Mashor (front fifth right), KTS Holdings Sdn Bhd director Kenny Law Hui Kong (front fourth right), and KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd Sabah area operations manager (forests) Collin Goh (right) are seen during a photo call with participants.
KOTA KINABALU: The Field Research Station (FRS) to be established by KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd at Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve this year will enhance the Forest Management Plan for Sabah.
Sabah chief conservator of forests Datuk Mashor Mohd Jaini said the FRS, which he believed to be one-of-a-kind in Sabah and Malaysia, would provide important findings to help conserve and manage forests in a specific manner according to local conditions.
“The Forest Management Plan is prepared based on the information, scientific expedition and findings from researchers, forestry officers and experts.
“All the information collected over time will be used to improve the Forest Management Plan,” he said on Thursday when officiating at a seminar to present research findings from the scientific expedition to Sungai Rawog Conservation Area.
He called for more key players of Forest Management Units (FMUs) to be involved in forestry research.
Mashor praised KTS Plantation for its efforts in biodiversity documentation and conservation, adding the documentation of biodiversity in the Sungai Rawog conservation area was in line with the Heart of Borneo initiative, which emphasised forest conservation and establishment of wildlife connectivity.
KTS Holdings Sdn Bhd director Kenny Law Hui Kong (third left) presents a souvenir to Mashor. At left is KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd Sabah area operations manager (forests) Collin Goh.
“This is an activity that should be emulated by other FMU holders as well, in order to effectively manage the forest,” he said.
He pointed out FMUs are now managed based on the principles of sustainable forest management and requirements of the Sustainable Forest Management Licence Agreement (SFMLA) with the Sabah government.
“The main goal is to ensure that the timber resources will be maintained on a sustainable yield basis, with a commitment to protecting the natural resources and biological diversity of the natural forest.”
Mashor said Sungai Rawog is a conservation area covering 3,118 ha along the Sungai Rawog valley, serving as a wildlife corridor connecting Deramakot Forest Reserve and IOI Sdn Bhd.
It is located within the Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve managed by KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd since 1993 with a total area of 57,247 ha.
Collectively, he said the researchers explored the ‘unknowns’ at Sungai Rawog conservation area from plants to wildlife and potential in nature tourism.
He said the data would be used as a guide to further enhance the conservation area and would definitely contribute towards the future plans for this area.
“This signifies the smart partnership between the state government through the Sabah Forestry Department and the private sector in sustainable forest management, working hand-in-hand with other agencies.”
Mashor also commended KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd for striving to enhance its knowledge on sustainable forest management as the way forward.
To enhance its conservation effort, he said research collaboration had been established through a tripartite memorandum of understanding signed between the Sabah Forestry Department, UMS, and KTS Plantation in 2016.
He added KTS Plantation adopted sustainable forest practices in managing Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve and was the first company in Malaysia to attain the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC).
The forest management practice in KTS Plantation has been endorsed by various certification schemes, such as Malaysian Criteria and Indicators for Forest Management Certification (Natural Forest) and EMS ISO14001.
Over 200 participants attended the event jointly organised by KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd and Sabah Forestry Department.