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CONSERVATION
@ Forest | January-February , 2021
WWF-Malaysia relaunches Sabah landscapes programme
Save our elephants
Rampant illegal logging giving rise to human-beast conflicts
The rampant illegal
logging activities in Kelantan and poaching have been identified as among the reasons elephants leave their habitat . State Wildlife director Ady Ermanty Haniff Mohamed Hanif said other factors included the opening of smallholdings , the construction of dams and conflicts such as poisoning .
The jungles of Kelantan hold an estimated 220 elephants , and they are a threatened species due to all these factors , and their population is getting smaller . He said the elephant population in Kelantan is divided into herds according to the districts , namely Jeli , Tanah Merah , Kuala Krai , Gua Musang and Machang .
He said the pressure of a dwindling habitat has given rise to human-elephant conflict in the villages and plantations .
ENVIRONMENT
Cleaning our rivers
The Ocean Cleanup prepares for series production of interceptor in Malaysia
Ady Ermanty said the department had taken several measures such as setting up an electric fencing system to solve the problem .
“ The electric fencing system was introduced in 2009 to confine the elephants to their habitat and reduce conflict with humans .
“ The 31.8 km fencing was set up in three conflict areas , namely Kampung Sungai Rual and Kampung Batu Melintang in Jeli as well as Pos Pasik in Gua
Musang at a cost of RM1.8 million . “ The fence will prevent the animals from encroaching into smallholdings and villages ,” he added .
Ady Ermanty Haniff also said that Perhilitan caught 16 elephants in Kelantan this year and relocated them to Taman Negara and State forest reserves straddling the borders of Kelantan , Terengganu and Pahang .
World Wide Fund for Nature-Malaysia ( WWF-Malaysia ) relaunched its conservation programme in Sabah , which focuses on a holistic approach towards environmental protection and conservation , through the landscapes approach .
The newly-minted Sabah Landscapes Programme ( SLP ) combines conservation and sustainable development by integrating forest protection , wildlife and rivers , with Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil ( RSPO ) certified oil palm production and restoration of ecological corridors and riparian reserves .
The SLP aims to support Sabah ’ s existing policies to protect 30 per cent of its rainforest by 2025 and maintain 50 per cent forest covers , and attain 100 per cent RSPO certification by 2025 through the jurisdictional approach .
The programme relaunch was kick-started by a virtual talk on Dec 3 , 2020 , via WWF-Malaysia ’ s Facebook Live , “ Nature Talks : What is a Landscape ? Introducing Sabah Landscapes Programme ” where the speakers shared the conservation approach and what it meant for forest and wildlife protection in Sabah .
The speakers were Dr Robecca Jumin ( Head of Conservation Sabah , WWF-Malaysia ), Dr Glyn Davies ( Senior Advisor , WWF- Malaysia ) and Dr Faisal Mohd Noor ( Sabah Landscapes Programme Leader , WWF-Malaysia ).
“ I believe this holistic approach will help us further the conservation work that we have already been doing for the past three decades ,” said Dr Robecca .
Moderated by Sheelasheena Damian ( Policy Analyst , WWF- Malaysia ), the 60-minutes live session also coincided with the launch of SLP ’ s webpage : www . wwf . org . my / sabahlandscapes .
SLP is an integration of the former Living Landscapes
Programme and Sabah Terrestrial Conservation Programme . Through the landscapes approach , SLP builds on three pillars :
• Protect ( protection of forests , wildlife and watershed ),
• Produce ( production of sustainable palm oil and timber ), and
• Restore ( restoration of degraded habitats and ecological corridors ). The SLP will focus on three priority landscapes : Tawau , Tabin and
Lower Sugut . Also , SLP will subsequently enhance conservation efforts in Kalabakan , Central Forest and Ulu Padas-Nabawan .
“ It is SLP ’ s vision that by 2030 , Sabah ’ s biodiversity , ecosystem services and agricultural systems are valued , protected and responsibly managed , are climate-resilient and bring benefits to both people and nature ,” said Faisal .
While engagement with various stakeholders including government , private sector , businesses and communities is vital to the landscapes approach , Faisal stressed communities living within the targetted landscapes are one of WWF ’ s most prominent stakeholders .
“ They ( communities ) are often marginalised by conventional conservation approaches . On the other hand , a landscape approach has considerable potential to meet social and environmental objectives from the ground up while also contributing to state and national environmental commitments ,” he said .
WWF will also seek to engage with communities in the identified landscapes to share its proposed intervention measures there and receive input and feedback from those on the ground . They can be channelled through contactslp @ wwf . org . my . — @ Forest
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Karl Tilkorn , Senior Vice President , Industrial Cranes and Products , Asia Pacific . |
Interceptor on Klang River ,
The Ocean Cleanup , the Dutch non-profit developing advanced technologies to rid the oceans of plastic , and Konecranes recently announced that Mhe- Demag is the chosen partner to design , manufacture , and service The Ocean Cleanup ’ s Interceptor to extract plastic from rivers before entering the ocean .
This is an important step as the nonprofit
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organisation prepares to tackle the world ’ s 1000 most polluting rivers .
In Malaysia , five per cent of river basins are considered severely polluted
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and 42 per cent polluted – leaving only 53 per cent classified as ‘ clean ’.
The Ocean Cleanup introduced the Interceptor in 2019 and piloted one of
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