‘Collective safeguarding of natural biodiversity essential for environmental conservation’
KOTA KINABALU: The collective effort and inputs by scientists and stakeholders in safeguarding natural biodiversity are essential in the State government’s bid for environmental conservation.
Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Assafal Alian said in order for the government to formulate the best approach in preserving the State’s immense biodiversity, good meeting points need to be set up.
“That is why we have this kind of workshop so with all the knowledge and input, we’ll know what to do in the near future; we need to have response from every stakeholder.”
He was speaking to reporters during the ‘Workshop on the Benefits of Riparian Buffers in Sabah’ here yesterday. Stressing the need for forest reserve conservation, he assured that the new government maintains its agenda of protecting natural ecosystems for the future of the State.
“We can’t afford to have conflict with nature; we must protect our mother nature. When we talk about richness, this is part of it (so) we have to preserve.”
According to him, over 60 per cent of Sabah’s land mass is already gazetted as totally protected areas and the government aims to increase another 30 per cent by 2025.
The workshop yesterday saw 50 representatives from government agencies, universities and industry players converging to exchange knowledge and explore effective designs of riparian buffers.
Riparian buffers – vegetated area near streams – are ecologically beneficial for protection of water quality, bank stabilization and as home to plant communities among others.
“Based on existing legislation, the Sabah Water Resources Enactment 1998 provides for riparian reserves, which is a minimum of 20 metres on either side of rivers that are more than three metres wide.”
He added that other legislations that provide for protection of riparian buffers include Sabah Land Ordinance 1961, Environment Protection Enactment 2002 and Sabah Forest Enactment 1968.
“These laws allow wider widths of riparian reserves beyond the minimum 20 metres requirement to support wildlife corridors and provide natural habitats for important species.”
He noted that the Sabah State Policy for the Environment launched last year had also outlined several actions for riparian reserves to be managed by incorporating criteria for connectivity, ecological processes and climate change effects.
“Under the Action Plans of this policy, two main strategies have been highlighted – river reserves expanded to support a wider spectrum of environmental values and services, and the need to review and update the current regulatory framework related to river reserves,” Assafal said.
The workshop was jointly organised by Sabah Environment Protection Department (EPD), Department for Irrigation and Drainage (DID) Sabah, SE Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), and the Human Modified Tropical Forest (HMTF) Research Programme’s LOMBOK Project (Land-use Options for Maintaining Biodiversity and eKosystem functions).
Also in attendance were deputy permanent secretary of Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment Mariam Omar Matusin, EPD director Mohd Yusrie Abdullah, Sabah DID deputy director Charles Yeo and director of SEARRP Datuk Dr Glen Reynolds.
Source: New Sabah Times
