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28th November, 2007
KOTA KINABALU: Nature conservation remains Sabah’s highest priority and the state is therefore receptive to any initiative that garner well for the environment said Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun.
“With sustainable forest management in Sabah and the Deramakot Forest Reserve as an exemplary model, I strongly believe that we are heading towards the right direction in nature conservation,” he said.
More than half of the land mass in Sabah is still forested and these areas are extremely rich with flora and fauna, some of which are indigenous to the state.
“Because of such high biodiversity, the state is well-known as nature’s gateway to Borneo,” he said.
However, Masidi stressed that conservation efforts must be pragmatic and realistic in order to benefit all and not threaten the state’s development agenda.
“There should be a balance between development and conservation, and sustainable use of natural resources,” he said.
Masidi was speaking at the closing ceremony of the International Conference on “Nature Conservation in Sabah: The Quest for the Gold Standard” here yesterday.
On Monday, the conference saw the beginnings of a wildlife conservation bank that will manage the 34,000ha Malua Forest Reserve.
He lauded the move saying that programmes to promote the protection, sustainable utilisation and management of natural resources required significant investment
The bank is expected to enhance the state’s conservation efforts, particularly in the restoration of forests and habitats and the environment in general.
He also urged for more contributions from individuals and expressed hope for a more tangible and predictable source of funding to support the worthy cause.
“This is a new initiative, the first in this region and it is pioneered in Sabah,” he said.
On another development, the state government together with the Borneo Tropical Rainforest Foundation (BTRF) and Global EcoRescue (GER) will explore the prospect of “Carbon Financing” to fund the protection and conservation of natural resources through the concept of Reduced Emission of Degradation and Deforestation (REDD).
The REDD concept would be deliberated on during the 13th conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP13) in Bali next week.
“If such a concept is accepted by the global community, it will offer new hope in sustainable financing for conservation,” he said.
Also present at the event were Sabah Forestry Department director, Datuk Sam Mannan and former State Secretary and KKIPC Sdn Bhd chairman, Datuk KY Mustafa.
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