SANDAKAN: Civil society groups which had expressed concerns and strong objection to the proposed Sukau bridge project over the past year yesterday thanked the Sabah State Government on the decision not to proceed with the project.
Save Kinabatangan – formed last year as a campaign involving several organisations also expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman for making the difficult decision to scrap the bridge, which studies showed would have further fragmented the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and the surrounding forests.
Save Kinabatangan, which comprises Bornean Sun Bear Conservation Centre (BSBCC), Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC), Hutan, Kinabatangan – Corridor of Life Tourism Operators Association (KiTA), Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP), Living Landscape Alliance (LiLA), Sabah Environmental Protection Association (SEPA), Sabah Environmental Trust (SET) and WWF-Malaysia (Sabah office), said it will issue a more detailed statement in the near future.
“We wish to wholeheartedly support the people of Sukau and the other Kinabatangan communities in working towards a regional vision.
“This way, people and wildlife, and the oil palm and tourism sectors, can come together to build a mutually beneficial future,” Save Kinabatangan said in a statement yesterday.
The decision was announced by Chief Conservator of Forests, Datuk Sam Mannan during his speech at the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership dinner held at the Royal Society in London.
Sam was quoted as saying that Musa had taken into consideration all concerns and opinions related to the bridge in arriving at his decision.
In a separate statement yesterday, WWF-Malaysia chief executive director Dato Dr Dionysius Sharma commended Musa and the State Government for the decision to scrap the proposed bridge in Sukau.
“Scrapping the bridge is a win-win situation for both man and Mother Nature,” he said.
“We must now move forward with ramping up collective efforts to conserve Sabah’s Gift to the Earth. This includes establishing the Kinabatangan Management Committee (KMC) to ensure a more effective and sustainable management of Kinabatangan, the Corridor of Life,” he said.
In 1999, the Sabah State Government declared the Lower Kinabatangan as Sabah’s Gift to the Earth.
Renowned worldwide for its highly diverse wildlife, the area hosts a booming ecotourism industry that contributes to the household earnings of the people in Kinabatangan and also powers the state’s economy.
Dionysius said the KMC is just one of the aims listed in the Kinabatangan Management Plan, which was commissioned by Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, and developed by WWF-Malaysia in 2015.
He said it envisages how stakeholders can work together to identify, develop and integrate solutions to manage the Lower Kinabatangan in a more sustainable manner.
He said the implementation of this management plan could achieve a framework for balancing conservation, economic and social goals among the multiple stakeholders in the Lower Kinabatangan.
It could also addressed the most pressing issues and threats related to wildlife populations and natural habitats in the Lower Kinabatangan are addressed, and rationalised these conflicts.
The management plan would also identify areas for action, particularly on cross-cutting and cross-boundary issues related to the management of wildlife and their habitat, and also achieve a synergy between stakeholders through strategic planning to avoid overlap and address gaps.
It also could achieve the utilization of limited funds in an effective and efficient manner could be achieved as well, he added.
“WWF-Malaysia looks forward to continue collaborating with the Sabah State Government, the good people of Kinabatangan and other stakeholders to conserve Sabah’s Gift to the Earth through sustainable management of resources.
“This is the best gift that all of us can give to the inhabitants of the Corridor of Life, and to the world. Together, anything is possible,” said Dionysius.