KUCHING: Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) and Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) yesterday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to expand sustainable livelihood opportunities for the communities in Murum and Batang Ai.
The partnership will focus on replenishing non-timber forest products (NTFP) to sustain the community’s livelihood at Murum Resettlement Area as well as the setting up of a Tagang System at Rumah Manggat in Ulu Menyang, Batang Ai. Both communities are located in the vicinity of Sarawak Energy’s Murum and Batang Ai Hydroelectric Plants respectively.
The signing of MoU was witnessed by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Johari Tun Openg while the MoU was signed between Sarawak Energy Group Chief Executive Officer Sharbini Suhaili, Sarawak Energy Executive Vice President (Corporate Services) Aisah Eden, Acting Director of Forests Hamden Mohammad and Deputy Director (Planning & Operation) of Forest Department Sarawak Jack Liam, at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) complex here.
Through this partnership, FDS will bear a total of RM597,086 from the total implementation cost for the two projects while SEB will contribute a total of over RM300,000 with over RM200,000 for Murum project and over RM100,000 for Ulu Menyang project. The MoU will run for two years, beginning 2018 until 2019.
For the Murum Resettlement, the areas of cooperation outlined the steps to initiate, facilitate and encourage joint participation from the community in sustaining NTFP species like the rattan commonly harvested by the Penan community in Murum for their indigenous handicraft production and the gaharu (agarwood) which is either sold raw or bartered.
This will be carried out through an enrichment planting initiative of NTFP species to ensure there is continuous supply of these resources for the community. The enrichment planting initiative will also help create awareness and instil a sense of ownership among the community in regards to the conservation of forest resources through responsible harvest.
In Batang Ai, the villagers of Rumah Manggat would benefit from communal method of fisheries management through the setting up of a Tagang System. This would help replenish riverine stocks to provide better care to the river’s ecosystem given that Ulu Menyang is located near the Batang Ai National Park and Sarawak’s largest wildlife sanctuary, Lanjak Entimau.
The Tagang System, to be carried in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture Sarawak, would also present the community with a sustainable livelihood opportunity that leverages on ecotourism.
Rumah Manggat is one of the earliest longhouses located upstream of Batang Ai to have 24-hour elecricity supply via the Solar Home System under Sarawak Energy’s corporate social responsibility initiative that connects these resettlement areas with alternative renewable energy.
