Sabah Parks to publish more books on state's rich biodiversity heritage

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Parks plans to publish at least 20 books that highlight the state’s rich biodiversity heritage within the next decade.

Its board of trustees chairman, Dato’ Seri Tengku Zainal Adlin Tengku Mahamood, who disclosed this at the launch of three Sabah Parks books published by Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka (DBP) here yesterday, said that knowledge regarding the f lora and fauna, mostly endemic to the state, must be defined and published.

“The seeds of knowledge may be cultivated in solitude but it must be harvested in public for science and humanity,” stressed Tengku Zainal at the ceremony.

“So far more than 500 of Sabah Parks’ journals, mostly scientific, have been published. We do not only have the world’s heritage site here but also scientific heritages, so these findings must be published for all,” he added.

According to Tengku Zainal, all of the books are ready to be published by DBP except for one, which is still in the midst of research. Sabah Parks is also aiming to publish two books each year.

“The books will revolve around t he state’s endemic biodiversity, but we wi l l also emphasize on endangered species. We hope these books will not only serve as a reference of knowledge for the people of Sabah but also as an inspiration for them to preserve its treasures,” said Adlin, who added that the books have been well received by the people.

In order to expedite the publishing of these books, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between DBP and Sabah Parks will be officially inked in the future, said director, Asmiah Ajamain.

Their not-so-recent collaboration began in 2008, through workshops and meetings regarding t he publishing of books and writing, and t he introduction of DBP’s 2013 Publishing Package will increase Sabah Parks’ publications without compromising its quality, said Asmiah.

Lotong Merah (Red Leaf Monkey) by deputy director Dr Maklarin Lakim, Amfibia Sabah (Sabah Amphibians) by Paul Imbun and Kerang Gergasi (Giant Clam) by the trio of Elvin Michael Bavoh, Nasrulhakim Maidan and Abdul Jalil Mapait paved the way as the first three Sabah Parks’ books published by DBP between 2015 and 2025.

The first book written about the introverted but fiery furred Lotong Merah, which is currently undergoing translation process, will be the first to be published in English f or international reference.

Only six books have been published through the collaboration of Sabah Parks and DBP since 2004. Two more Sabah Parks books will be published before 2015.