Daily Express 6 Aug 09;
Kota Kinabalu: State Forestry Director Datuk Sam Mannan Wednesday rejected opposition claims that the creation of 12 forest reserves in Sabah is merely a public relations exercise to mislead the people.
He stressed that the Government is not taking the forest away but protecting and preserving it for future generations.
"We're making a lot of sacrifices (by turning it into forest reserves) but it is in the best interests of the future generation," he said, after attending the launching of HSBC Malaysia Rainforest-Carbon Project in Danum Valley at Hyatt Regency Kinabalu.
He said the preservation of forests by gazetting them into forest reserves is also an excellent policy.
Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Vice President, Datuk Dr Jeffrey Kitingan, claimed that the creation of 12 new reserves was to mislead the people and international community that Sabah still has large tracts of forests.
He said three million hectares of forest were given to various Forest Management Unit (FMU) companies for 100 years adding that the exercise was merely to reclassify the forest.
Sam in rebutting the statement said the mangroves of Sungai Lasun and Pulau Evans at Kuala Maruap in Lahad Datu is the best mangrove forest he had ever seen anywhere in Sabah.
"The 3,856.56ha mangrove forest is in excellent condition."
He said the 1,253ha Bukit Hampuan Forest Reserve in Ranau that was excised from the National Park for mining but has never been mined, is a vital water catchment area.
Similarly, in Kudat, the 590ha Gomantong-Geluang-Gesusu is a beautiful water catchment area. "Then you also have another mangrove forest in Klias that is in excellent condition," he said.
He said people living in the area had demanded that it be returned into a protected area and the Forestry Department complied with the community's needs.
Describing further the creation of new forest reserves, Sam said in Nabawan and Sook, they have a very unique forest called karangas now known as Karangas Forest Reserve.
It is about 400 hectares over a unique eco-system totally surrounded by development.
"It would prove to be a new source of horticulture material for the future," he said adding that there are beautiful species of ferns and other plants there that can be adapted for landscape apart from the unique timber species.
On the other hand, he said despite the Deramakot Forest Reserve being a very small area, which only about 56ha, it is an extension of a world class certified forest.
Some people, he said, have been applying for the small piece of land but that instead of turning into development, the Government decided to take it back and restore it to become part of a world class certified forest.
On Pulau Tabun and Pulau Saranga in Lahad Datu, he said it needed to be preserved as it has good coral life and eco-system.
"Pulau Malawali in Kudat is one of the biggest islands in this country and we've taken over 700haÉalmost all the mangroves there and turned it into a mangrove forest reserve," he said.
While the Malawali is not quite an oceanic island, he said its distance is far from the coast and the next step is for the Government to take the entire island and gazette it as forest reserve.
Imbak Valley, a 17,000ha pristine forest, he said has a lot of timber stock in it. "I reckoned its worth about two million cubic metre of timber which is more than RM1 billion in potential export earning for the country, RM200m worth of royalty for the State Government and RM200m worth of returns for the Sabah Foundation," he said.
Present during the event were HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad Deputy Chairman and CEO, Irene M. Dorner, Research Coordinator of Royal Society South East Asia Rainforest Research Programme (SEARRP), Professor Rory Walsh and Director of SEARRP, Dr Glen Reynolds.
