Yayasan Sabah signs pacts to further propel Maliau
Kota Kinabalu: Yayasan Sabah inked two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) that will further propel Maliau Basin in the field of rainforest conservation research and training as well as promotion of volunteer programmes.
Yayasan Sabah signed a MoU with the Nordic Rainforest Research Network (NRNN) on the promotion of research, training and education.
For the implementation and promotion of volunteer programmes, Yayasan Sabah sealed the MoU with the Forests of the World organisation.
In the conservation programme, Yayasan Sabah signed the MoA with IKEA that would see the INIKEA project proceeding for another 10 years under its Phase 4 in Maliau Basin.
Witnessing the signing ceremony, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said Sabah is at a cross roads but the State Government has decided to take the bull by its horn by focussing on conservation of the forest.
“I think we have made the right decision,” he said.
He concurred with State Forestry Director Datuk Sam Mannan that even though income from timber is at the lowest ever contributing only three per cent of the State’s revenue compared to 80 per cent about 10 years ago it indirectly caused income from others such as tourism to increase.
“Our income from timber used to be RM1 billion annually but it was cut down due to the conservation programme undertaken by the State Government.
“Last year the tourism sector on the other hand raked RM6 billion revenue for the State. So even though we lost RM1 billion we gained RM6 billion indirectly,” he said.
Masidi thanked the partners from Scandinavian countries for giving a helping hand to promote greater awareness in conservation of the forest.
“You may come from different countries but to me we all share a common goal that is for humanity.
This is a legacy that I think we should leave for our future generation,” he said.
Yayasan Sabah Director, Datuk Sapawi Ahmad in his speech delivered by Mannan said the MoU with Nordic would see the establishment of the much awaited Maliau Basin Rainforest Research and Training Programme proposed by the Maliau Basin Management Committee (MBMC) of which Yayasan Sabah is a principal member.
He extended his appreciation to the Nordic countries for its contribution since the beginning to the development of Maliau Basin’s first Management Plan and to establish the Maliau Basin Studies Centre and related infrastructure and facilities.
Among them were the Danish Cooperation for Environment and Development (DANCED), and later Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), NEPcon and IKEA. The revision of the Maliau Basin’s strategic Management Plan was made possible by NEPcon who successfully acquired funding from Aage V Jansen of Denmark.
The MoU with the NRNN, Sapawi said would see Maliau Basin being used in the programme as the focal field research and training centre as well as promote interests among Nordic research community to carry out research. Members of NRRN include notable universities from Nordic countries such as Copenhagen University of Denmark, University of Oslo, Norway, Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SUAS), Umea University, Sweden, Copenhagen Zoo, and Finland University, Finland.
“I have no doubt that this programme will be as successful as the Danum Valley Rainforest Research, Education and Training Programme, a Programme implemented in partnership between the Danum Valley Management Committee of which Yayasan Sabah is a member and the Royal Society, United Kingdom.
Signing on behalf of Yayasan Sabah was Mannan, Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry Permanent Secretary cum chairman of MBMC, Ginun Yangus, while NRRN was represented by Prof Dr Jon Fjeldsa, Forests of the World by its Vice President, Anders Morten Christoffersen and Sow-A-Seed Foundation by its Chairman, Anders Hildeman.
Source: Daily Express
