouth of
the Kinabatangan River. The 27,000 hectares below the Kinabatangan floodplain was declared
a protected area in 1997 and later upgraded to Wildlife Sanctuary in 2001 through the efforts
of the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF).
Aerial view of the Kinabatangan River.
sabah development corridor _183
This sanctuary is home to many rare and endangered species, including the proboscis
monkey, elephant, orang utan, rhinoceros, and a great variety of birdlife. It is arguably the last
forested floodplain in Asia and Malaysia’s largest floodplain which acts as a water filtering
system to the environment and water catchment area to the Eastern Sub-Region.
At present, WWF Malaysia has two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with oil palm
plantations in Kinabatangan. With the MoU, efforts are being made to return parts of the oil
palm land back to the natural forest to provide a Corridor of Life for wildlife within the area.
The intent of the Corridor of Life is to create an area of sustainable development where
industries (currently palm oil and tourism), local communities and nature can thrive together
in harmony. It is already a tourism and agriculture icon for the region.
There is a need for effective management of land, water and the aquatic environment in
Sabah with particular attention to the Kinabatangan floodplain. The management of the
Kinabatangan Basin will take into account the wide range of ecological, economic and social
factors and needs. There is an urgent call for better co-ordination and co-operation among
relevant agencies involved in water resources and environmental management. To this end,
the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (Sabah) is developing an Integrated River Basin
Management (IRBM) Plan for the Kinabatangan River Basin with assistance from WWF.
The IRBM Plan incorporates sustainable management of land and water resources and the
environment in a total system. IRBM is a method for resolving land-use and water-related
issues in a sustainable manner.
A programme to acquire and/or offer incentives that would enable Sabah to restore the
KCoL by restoring natural vegetation along the river banks will also be considered. Some
of the restored forests should strictly be for biodiversity conservation purposes, which will
support responsible eco-tourism and bio-prospecting, while other parts could be used for
sustainable wood production.
7.4.3 Sulu Sulawesi Marine Eco-Region
The Sulu Sulawesi Marine Eco-Region (apex of the Coral Triangle) is a seascape that stretches
from Southern Philippines to Sabah, Sulawesi and Eastern Kalimantan. It is part of the Coral
Triangle which is well known as a centre of marine biodiversity globally.
sabah development corridor _184
Marine life thrives in the waters of Sabah.
There are efforts underway by the various governments involved, to manage and protect
these areas in better ways. Towards this end, currently there are multiple international
organisations also working in the Coral Triangle, which is an area of extreme global
importance for fisheries and other marine resources.
7.4.4 Marine Parks as World Heritage Sites
Marine parks such as Sipadan Island and Tun Sakaran Marine Park (encompassing eight
islands) should be gazetted as World Heritage Sites.
Sipadan Island
Sipadan Island’s uniqueness and remarkable geological features, diversity in species of hard
and soft coral reefs, and other marine flora and fauna have led to it becoming a world-class
diving destination.
Marine parks offer visitors an opportunity to appreciate Sabah’s marine ecology first-hand.
Tun Sakaran Marine Park
This park is unique as it contains people living within its boundaries and is a multiple-use
area designed to protect biodiversity and manage fisheries. Residents of the park are
sabah development corridor _185
allowed to fish and grow seaweed in designated zones. It is the only marine protected area
in Sabah to include private land and to cater for various types of resource use not permitted
in other marine parks.
The stunning coastlines of Manukan Island.
These marine parks are managed by Sabah Parks with the following objectives, namely to:
• protecttheenvironment
• safeguardlivelihoods
• promotesustainableuseofnaturalresources
• encourageenvironmentallysensitivedevelopment
• buildpublicawarenessontheimportanceoftheparks
sabah development corridor _186
7.4.5
7.4.6
Semporna Islands Darwin Project
Tun Mustapha Marine Park
Following the successful completion of the Sipadan Island Project, Sabah Parks and Marine
Conservation Society are now working together on a new programme called Community
Action for Sustainable Use and Conservation of Coral Reefs which was launched in 2005.
This is known as the Semporna Islands Darwin Project, acknowledging the link with
the previous project and the initiative through which it is funded. The project is being
implemented within the Marine Park, but will have a wider impact by building the capacity
to apply similar concepts in other sites in Sabah.
The waters surrounding Pulau Banggi, Balambangan and Malawali, including Teluk Marudu
and the northeast coast of Sabah, contain significant global biodiversity. The area constitutes
Malaysia’s second biggest concentration of coral reefs and hosts other significant habitats
such as the nationally rare sea grass beds and extensive mangrove forests.
Currently, this area is heavily threatened by over-fishing, destructive fishing and uncontrolled
coastal development. Recent studies also suggest that fish resources are heavily over-used
and tropic structures severely degraded.
In 2003, the Sabah Government declared its intention to gazette the area as a marine park.
The proposed Tun Mustapha Marine Park will be a revolution for marine conservation
and fisheries management not only in Sabah but also Malaysia. This project aims to support
the development of the park and ultimately, restore fish populations and a healthy ecosystem
to these globally important reefs.
This project is intended to create greater awareness as well as support for the development
of the park and its objectives of protecting biodiversity, restoring fisheries and enhancing
community livelihoods. The project will:
• Engage local communities inmarineconservation, includingconsultationsonpark
zoning and management plans and establishing a community-based small Marine
Protected Area
• Enhance the biological baseline that has been in development for three years and
establish a monitoring system to track the success of management programmes
• Maintainandenhanceinstitutionalsupportfortheparkanditsdevelopmentprocess
sabah development corridor _187
7.4.7 Yayasan Sabah Conservation Areas - Danum Valley, Maliau Basin and Imbak Canyon
In 2003, Yayasan Sabah voluntarily designated the Imbak Canyon as a Conservation Area for
the purposes of research, education and training, similar to Maliau Basin and Danum Valley.
Currently, both Maliau Basin and Danum Valley are classified as Class I Protection Forest
Reserve, while Imbak Canyon is still part of Yayasan Sabah’s one million hectares of Class II
Commercial Forest Reserve.
With a total of approximately 133,000 hectares of protected areas, the Yayasan Sabah
conservation areas (Maliau Basin, Danum Valley and Imbak Canyon) have a significant
bearing on the protection of Sabah’s endangered animal species such as the elephant,
orang utan, rhinoceros, bay cat, banteng, proboscis monkey and an array of bird species
endemic to Borneo. These protected areas are also home to several different and rare forest
habitats as well as a myriad of flora species ranging from orchids and pitcher plants to an
array of undiscovered plant species.
Danum Valley
Maliau Basin
sabah development corridor _188
The Yayasan Sabah conservation areas are considered vital for:
• Seedsourceorgenebanktofacilitateforestrehabilitationandrestoration
• Research,education,trainingandeco-tourism/wildernessrecreation
• Protectionandconservationofrichbiodiversityandpristineforesthabitats
• Preservationandconservationofculturalheritage
• CatchmentareasfortheKinabatanganRiver
• WildlifeCorridorlinkingDanumValley,ImbakCanyonandMaliauBasin
7.4.8 Carbon Sequestration Projects
In December 1997, more than 160 countries participating in the Framework Convention on
Climate Change adopted the Kyoto Protocol with the aim to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG)
emissions. The Protocol requires industrialised countries to reduce its emissions of six GHGs
by the period of 2008-2012 to a specified level relative to 1990 emissions. To achieve this,
the Protocol provides three mechanisms that would allow transfer or crediting of emission
reductions achieved in other countries:
• Developedcountriesmayshareemissioncreditsresultingfromjointimplementation
(JI) of projects that result in net reductions of GHG emission
• A clean development mechanism (CDM) establishes funding of approved projects
in developing countries to promote sustainable development and also generate
emission credits
• Creditsorallowancesmaybetransferredthroughinternationalemissiontrading.For
example, one industrialised country can purchase emission reduction credits from
another
In Sabah, the potential for managing carbon levels through forestry is significant.
Sequestration of carbon can be achieved via forest preservation thus reducing
deforestation through a number of ways: using forest management techniques to enhance
existing carbon sinks; creating new carbon sinks by planting on pasture, agricultural land,
or degraded forest sites; and storing carbon in wood products38.
38 Kinsman, J. and Kaster, G. (1999). Flexibility Mechanisms for Dealing with Air and Climate Change –
Emissions Trading and Carbon Sequestration. In Proceedings of the Electric Utilities Environmental
Conference, Tuscon, AZ, 1999.
sabah development corridor _189
Sabah is one of the leading states in Malaysia in terms of carbon sequestration. There
are a number of international collaborations for carbon trading and sequestration
projects which have been carried out to date, including:
• UtiliTree Carbon Company which funded a Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) Project
on 2,500 acres with Rakyat Bersatu Sdn Bhd (RBJ)/Yayasan Sabah in collaboration
with New England Power Company, FRIM, CIFOR and Rainforest Alliance
• Infapro-Innoprise/RBJ and Face Foundation39 on a carbon sequestration project to
rehabilitate 25,000 hectares of logged and degraded forest in Yayasan Sabah’s forest
concession
7.4.9 Rhino Rescue Programme
The total population of the Bornean subspecies of the Sumatran rhino (dicerorhinus
sumatrensis harrissoni) is estimated to be fewer than thirty.
The Bornean rhino species is under the threat of extinction.
The Bornean rhino population has declined as a consequence of a long history of hunting
and subsequent habitat conversion, fragmentation and isolation caused by rapid agricultural
development. However, guaranteeing the subspecies’ protection from poaching is no longer
sufficient to ensure its survival.
Lack of breeding and in-breeding (demographic hazards inherent to small and broadly
dispersed populations) now present the most immediate threat. The immediate goal is to
prevent the extinction of the dicerorhinus sumatrensis harrissoni and increase its population.
To achieve this objective, it will be necessary to establish a closely-managed rhino population
in a designated area and to get as many of the rhinos to breed.
39 FACE (Forests Absorbing Carbon-dioxide Emissions) Foundation of the Netherlands is an organisation set
up by the Dutch Electricity Generating Board.
sabah development corridor _190
7.4.10 Philanthropists, Corporations and NGOs
The state has been collaborating with philanthropists, the corporate sector and NGOs to
provide technical expertise, technologies and funding vital for protecting and conserving
Sabah’s natural resources.
It is the intention of the SDC to attract further assistance from philanthropists, corporations
and NGOs. Following are some examples of various initiatives and programmes currently
being implemented:
• YS/INIKEA–Aforestryresearchprojectonrehabilitationofdegradedforestbetween
ICSB and the Sow-a-Seed Foundation established by the IKEA group of Sweden
• RBJ/NEPRIL–AforestryprojectontheuseofReducedImpactLogging(RIL)between
RBJ and New England Power Company (NEP) of USA
• UNDP-GEF/DANIDA–ApeatswampforestprojectinKliasfundedbyUNDP/GEFand
with additional support from Danish International Development Assistance (DANIDA)
• JICA/BBECProgramme–Aprogrammetoestablishsustainableapproachesforthe
conservation of the endangered and precious biodiversity and ecosystems of Sabah
• UNDP-GEF/IDS Demo Plot – A programme to promote sustainable utilisation of
biodiversity resources through domestication of valuable plants and herbs at SAIP,
Kimanis
Biotechnology offers numerous possibilities to conserve biodiversity, the environment and
animal species, through new developments in water treatment, renewable energy, tissue
culture, artificial insemination and others. Environmental conservation is absolutely
essential to ensure sustainable development, while biodiversity is the key to the future of
high-growth biotech industries. Sabah has strengths in these areas as it possesses some of
the richest biodiversity in terms of fauna and flora in the world. It is therefore vital for the
SDC to develop the necessary human capital to enable the people of Sabah to benefit from
biotechnology, inter alia, through its applications in initiatives to conserve biodiversity and
reduce carbon emission.
Sabah already has rudimentary framework and experience in related biotech initiatives
through agencies under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry, Yayasan Sabah,
Forest Research Centre (FRC), UMS, SAFODA and IDS. As a matter of fact, the FRC, Sabah
Fisheries Department and IDS have already been receiving biotech R&D grants from
MOSTI.
7.4.11 Sabah Bio-X Programme
sabah development corridor _191
The Sabah Bio-X Programme is designed as a cross-disciplinary, collaborative network
of research centres of excellence in biodiversity and biotech, and transcends tourism,
conservation, agriculture and manufacturing interests. It is based on a decentralised
structure where the nexus links the dispersed research activities which are on-going
across Sabah. Its focus areas include water treatment and environmental management,
agriculture biotech, food biotech, bio-prospecting for active ingredients from plants, animal
biotech, marine biotech, healthcare and medicine, and industrial biotech. The Sabah Bio-X
Programme offers a common platform to engage biotech researchers and tap the expertise
in Sabah. This will enable the SDC to have quick access to biotech talents, knowledge of
biotech research frontiers and available funds.
This programme shall complement the State Government’s initiatives as spelt out in the
Sabah Biodiversity Enactment 2000 and implemented through the Sabah Biodiversity
Council. In order to add value to its rich biodiversity, Sabah requires a systematic
programme covering research to development up to commercialisation. Sabah should
therefore leverage existing conservation work as a sustainable force to draw research
and commercialisation activities into Sabah. To cultivate the biotech sector in Sabah, the
State Government had formulated and launched in early 2007 the Sabah Biotechnology
Action Blueprint to provide a road map and policy framework for the industry.