MIRI: Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan is optimistic that this year’s Gerenai – Long Mekaba Scientific Expedition will be able to make significant contribution to the scientific study of flora and fauna, including other forest biodiversity components such ecology, geology and social.
The Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development said this at the 9th Heart of Borneo (HoB) Scientific Expedition 2022 to Gerenai-Long Mekaba in Miri last night.
Awang Tengah said the recent natural disasters such as the extreme heat, forest fires and severe droughts affecting the European countries as well as heavy rain falls and flooding in Australia and Pakistan reminds us the serious impacts of climate change.
“This is why it is important to protect our forests to mitigate the global warming. Forests remove and store carbon from the atmosphere, representing a cost-effective solution for mitigating climate change.
“The lost or degradation of forests compromises the ability to remove emissions. Forests can also retain excess rain water and prevent extreme run-off, thus minimizing flooding,” he said, adding that the State forests contain rich flora and fauna, many of which are endemic to Borneo.
He said the local communities have lived intimately with the biodiversity and learned to use the plants for various purposes; be it for food, medicines and shelter, thus the State need more research and development (R&D) efforts to unlock their potentials and commercialise their usage in pharmaceutical, food and cosmetics industries.
Awang Tengah added, that Sarawak realised that being part of Borneo Island, the third largest island in the world, it could not adopt a stand-alone approach in managing its forests.
He further disclosed that forestry and conservation and issues in Borneo Island affect all stakeholders and these issues are borderless.
“Sarawak in particular and Malaysia in general need to move forward as a region and this has been shown in our commitment through the Heart of Borneo initiative between Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Indonesia,” he pointed out.
On the Heart of Borneo (HoB) event, Awang Tengah said it is a voluntary trans-boundary cooperation initiative between Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia aiming at conserving and managing the trans-boundary highlands of Borneo and parts of the adjacent foothills and lowlands, which straddle the borders of the three countries.
The HoB covers approximately 240,000 square km of ecologically inter-connected rainforests and it is the “green lung” of Borneo Island.
“Sarawak has identified an area approximately 2.7 million hectares for Heart of Borneo, which constitutes 21 per cent of Sarawak total land mass, this is a massive area to regulate and manage. It also poses many challenges for Sarawak to balance the need for sustainable development and conservation,” he said.
In order to enhance the effectiveness of forest management and conservation, the government has made a clear delineation of functions between Forest Department and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), said Awang Tengah.
“The Forest Department will focus on the management of forest, while SFC is to focus on the management and conservation of wildlife as well as protected areas,” he added.
Awang Tengah further added that under Sarawak’s Post Covid Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, environmental sustainability has been outlined as one of seven strategic thrusts to accelerate economic growth alongside with our commitment to protect the environment and working towards a sustainable future.
“The government has recently amended the Forest Ordinance 2015 to include carbon stock as a forest produce. This amendment provides provision for the licensing of forest carbon activity in permanent forests and on state land and alienated land as a move to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through carbon sequestration and storing it within the forests,” he said.
“We have been collaborating through various agencies such as Sarawak Forest Department, Sarawak Forestry Corporation and Sarawak Biodiversity Centre with local and international agencies such as Sarawak Biodiversity Centre, local universities, Food and Agriculture Organizations (FAO), United Nation Development Programme (UNDP), International Tropical Timber Organizations (ITTO), Global Environmental Facility (GEF), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and many others in undertaking research and studies on various fields such as flora, fauna, socioeconomic, ecotourism, pharmaceutical, and sustainable forest management,” he said.
This year’s expedition consisted of 40 vehicles, with 97 researchers from West Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, Indonesia and Brunei.
Gerenai – Long Mekaba Scientific Expedition is a seven hours journey from Miri city. The flag off for the convoy will be done this morning.
“I hope that this expedition would be beneficial not only for research purposes, but also to contribute to the local communities’ wellbeing and enhance the flora and fauna conservation in Long Mebaka,” he said.
Also present were Deputy Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Development I (Women and Childhood Development) Datuk Rosey Yunus; Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Datuk Sebastian Ting; Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability Dr Hazland Abang Hipni; Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Dr Ripin Lamat; Miri Mayor cum Pujut assemblyman Adam Yii Siew Sang and Sarawak Forest Department (SFD) director Datuk Hamden Mohammad.
