Boost for wildlife corridor for elephants
A memorandum has secured the missing 110-acre land that links the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and Keruak Virgin Jungle Reserve for its endangered Borneo Pygmy Elephants.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has secured the missing 110acre land that links the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and Keruak Virgin Jungle Reserve for its endangered Borneo Pygmy Elephants.
The 25-year long pioneering memorandum of agreement (MoA), inked between the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) and Genting Plantations Berhad here yesterday, supported the Keruak Wildlife Corridor establishment and helps connect some 450-acre riverine forest corridor which was the historical range for the state’s elephants.
By allowing the wildlife to move freely along the river in the corridor, elephant death occurrences caused by humanelephant conflicts would be reduced whilst preventing river bank erosion and protecting local freshwater fish.
Deputy Chief Minister Christina Liew said the total of only about 2,000 Borneo Pygmy Elephants is cause enough for a red alert on the survival of the “precious animal”.
“Today is the beginning to encourage plantation owners to participate in the program of elephant conservation with the state government. The private sector together with the government, we launch this program so we can encourage more of the other private sector, plantation owners to participate in this program,” said Liew.
“We believe the human and elephant conflict must be handled. It needs to be handled as soon as possible, we cannot let it go on. We only have 2,000 left. The signing of MoU today marks the beginning.
“We hope more of such private sectors or plantation owners would come forth taking the lead by this group of people to come into the picture,” she added after launching the UmbrElephant Campaign in conjunction with the World Elephant Day 2018 at a hotel here yesterday.
Local land owners from the Sukau Community and Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Program (HUTAN) have already secured 180 acres of riverine forest with the support of British Charity World Land Trust and the Sabah government allocated an additional 130 acres to the corridor.
The Keruak Wildlife Corridor is an extension of the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.
“The MoA is unique because it is the grant of right to use the land for conservation purposes. So it is not giving up of land, it is the right to use the land for the purpose of environment and sustainability development. This is where it is unique because the private sectors can look at it over a long term. This is a commitment of 25 years conservation. After 25 years we will review,” said Genting Plantations senior vice president Tan Cheng Huat.
He said in 1993 and 1997 planting of palm oil had been done on the stretch of land previously but the MoA will make way for planting of native tree seedling to restore the state of the elephants’ natural habitat.