Len Talif, flanked by Lee (seated, fifth right) and Zolkipli, joins speakers, organisers and participants of the workshop on CITES and the Helmeted Hornbill in a group photo.
MIRI: Sarawak is committed to supporting international efforts on conservation and preservation of forested ecosystems, especially totally protected species of wildlife such as hornbills.
Assistant Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datu Len Talif Salleh, who stated this, also said apart from enacting and enforcing appropriate laws locally to achieve such goals, the Sarawak government also collaborated with neighbouring Indonesia and Brunei.
In this regard, he said Sarawak had created the Transboundary Conservation Areas (TBCA) as a key component of the Heart of Borneo (HoB) project.
“In 2007, Malaysia, together with the Republic of Indonesia and Brunei, had declared its commitment in conserving and protecting one of the most diverse natural ecosystems on Earth and the largest contiguous tropical rainforests in Southeast Asia.
“This offers vast tracks of forests for high-flyers like the hornbills, and therefore (it) augurs well for us to embark on the conservation efforts for hornbills in the state and beyond,” Len Talif said when officiating at the opening of a forum on ‘Workshop on CITES and The Helmeted Hornbill’ at the Piasau Nature Reserve (PNR) here yesterday.
He said the workshop, with participants comprising both foreign and local experts, was another commitment towards global efforts in the conservation of the ‘Helmeted Hornbill’, of which the population is believed to be declining rapidly due to extensive poaching.
Quoting some documented findings, Len said the casque, or the ‘helmet’, of the hornbill is extremely valuable – five times higher than the price for elephant’s ivory.
“A single piece can fetch more than US$1,000 in the black market in China. Between 2010 and 2017, about 2,878 casques, skulls and products, worth almost US$3 million, were confiscated from 59 separate seizure incidents.
“These tell us the monumental scale of the challenges ahead of us in protecting this species,” he said.
Len Talif reiterated that Sarawak too could not afford to allow the hornbill to become extinct, as the bird is not only Sarawak’s crest, but also the logo of the newly-registered Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) – the coalition that leads the Sarawak government.
“Don’t forget Sarawak not only has eight out of the 10 species of hornbills found in Malaysia, we also have a new type of hornbill – that is the GPS hornbill; a political hornbill,” he quipped.
On a more serious note, Len Talif said among other concerted efforts taken by the Sarawak government in the conservation of hornbills were the adoption of the bird, gazetting of Piasau Nature Reserve and conducting workshops.
“The state government of Sarawak has always placed importance on conservation and preservation of forested ecosystems not only for the environmental services it offers to the well-being of the people, but also for the protection of wildlife habitats.
“For instance, a target has been set to establish at least one million hectares of the state landmass as Totally Protected Areas (TPAs) by 2020.
“Thus far we have achieved a total of 2,037,321.4 hectares of both land and water bodies, which comprise 62 TPAs in total.
“Out of this, terrestrial or land mass alone is 793,595.4 hectares. So, we are on track in that department,” he added.
Len Talif also commended the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) for joining hands with Wildlife Conservation Society Malaysia (WCS Malaysia) in running the three-day Workshop on Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Helmeted Hornbill.
On the workshop, he regarded it as being crucial in that it was spearheaded by the Helmeted Hornbill Working Group, an affiliate of the IUCN Hornbill Specialist Group, tasked with formulating the conservation strategy and action plan for the species in preparation for the next CITES Conference in Sri Lanka this year.
Thus, Len Talif hoped that the workshop could produce a solid and comprehensive documentation so that it would be the foundation for a sound conservation blueprint for the hornbills; therefore, ensuring the survival of the species.
Among those present were Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin, SFC chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Ato, Andy Chia who represented Piasau assemblyman Datuk Sebastian Ting who is also chairman of Piasau Camp Miri Nature Party Society, and Malaysian Nature Society Miri Chapter chairman Musa Musbah.