Corridor Of Life For Sabah's Endangered Wildlife

Emin Madi Bernama 2 Aug 10;

KOTA KINABALU, Aug 2 (Bernama) -- The protected wildlife in Sabah is set to see better chances of survival, thanks to the `corridor of life' introduced by the Sabah state government.

The corridor of life is not only aimed at creating more forest for the wild animals to move about but also to complement the state government's goal of ensuring that 55 per cent of Sabah's total area has green cover.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the program would involve rehabilitation of the riparian reserve to create a passage for the wild animals to move about.

"Many people, especially owners of oil palm estates, plant crop right up to the river bank, thus blocking the passage for the wild animals," he told Bernama.

Riparian forest is a forested area adjacent to a body of water such as a river, stream, pond, lake, marshland, estuary or canal that allows fragmented forest to be connected.

CORRIDOR OF LIFE

"We will be rehabilitating this area (riparian reserve) and we have given alternatives to all land owners to stop farming on riparian reserve because when they farm right at the river's edge, wild animals, especially elephants are unable to cross the river," he said.

The corridor of life is currently the focus in the Kinabatangan district, in the interiors of Sabah, which will involve the acquisition of a vast area to create the riparian reserve.

"We are buying up the land little by little and as far as possible we try to encourage Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) to raise fund themselves because we want the ownership to be shared by everyone.

Masidi noted that the implementation of the programme would be done in collaboration with the state Wildlife Department and the Land and Survey Department, the two department with enforcement powers.

EXTINCTION

"Enforcement means if for any reason a farmer or plantation company encroaches into the riparian reserve, they have actually committed an offence under the Land Ordinance.

"So that enforcement will be done by the Land and Survey Department," he said.

The whole idea of the corridor of life is to allow wild animals to move from one place to another to search for food and also to give them the opportunity to propagate.

"Animals are increasingly losing their habitat and are being pushed further into the jungle and worse still, the opening up of land leads to the fragmentation of forests.

"Therefore, it becomes a problem for the animals to move from one place to another to look for food and when they encroach into plantations they become the target of planters and poachers," he said adding that sun bear is one of the most endangered species in the state.

FOREST RESERVE

Masidi pointed out that the Malua Forest Station with an area of 144,320 hectares (328,000 acres) is one of the state's most significant conservation programme dedicated for the wild animals.

"We also have the Danum Valley and the Wild Animal Sanctuary at Sepilok covering 5,000-6,000 hectares.

"About 50 per cent of the forest in Sabah is already protected and we are rehabilitating another two per cent of logged area to turn them into protected areas," he said.

The government's long term objective is to make sure 55 per cent of the state remains covered with jungle. In order to do that the state government will increase the number of forest reserve.

In fact, the State Assembly's sitting last April approved another 10,000 hectares of forest reserve and that is the surest way of saving the wild animals.

"The other one, we have also introduced planting limits preventing people from planting right on the river bank. Many people know that but plantation owners plant up to the river bank, thus blocking the passage for the animals," he said.

"So if people ask what have we done to save Sabah's endangered species, we have provided them the natural habitat so that they can multiply without the fear of being hunted or threatened.

"We want the next generation to have the opportunity see the sight of these animals in their natural habitat and not in history books or in some animal books. I think we need to leave a good legacy for our future generations," he said.

PROTECTED SPECIES

According to the Sabah's Wildlife Department, the endangered species are mostly found in the Tabin Wildlife Forest in Lahad Datu and Ulu Segama, about 400km from the state capital. Others wander in various part of the state.

Its Director Laurentius N. Ambu said the deer is the protected species most in danger of being hunted for its meat, skin or horn.

Other protected species like the elephants, Sumatran rhinoceros, Orang Utan and monkeys, including proboscis, are killed mostly because they encroach into farmland.

Sabah is divided into four major wildlife habitat types, they are coastal and mangrove forest, dipterocarp forest, heath limestone forest and montane forest.

Under the State's Wildlife and Conservation Enactment 1997, wild sanctuaries are the strongest conservation category for fauna, flora and genetic resources and habitat.

-- BERNAMA