A partnership for a five-year biodiversity conservation project was inked today between Felda Global Ventures Holdings Berhad (FGV) represented by its head of Plantations (East Malaysia) Denys Collin Munang (fourth left) and Borneo Conservation Trust by its honorary secretary Datuk Dr Laurentius Ambu (left).

06/02/2015 (The Rakyat Post) - In the next five years, Sabah can expect a more established, restored and better protection of its key migratory routes for wildlife in the lower Kinabatangan basin.

All this thanks to a five-year smart partnership between Felda Globalventure Holdings Berhad (FGV) and the Borneo Conservation Trust (BTC), believed to be the first of its kind.

BTC’s joint venture with the world’s largest producer of crude palm oil will see a contribution of RM1.7 million to ensure safe migration of wildlife between the pockets of forests in the area.

FGV, through its wholly owned subsidiary Pontian United Plantations Berhad (PUP), inked an agreement with BCT, witnessed by Tourism,Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun and BCT chairman Tan Sri Bernard Dompok.

Present were BCT honorary secretary Datuk Dr Laurentius Ambu and FGV head of plantations (East Malaysia) Denys Collin Munang signing a Memorandum of Agreement to re-establish a Mega Biodiversity Corridor in Lower Kinabatangan Basin project.

A key aspect of the project is to provide a sustainable alternative livelihood for the local communities living along the Kinabatangan River through a sustainable community eco-tourism programme.

Animals that migrate through the Lower Kinabatangan Basin include the Borneo pygmy elephants, orangutans and proboscis monkeys. It is estimated that there are currently over 300 pygmy elephants and 750 orangutans in the lower Kinabatangan Basin.

With the cooperation of the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), the project entails mapping the land parcel, enhancing forest protection,development and implementation of an eco-tourism and forest-related sustainable livelihood in one of the project site located in the Kinabatangan region.

Masidi, in his speech, was optimistic about the project, stressing that conservation was the way forward to ensure sustainability in forest preservation.

“Some non-governmental organisations have been pessimistic about our ability to conservation works, but we now have about 2,000 pygmy elephants,which is the protected species in Malaysia, to proof that our hard work is paying off well.”

He added that the state government needed at least 9,000 hectares or connectivity between forests to allow safe migration of animals.

Masidi said to further secure wildlife in Sabah, the SWD has prepared the Species Action Plan 2010, where four key tasks were recommended, namely, securing the existing forest patches, or land in Lower Kinabatangan; connect and restore all key migratory route for Borneon elephants in order to reduce conflicts; find alternative approach to support the local communities’ livelihood; and find sustainable mechanism management to protect the existing natural forest as corridor for wildlife and biodiversity.

Dompok, meanwhile, revealed that the Kinabatangan floodplain was one of the largest and important wetland ecosystem in Sabah, but past logging activities have decreased the characteristic vegetation of the area by as much as 90%, leaving a patchy corridor along the main stream of the Kinabatangan river.

“The remaining natural habitat is highly degraded and fragmented, most of it having been subjected to heavy logging and fires.

“It is, however,a crucial area for biodiversity conservation and is the only link between the centre forests of Borneo island and the coastal wetlands of the Sulu-Sulawesi sea,” Dompok pointed out.

Sabah, he added should take a leadership role but supporting the restoration of the key corridors to enhance the state and country’s image in wildlife and biodiversity conservation.

The co-operation and commitment from FGV, Dompok said, would further strengthen biodiversity conservation, protection and management issues of the ecological corridor in the Kinabatangan Mega Biodiversity Corridor area.

Ambu, meanwhile, revealed that it would take at least three years before the biodiversity conservation initiative could take effect, adding that with the involvement of FGV, project activities, such as the riparian restoration, wildlife monitoring especially on elephants and orangutans, and protection of existing forestland, could be implemented.