The Introductory Workshop jointly organised by the Sabah Wildlife Department and WWF-Malaysia.
KOTA KINABALU: The Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment kickstarted its efforts to create a Sabah Wildlife Policy this week through its inaugural Introductory Workshop, jointly organised by the Sabah Wildlife Department and WWF-Malaysia.
The workshop is the first of a series of consultations and discussions towards developing a consolidated Wildlife Policy for the State that will ensure effective wildlife conservation in Sabah.
At present, there are many existing wildlife action plans and initiatives in Sabah designed to tackle different wildlife and environmental issues. This has led to a series of disconcerted efforts to resolve issues to do with wildlife, which may prove to be ineffective both in the short and long term.
Recognising this, the government has decided to develop a more robust and encompassing state-wide wildlife policy in order to address the increasing threats facing wildlife protection and conservation in Sabah. These threats include habitat degradation, human-wildlife conflict and illegal poaching.
“The government is hitting a milestone through the establishment of the wildlife policy. This policy will provide a framework for collaborations towards discovering new opportunities, to realign and consolidate relevant policies, action plans and initiatives for greater synergy,” said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.
The policy will pave the way for a shared long-term vision and policy framework for wildlife protection and conservation in the State. Ultimately, it is hoped that a state-wide policy will ensure that the true value of wildlife to Sabah’s economy and social well-being is both realised and enhanced.
“WWF-Malaysia lends its full support to the Ministry in the development of the Sabah Wildlife Policy. An overarching policy like this can only serve to benefit Sabah’s vast biodiversity and help make conservation more effective in the future,” said Dr Robecca Jumin, Sabah’s Head of Conservation for WWF-Malaysia.