Jenne Lajiun, Borneo Post, 5 Oct 13;
LOK KAWI: Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) has gazetted 20 species of insects to be protected under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
Its deputy director, Augustine Tuuga, said the move had to be made as foreign tourists were bringing the state’s insects out of Sabah as they fancied.
“And we don’t have an enactment that disallowed them from doing so,” he said.
He added that with the inclusion of the new lists of insects in the enactment, individuals caught bringing out the insects from Sabah can be fined up to RM30,000 or jailed three years.
The amendment to the enactment would be enforced in the nearest future, he told reporters during the 50th anniversary celebration in the protection of wildlife in Sabah at Lokkawi Wildlife Park near here, yesterday.
Earlier, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun, who was represented by Assistant Minister Datuk Kamarlin Ombi, explained that the listing of the insects in the protected list was geared to stop irresponsible individuals from exploiting the natural resources in Sabah and bringing them out of the state easily.
In his speech, he also mentioned that the state government was aware that wildlife were natural assets that had high potential in the development of the tourism industry in Sabah.
He said after 50 years in conserving wildlife, Sabah was still proud as her natural resources continued to be looked after.
He added that the natural resources had attracted tourists to continuously visit the state and expressed that it was the vision of his ministry to turn Sabah into an esteemed destination in nature tourism.
“Sabah is home to various wildlife species … but the natural habitats of these must be managed well in order to continue being attractive,” he said.
Masidi also said many changes had occurred in the last 50 years and cited that among them had been the clearing of more forest areas for agriculture.
“Such activities have impacted on the wildlife and their habitats. They have also resulted in human-animal conflicts … nevertheless, my ministry has tried to ensure the impacts are minimised,” he said, further adding that Sabah has 20 per cent of its area gazetted as protected areas.
He said although certain parties had criticised the state, Sabah had continued to be a strong fortress for the orang utan population.
“Conservation efforts since 50 years ago have ensured that there are still 13,000 orang utans living in the wild in Sabah and we will ensure they will continue to thrive here forever,” he said.
Meanwhile, a collaboration was yesterday signed between Pulau Pom-Pom and Pulau Mataking with SWD for the protection of turtles and their habitats.
The collaboration is to boost the population of turtles in Sabah.
20 more families of insects to come under protection
Daily Express, 5 Oct 13;
Penampang: Twenty families of insects, including several types of butterflies, beetles and stick insects, would be added to the list of protected species soon to safeguard the State's interests as well as its tourism industry.
"Once the list is announced, it would be an offence to bring these insects out of the country and offenders can be fined up to RM30,000. Currently, there are only two families of insects under the list," said State Wildlife Department Deputy Director, Augustine Tuuga.
"We need to do this because there are many foreign tourists who come to Sabah, they see some rare insects in the forests and they bring them back to their own countries.
There is no law against this, so we need to stop them."
Regarding the recent discovery of a Sumatran rhino in Kalimantan, Tuuga said both the Malaysian and Indonesian government would be working together to ensure the safety of the critically endangered species.
"These animals would surely cross the borders into our country at some point.
If that happens, then it would be our duty to protect them," he said, adding that currently, there are only about ten rhinos in the State not including those in captivity.
Earlier, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said Sabah remains a stronghold to the orang-utan population as proven by its large number in the wilderness.
"Although many condemned us claiming that the decrease of wildlife in Sabah was due to agricultural development and logging, we still have more than 13,000 orang-utans in our jungles.
"Regarding the population of rhinos, the Government through my ministry will not give up in our efforts to save this species from extinction.
"Other than protecting them in their natural habitat, we are also trying to breed them in a semi-natural facility in Borneo Rhino Sanctuary," he said during the opening ceremony of the 50th Anniversary of Wildlife Conservation in Sabah at the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park, here, Friday.
His speech was read by his Assistant Minister Datuk Kamarlin Ombi.
Masidi added that in the 50 years of wildlife conservation effort in the State, the Government worked closely with various parties including NGOs, research institutes, universities, private companies as well as domestic and international corporate sectors.
"The conservation and protection of wildlife in its natural habitat would not succeed merely through the enforcement of laws. The public also should be aware of the importance of wildlife conservation," he said.
The event also saw the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between Wildlife Department and two tour operators in Semporna; The Reef Dive Resort and Tour Sdn Bhd at Pulau Mataking and Sipadan Pom-Pom Island Resort and Tours Sdn Bhd.
The MoU showed the cooperation between all parties in conserving turtles in Semporna, particularly in Mataking and Pom-Pom islands. This is because turtles flock to beaches in Semporna due to the suitability and food availability in the area.
All parties will be responsible for the management of turtle eggs such as building hatcheries according to the guidelines set by the department, which would also monitor the implementation of the projects.
Data such as the quantity of nests, eggs and hatchlings will be recorded and shared for analysis.
The department is also welcoming other parties interested in turtle conservation to work together with the department to increase the population of the species in the State.
