State asked to identify PCAs
KUCHING: The state government has been asked to identify priority conservation areas ( PCAs) in Sarawak.
The World Wide Fund for Nature – Malaysia ( WWF-Malaysia) said this is necessary before embarking on the government’s plan to increase planted oil palm areas to two million hectares by 2020.
“Once PCAs that cover terrestrial and freshwater are identified and mapped out, the information can then be used to assist the government to better manage and conserve its natural resources,” said WWF-Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma in a press statement yesterday.
He said this would ensure Sarawak’s biodiversity would not be compromised by large scale developments such as oil palm.
According to him, the PCA map would indicate where large scale developments should be avoided, adding that WWF- Malaysia, “is not against oil palm development as the organisation realised it is an important commodity to the country”.
“But it needs to be developed sustainably, through proper and systematic approach in land use planning. Furthermore, the palm oil industry should also move towards certification of acceptable international standards.
“We should not ignore the need to go for certification if the industry wishes to increase market accessibility as consumers are more discerning and they are seeking sustainably- sourced products these days,” he said when commenting on Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas’ recent statement on the state’s plan to increase planted oil palm areas to two million hectares by 2020.
A comprehensive study would be undertaken to develop an oil palm industry master plan, which would determine the appropriate numbers of mills, refineries and ancillary facilities sufficient to support the industry, to exploit the potential for downstream processing activities in the future, and to determine the infrastructural needs of the industry.
Dionysius urged Uggah, who is also Modernisation of Agriculture and Rural Economy Minister, to consider WWF-Malaysia’s views and concerns.
He said WWF- Malaysia’s Sarawak Conservation Programme is currently working with several government agencies and tertiary institutions in building capacity and eventually to agree on a common conservation plan, through a map showing PCAs in Sarawak.
“The map would enhance integrity of protected areas through better management of lands surrounding them and have better connectivity for wildlife movement and persistence of biodiversity and ecological processes,” he said, adding it is expected to be completed soon.
“The Ministry of Resource Planning and Environment is fully supportive of this exercise, which will eventually assist the state in coming up with a sound structural plan for conservation in Sarawak.”
He also urged the state government to focus on achieving its one million hectares of totally protected areas ( TPAs) and six million hectares of permanent forest estates ( PFEs).
To date, about 900,000 of the targeted one million hectares of TPAs, both marine and terrestrial areas, have been gazetted, while about 70 per cent of the targeted six million hectares of PFEs has been achieved.