SBC signs BSA on LitSara Project with 6 communities
KUCHING: Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) has signed the Benefit Sharing Agreement (BSA) on LitSara Project with six indigenous communities yesterday.
The ceremony, witnessed by Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development Datuk Roland Sagah Wee Inn, marks the second BSA under the same project following the inaugural signing three years ago with five communities.
The six new communities involved in the LitSara® Project are the Bidayuh of Kampung Kiding in Padawan, Kelabit and Lun Bawang communities of Pa’ Ukat and Pa’ Lungan of Bario, Long Telingan and Long Kerebangan of Lawas, and Long Rusu of Ba’kelalan.
With the latest signing, the Lun Bawang community from Long Rusu, Ba’kelalan has officially joined the LitSara® project.
Sarawak Biodiversity Council chairman Datuk Amar Jaul Samion said the BSA signing between SBC with the communities amounts to threefold benefits to the participating indigenous communities in terms of recognising and respecting the communities’ right to its biological resources and associated Traditional Knowledge, ensuring fair and equitable sharing of monetary and non-monetary benefits arising from the utilisation of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge, as well as promoting the importance of biodiversity conservation.
He said, under the first Benefit Sharing Agreement, the five communities together supplied 860 litres of essential oils.
The payment of essential oils and benefits shared from the sales of the products amounted to over RM600,000,” he said at the SDA Day here yesterday.
“The agreement ensures that benefits deriving from the use of biological resources associated with the traditional knowledge are shared equitably with the communities.
“In terms of non-monetary benefits, the communities received distillation facilities, equipment and capacity buildings on sustainable harvesting and maintenance of wild populations of tenem or pahkak through Good Wild Craft Practices, propagation of plants to ensure a continuous supply and on-site distillation of essential oil,” he added.
Jaul thanked the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Global Environmental Facilities (GEF) for funding the project since the beginning from 2014 to 2018.
He also thanked Unit Peneraju Agenda Bumiputera (TERAJU) for supporting communities under the TERAJU Livelihood and Dana Pembangunan Usahawan Bumiputera (DPUB) Programme.
The LitSara Project started back in 2005 with the discovery of a plant known as Tenem by the Lun Bawang during one of the Traditional Knowledge documentation field trips at Long Telingan, Lawas.
Tenum was later documented to be used by the Kelabits and the Bidayuhs who called the plant Pahkak.
The plant was later identified by its scientific name ‘Litsea cubeba’ which is traditionally used to treat stomach-ache, back-ache and flavouring for food.
Research at SBC identified the key ingredients of the essential oil from Litsea which was distilled from the leaves and fruits of the plant. Laboratory tests and data have shown that the oil has anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities which make it suitable for natural personal care products.