Awang Tengah (second right) and Stefan (right) visiting the UNDP booth.
KUCHING: There is a need to increase and diversify financing for protected areas in the state to ensure effective management of these places.
In stating this, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the finances could be sourced from market-based sources such as through tourism revenue.
To date, Sarawak has gazetted 37 national parks, 14 nature reserves and five wildlife sanctuaries covering a total area of more than 944,000 hectares as Totally Protected Areas (TPA).
“Out of 4.6 million tourist arrivals recorded in Sarawak in 2016, about 12.4 per cent visited the national parks and nature reserves and generated direct revenue of about RM5.7 million. But this is still very low,” he said.
“A better rebranding and promotion of Sarawak’s national parks, strategic marketing and opening of new parks is needed to draw in more visitors and consequently to improve revenue for these protected areas,” he added.
Awang Tengah highlighted this at the opening of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Forum on Innovation, Inclusiveness and Impact: Strengthening and Diversifying Finance for Protected Areas on behalf of Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg at a leading hotel here yesterday.
Over 150 policymakers and experts from UN agencies, ministries of planning, finance, environment, development partners and civil society attended the forum which was held in partnership with the state government.
Noting the need to upgrade some of the facilities, he added that it would require additional funds and collaboration with various organisations because the government alone cannot get all the work done well.
“We need to be innovative, especially in financing and protection. We need to be inclusive, get all segments of society especially the local community to be involved,” he said.
“And, at the end of the day, we need to be able to see the impact, that is tangible and sustainable benefits derived from these TPAs,” he added.
To the forum attendees, Awang Tengah expressed hope that deliberations from this forum would provide, among others, answers to common financing issues and problems faced by park managers not only in Sarawak but also the world over; proven or international best practices for biodiversity conservation; ways and means of enhancing park and boundary protection; and sustainable ecotourism product development with effective local community participation.
“Sarawak’s development agenda is guided by the principle of sustainable development. It offers a framework to generate economic growth, achieve social justice, exercise environmental stewardship and strengthen governance,” he said.
Sarawak, he informed, has been able to achieve steady annual growth over the last few years despite the slowdown in the global economy.
“Yet, Sarawak’s need for socio economic development has not jeopardised its conservation responsibilities,” he added.
“The Sarawak’s Wildlife Masterplan 1996 is a comprehensive wildlife strategy to enable Sarawak manage and conserve its native wildlife in perpetuity,” he said.
The government, he continued, has also outlined a clear Land Use Policy, which integrates and balances all aspects of economic development, social wellbeing of local communities and environmental conservation.
Under the Sarawak Land Use Policy, he revealed that the state has set a goal of one million hectares to be gazetted as national parks, nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries by 2020.
“These totally protected areas cover land and water bodies of ecological importance and rich biodiversity,” he said.
Furthermore, he added, the government has allocated a development fund amounting RM43 million under its 11th Malaysia Plan for the development of TPAs.
“This figure has not yet taken into consideration the operational expenditure of RM10 million annually by the state. Managing our protected areas is very costly,” he emphasised.
To ensure that protected areas are adequately and effectively managed, Awang Tengah said they cannot operate in isolation and collaboration around the world is essential as countries are learning from and helping one another.
UNDP resident representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darulsalam Stefan Priesner and Sarawak Forestry Department director Sapuan Ahmad were among those present.