Avila Geraldine New Straits Times 19 Sep 18;
KOTA KINABALU: A cabinet paper is expected to be tabled soon to faciliate an action plan to save Sabah’s endangered Sunda clouded leopard, proboscis monkey and Bornean banteng.
Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) director Augustine Tuuga said the cabinet paper would most likely be tabled by the state administration soon, and this will pave the way for the action plan to be tabled during the next state assembly sitting in November.
He said the action plan signalled the final final lap towards implementation of measures to protect endangered wildlife. He said with the cabinet paper in place, it only needed approval from the state government to be set into motion.
“A cabinet paper will be prepared and we hope the plan will be approved by the state cabinet. We are hoping that the action plan could become a reality by the end of the year.
“The Chief Minister’s (Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal) support of these plans will also boost conservation efforts of these three endangered species,” said Augustine in a statement, which coincided with the soft launch of the wildlife action plan today by Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew.
The SWD and Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) produced the 10-year action plan for the Sunda clouded leopard, proboscis monkey and the Bornean banteng following several years of gathering biological and ecological information on the three totally protected species in Sabah.
The efforts were supported by Yayasan Sime Darby since April 2011 with a total commitment of RM3.96 million. The funds included allocations for consultation workshops and international conferences with various stakeholders, which involved governmental departments, subject matter experts and industry leaders.
The recommendations made during these workshops and conference were included in the action plan.
DGFC director, Dr Benoit Goossens said the three species were threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching and road developments such as the upcoming Pan Borneo Highway.
“The decline in the proboscis monkey population is directly attributed to the expansion of aquaculture projects in mangrove areas. An example of this is the shrimp farming project in Pitas.
“The population of this animal is also decreasing due to the conversion of riparian or wetland and riverine habitats into agriculture land and human settlements,” said Goosens, who is from Cardiff University, United Kingdom.
He said the Sunda clouded leopards also have a low population now, while the Bornean banteng, which is a type of wild cattle suffered from low numbers due to heavy poaching, snaring and fragmentation.
Goossens said the establishment of the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting (SMART) patrols has also become important in saving these three species.
“But more specifically, for the Bornean banteng, which now has a minimum population of 300, the setting up of a captive breeding programme is imperative,” said Goossens.
He said any area with the presence of bantengs must be managed sustainably by developing and maintaining pastures within and near the home ranges of the existing herds.
As for the proboscis monkey, Goossens said increasing suitable mangrove and riparian forests and the habitat connectivity between them was crucial for their survival.
“For the Sunda clouded leopard, which has a population size of 750, it is imperative to halt the loss and degradation of their habitat and maintain landscape connectivity.
“The proposed Pan Borneo Highway could have a detrimental effect on the Sunda clouded leopard by increasing fragmentation and the number of road kills,” he said.
Goossens said DGFC also recommended that an Endangered Species Conservation Unit be set up to monitor the implementation of the action plan.
10-year action plan drawn up to protect Sabah wildlife
stephanie lee The Star 20 Sep 18;
KOTA KINABALU: Human activities including development, poaching and illegal trapping of Sabah’s wildlife are endangering protected species, such as the Borneon Banteng (wild buffalo), proboscis monkey and Sunda Clouded Leopard.
A 10-year action plan has been drawn up to help protect these species, and is expected to be submitted to the Cabinet soon.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew said the action plan drawn up by various experts including scientists, the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and Sabah Wildlife Department will help the state tackle the issue.
“The plan will provide guidelines and a structure for the management of wildlife in Sabah,” she said after the soft launch of the State Wildlife Species Action Plan here on Thursday (Sept 20).
Liew said the daunting task of protecting Sabah’s unique flora and fauna does not only lie with the authorities, but with the people itself.
“We need everyone, including local communities to be aware of the things they do that could hurt our wildlife,” she said, adding that the Sime Darby Foundation had also played a huge role in funding research and efforts to protect Sabah’s wildlife.
Among the proposals in the action plan is to have an "elite" team of enforcers on the ground to help tackle the issue.
Liew said she was all for it but whether on not it could be implemented immediately was another issue.
She said this was because the funds involved would be huge to rope in local experts and those from overseas.
DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens said the three species – Sunda Clouded Leopard, proboscis monkeys and the Borneon Banteng – are threatened by habitat loss, poaching, and road development such as the Pan Borneo Highway.
“We need to get the government to relook at the Pan Borneo Highway and get information on how not to bulldoze through wildlife rich areas,” he said.
He said the decline in proboscis monkey population was due to the expansion of aquaculture projects in mangrove areas while the clouded leopards suffer from low population density (loss of habitat).
“The Banteng is victim of heavy poaching, snaring and fragmentation and sometimes, hybridisation where it is mated with domestic cattle,” Dr. Goossens said.
On Sabah’s fight against illegal hunting and killing of the Borneo Pygmy Elephants, Liew said efforts are continuously being taken to prevent deaths but the tasks are difficult.
“We suspect foreign workers and even locals themselves to be the ones responsible for their deaths but we don’t have any proof or eyewitness,” she said.
She said the government is planning to have one to one meetings with plantations and local communities to tell them to stop setting up snare traps or killing encroaching animals.
“We won’t press charges for now (as we don’t have any proof) but we want to get everyone on board to help protect our protected wildlife in Sabah,” Liew said.
Sabah finalising wildlife action plan
The Star 22 Sep 18;
KOTA KINABALU: Development, poaching and illegal trapping of Sabah’s wildlife are endangering protected species such as the Bornean Banteng (wild buffalo), proboscis monkey and Sunda Clouded Leopard.
To address the issue, a 10-year action plan to help protect these species is expected to be handed to the state Cabinet soon.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew said the plan drawn up by experts including scientists, the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and Sabah Wildlife Department, would help the state tackle the problem.
“The plan will provide guidelines for the management of wildlife in Sabah,” she said after the soft launch of the State Wildlife Species Action Plan here yesterday.
Liew said she supported the proposals in the plan, and would submit the plan to the Chief Minister once everything was finalised.
“We need all, including the local communities, to be aware of the things they do that can hurt our wildlife,” she said, adding that Sime Darby Foundation had played a huge role in funding research to protect the state’s wildlife.
She said she was all for the proposal in the action plan to have an elite team of enforcers on the ground.
DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens said the Sunda Clouded Leopard, proboscis monkey and Borneon Banteng were threatened by habitat loss, poaching and the development of the Pan Borneo Highway.
“We need to get the government to relook the Pan Borneo Highway and get information on how not to bulldoze through wildlife-rich areas,” he said.
He said the decline in the proboscis population was due to expansion of aquaculture projects in mangrove areas while the clouded leopard suffered from loss of habitat.
“Bantengs are victims of heavy poaching, snaring and fragmentation and also ‘hybridisation’ with the Banteng mated with domestic cattle,” Dr Goossens said.
