Ranau village renews commitment to conserve river

KOTA KINABALU: Many native villagers in Sabah are still practising Tagal – a community-based system to conserve native culture and natural resources.

‘Tagal’ in the Kadazan Dusun language refers to ‘prohibition’ and essentially, the system works to ensure a harmonious existence between users and the natural environment.

Tagal Sungai (river) is one of the most popular tagals. There is also Tagal Hutan (forest).

Although many villages successfully practice Tagal Sungai to protect rivers from overfishing, there are a few places that have failed.

Kampung Mohimboyon, a village located about 20 kilometers from Ranau town, is one of them. However, the villagers there are not giving up.

Recently, they started their commitment by renewing the spirit of Tagal with a systematic management by having a chairman as a leader and registering their commitment with the Ranau Fisheries Department.

The registered Sungai Tahukad as a Tagal river and the launching ceremony was officiated by Ranau member of parliament Datuk Dr Ewon Ebin.

Chairman Ajis Ruji said the three-kilometer long Tahukad River was once a Tagal river but failed due to unsystematic management.

There was also no proper registration with the Fisheries Department and there was no monitoring team doing regular observations.

“There was at one time when the river showed results after the Tagal, but many fish died due to mud pollution caused by construction of the Kundasang Tamu.

“We are hoping this time around we will see good result from the Tagal, especially with the help from the Fisheries Department who will share how the other villages in Sabah made it a successful practice that benefited the whole community,” he said.

Ewon, in his speech said commitment from the villagers is needed to ensure the Tagal is successful because it will bring many opportunities to the community, especially to bring more tourists to the village.

He cited the example of Kampung Luanti with a Tagal system generating RM20,000 a month from visitors, and has also opened up other opportunities to the villagers.

Source: The Borneo Post