Size of HoB area sufficient for time being — Len

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Len Talif (left) visits one of the booths outside the seminar hall.

KUCHING: The 2.7 million hectares of Heart of Borneo (HoB) area in Sarawak are sufficient for the time being, said Assistant Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datu Len Talif Salleh.

“We will concentrate on the current 2.7 million hectares. If we want to expand the areas we need to see the priority (of doing so).

“We emphasise on community-based programmes, eco-tourism, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable forests. Those are what we are trying to emphasise in HoB.

“The commitment of state and federal governments is ensuring that HOB and other initiatives that have elements of conservation, biodiversity and community development are given top priority,” he told reporters after opening the one-day ‘Sarawak’s Heart of Borneo Seminar 2020: Reflecting a Decade of Achievements’ yesterday.

Earlier in his speech, Len Talif informed that one significant achievement that Sarawak has made is the extension of HoB area from Lubok Antu in Sri Aman to the ‘Tip of Borneo’- Tanjong Datu, Lundu, increasing the HoB area in Sarawak from 2.1 million hectares to 2.7 million hectares, which was announced  during the 12th HoB Trilateral Meeting in Miri in 2018.

“After more than a decade of implementing HoB Initiative, the state government has carried out various programmes and projects with dedicated funding from the federal government.

“I was informed that Forest Department Sarawak has requested for an allocation under the next 12th Malaysian Plan. I hope that the federal government would increase the allocations in line with the expansion of the HoB area. The increase in allocation will allow the state to continue various efforts not only in the existing HoB area but also within the new extension areas,” he said.

Len Talif added that on top of that, there was also funding from international bodies such as International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), Asia Pacific Forestry Network (APFNET) and recently the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for the implementation of programmes within the HoB areas.

He also highlighted that the responsibility for the realisation of such initiative is not only bestowed upon the government, but needs strong cooperation from relevant stakeholders such as the non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private sector, civil society and the HoB communities.

“Thus, the state also welcomes the contributions and collaborations from other parties to implement programmes and activities within the HoB area,” he said.

The assistant minister also called on other government agencies besides Forest Department Sarawak to enhance their collaboration and cooperation in a cross-sectoral approach in implementing activities and programmes under related pillars within HoB.

“I believe there are a number of cross-sectoral activities that have been in place between agencies, which support the HoB Initiative.

“We also welcome the participation of the private sector, NGOs and academic institutions. Besides SEB, I was informed that we have collaborations with others such as Shell, Petronas, Samling, World Wide Fund (WWF), Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Copenhagen University, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, and others in conservation and community projects within HoB,” he said.

Len Talif noted that the HoB Initiative has attracted the attention of the global community especially those concerned with forests and environment.

“We should take this opportunity to communicate and promote our good efforts by leveraging on HoB brand. For example, our efforts in sustainable forest management and sustainable oil palm through certification in areas within HoB to mitigate the negative perception of Sarawak.

“In addition, leveraging on HoB brand will showcase our efforts in community engagement through the co-management of our forests, besides enhancement of their livelihood. This is possible through sustainable agriculture such as tagang system and promotion of ecotourism,” he said.

With regards to sourcing funding for the other pillars that are not under the Forest Department Sarawak jurisdiction such as agriculture and tourism, Len Talif urged the relevant agencies to leverage on HoB branding in seeking funds and collaborations either from international or local bodies.

He also hopes that the seminar will be a platform for all officers from various agencies whose area either directly or indirectly are involved in the implementation of activities and programmes within HoB area, to share findings and records.

Some 300 participants took part in the seminar including virtual participants who took part using the Zoom video conferencing platform. They included those from various departments and organisations within Sarawak, Sabah and Peninsular Malaysia.

Two books under the HoB series titled ‘Proceedings of the Heart of Borneo Seminar Tama Abu’ and ‘Checklist of Plants of Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary’ were also launched during the opening ceremony.

Also present were Forests director Datu Hamden Mohammad, deputy director Jack Liam and others.