Tapping riches of biodiversity
New Straits Times 5 Oct 09;
TAMBUNAN: A technology park will be proposed for Sabah under the 10th Malaysia Plan to protect and tap its rich biodiversity.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili said the Sabah Technology Park would be a medium-sized set-up with a cost of RM30 million. It would serve as a centre for research and development, and processing of natural products.
"Sabah is rich with biodiversity which is largely untapped through domestic research yet foreign researchers are illegally collecting and exporting samples of our biodiversity resources without approval and to the benefit of their own industry," he said at a gathering held in conjunction with Parti Bersatu Sabah Tambunan division AGM on Saturday.
Ongkili added that the park would be a centre for researchers to undertake study of biodiversity, especially of natural products as well as provide facilities for small entrepreneurs to conduct incubation.
"The initiative will be concentrated in rural areas where biodiversity resources are in abundance, at the Crocker Range areas, including Trusmadi, the second highest mountain in Sabah."
Ongkili said that the ideal location for the setting up of the proposed Sabah Technology Park was either in Tambunan or Keningau and subject to the availability of land to be provided by the government.
On examples of the rich biodiversity resources, he said Sabah had many types of herbal plants, fauna and flora as well as insects that could be utilised for various purposes, including cosmetics, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical uses.
