Sabah villagers most committed to protecting environment – EU Ambassador
KUNDASANG: The European Union (EU) remains committed to work with Malaysia, including the Sabah government as well as its communities in spreading awareness on climate change and the importance of forest management.
Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of EU to Malaysia Maria Castillo Fernandez said this includes engaging with communities whose lives were dependent on the sustainability of forests.
“We see the village people here in Sabah are the most committed in protecting the environment.
“So, we need to work together not only with professionals and politicians, but also the community to see how protecting the environment means more to them,” she told reporters after meeting the community of Kampung Bundu Tuhan here yesterday.
Fernandez said her delegation’s visit to the village, located near Mount Kinabalu, was part of its programme to Sabah to see the progress of the Kinabalu Ecolinc Project, which is part of the EU’s project to tackle climate change.
She also said that the delegation would meet with Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman to express their shared commitment with the state government towards working to address climate change.
Kinabalu Ecolinc Project Manager Norlina Mohd Din said the project is a connectivity conservation effort initiated by Sabah Parks to improve ecological connectivity between Kinabalu Park near here and Crocker Range Park in Tambunan.
She said the attention area covers about 21,000 hectares involving 11 villages, with the focus on creating a harmonised habitat corridor for people, plants and wildlife.