Sabah is set to intensify its green effort and bring more value to its conservation efforts in the state.
The effort, which is envisioned in the “Heart of Borneo” initiative, was mooted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in recognition of the importance of the island of Borneo and its biodiversity.
Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman said the ongoing implementation of several key green programmes on the state’s four hectares of land had benefited the economic and environmental efforts in Sabah.
He added that Sabah was continuing to green its forestry sector through the Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) programme, which has not only protected the state’s forests and biodiversity, but also would help realise its green economy ambitions.
Musa said the SFM comprised the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme strategy that guided countries on the contributions of forests to a green economy.
“The SFM is being practised in the Deramakot Forest Reserve, which has been certified as a well-managed forest under the Forest Stewardship Council certification scheme.
“Another success story is the Ulu Segama - Malua project, covering some 240,000ha of production forest reserves designated for natural forest management and orang utan conservation,” he said at the launch of the “International Conference on Sabah - Heart of Borneo Green Economy and Development: Engaging Business For Environment” here yesterday.
In 2007, Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to the vision for conservation and sustainable development under the Heart of Borneo Initiative.
Sabah is also involved in the Malua-Bio Bank, a public-private partnership on innovative conservation financing.
Kamal Malhotra, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) resident representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, said Sabah was an important place to demonstrate the concept of sustainable development.
“This is not just for Malaysia but South-East Asia as a whole. What is going on here is being closely watched by those interested in sustainable development around the world,” he said.
Malhotra also explained that the UNDP and Sabah Forestry Department were finalising a US$4.5mil (RM14mil) multiple-use forest landscape planning and management project.
