Sabah First in Asia to ban Shark Trade

Campaign heats up to save millions of sharks from being killed for food

By Oliver Majaham
Pictures by Ille Tugimin

 

Sharks evolved 400m years ago to keep oceans healthy. As predators, they rule the underwater world. But they are losing a battle against man. The latest score: Sharks have killed 13 people so far this year. Man kills 73m of them every year largely for their fins which are turned into a culinary delicacy in Asia. Now environmentalists are stepping up a worldwide campaign to stop people from eating them. And Sabah may become the first in Asia to ban shark hunting next year.

Shark finning in Taiwain. Picture: Pew Environmental Group

The world trade in shark fins is about 2.5 billion ringgit ($800m) a year. There are no figures for Sabah’s. But divers have complained that they are seeing fewer sharks in Layang Layang, off Labuan Island, home to the badly endangered hammerhead sharks. Other shark haunts are Lankayan Island, Roach Reef and Sipadan Island off Sabah’s east coast.

Hazel Oakley

Hazel Oakley of the Green Connection, an aquarium and science centre in Kota Kinabalu, says 98% of sharks have been killed in South-East Asia.

Masidi Manjun, Sabah’s minister of tourism, environment and culture, now wants laws to ban shark hunting and finning next year to save the north Borneo island state’s diving and tourism industry. The diving business is worth 195m ringgit a year and gives jobs to 2,000 people. The Sabah government has already banned shark fin soup, the most popular and prized delicacy, from its luncheons and dinners.

The government will add sharks to its list of protected endangered animals and mammals under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment of 1997. A wildlife department official says this will mean that sharks cannot be hunted, killed, finned or traded. This law also protects the rare Sumatran rhinoceros and the orang-utans.

But Masidi wants the federal government to place sharks on the list of protected species under the Fisheries Act of 1985 that will outlaw shark hunting and finning in Sabah waters. This is to avoid legal disputes since federal laws override state laws.

Shark fins are dried in the sun. Picture: Pew Environmental Group

“It makes economic sense to us to ban shark hunting and finning to protect our tourism industry,” he said at the launch of a campaign against shark fin soup in Kota Kinabalu last month.

“It is in keeping with sustainable tourism. If we continue to eat sharks, sooner or later they will disappear from this part of the world. Our priority is to save whatever remaining sharks in Sabah waters. The sooner we get it done the better.”

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has placed 233 shark species on its Red List. Twelve are “critically endangered” and 126 of them risk extinction.

Taiwan has just announced that it will ban shark finning next year, starting in September. But it stops short of banning shark catching and a lucrative shark trade. Critics say sharks can still be sold in Taiwan minus the fins. The difficulty is proving who sliced off the fins, they say. About 4m sharks are caught off Taiwan waters yearly, making the island the biggest of the top ten shark hunting countries which include America, Argentina, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Pakistan and Spain.

So, Malaysia looks likely to be the first Asian country to ban the shark trade once it protects them by law. 

Insight Sabah

Posted on 02-11-2011 03:21 pm

Source: http://insightsabah.gov.my/article/read/1509 

Green Sabah says: I'm proud to hear that Sabah may be the first to ban shark trade in Asia, sharks have been widely hunted for their fins and flesh throughout the world and they are slowly going towards extinction. If we don't do something about it now, soon Sharks will die out and this will upset the ecosystem balance. Hope that more countries will start banning shark hunting in Asia and maybe whale hunting too.

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Biomass can produce new high value industries: Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak said yesterday the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti), along with BiotechCorp and related agencies will roll out a Bioeconomy roadmap for Malaysia by early next year.

The upcoming initiative will complement the National Biotechnology Policy.

“Some of the focus areas our Bioeconomy roadmap will be looking at are Extracts, BioFeeds, BioControl, BioFertilisers, Genomics, BioSimilars and BioIndustrials,” he said in his keynote at the BioMalaysia 2011 Conference & Exhibition here.

The event was also co-organised with the 6th Pacific Rim Summit on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioenergy which was held for the first time outside the US.

During the event, Najib also unveiled the country’s Biomass Strategy, themed “Biomass to Wealth”, which will see the creation of new high value industries and 70,000 jobs of which 40,000 will be high-skilled.

By 2020 the Biomass Strategy will generate RM30 billion in new income for Malaysia, he said.

As the world’s largest exporter of palm oil, he added, Malaysia generates a lot of biomass, which holds tremendous potential for high value added applications ranging from biofuels to bioplastics from cellulosic feed stock.

With an estimated value of US$11.14 billion in 2015, biomass is targeted to be a vital contributor to the agricultural and industrial biotechnology sectors.

The strategy is developed by Agensi Inovasi Malaysia (AIM) in close collaboration with related government agencies, universities and business leaders.

Source: http://www.sabahtoday.com/?p=8034

Green Sabah says: Biomass industries will generate more job opportunities in the future. Those who are interested working in this industry should equip themselves with biomass knowledge and industry skills. In terms of environmental, biomass can help mitigate climate change; reduce acid rain; prevent soil erosion and water pollution; minimize pressure on landfills; provide wildlife habitat; and, help maintain forest health through better management. Sabah, which produces about one third or 5.4 million tonnes of the total country’s crude palm oil of 17.5 million tonnes annually, has a lot of raw materials readily available to be used for the biomass industry.

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Sabah developers interested on green buildings

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah developers are keen to participate in green building development after getting a clearer picture of the costs involved.

Sabah Housing and Real Estate Developers Association president Datuk Susan Wong said it was ready to promote and en-courage green building development which would save on energy and other costs in the long run.

“Green building involves all sorts of technology. For example, heat can be reduced considerably with the orientation of a building to avoid facing the sun and with large windows,” said Wong.

At the recent opening of the International Property Exhibition, Wong had called for a reduction in Green Building Index (GBI) certification fees.

Yesterday, however, she said the fees were fair, adding that she was initially misguided on the GBI certification fee formula and that the RM5,000 and above charge were for bungalows.

Wong said the fee for a typical 172 sq meters double-storey terrace house was as low as RM100.

“For development of 1,000 units of double-storey terrace houses, the fee would be as low as RM65 per unit. For a 500-unit housing development, the GBI certification fee is RM90 per unit while the fee is RM200 each for those between 50 to 100 units,” she said.

She said developers in the state were keen to have their projects certified as green buildings due to the growing demand. 

 

Source: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/5/15/nation/20110515093346&sec=nation

 

Green Sabah says: Developers must be well-informed with the advantages of green building in order to promote green building development. Besides imposing the GBI certification fee, there should be an approach for green roof as well.

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REDD-plus action in Sabah

PARTICIPANTS at the two-day Heart of Borneo (H0B) international conference on green economy in Kota Kinabalu (Nov 15-16) witnessed the signing of a Note of Cooperation between the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) and the Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency (ARSM) to map Sabah’s forest cover for the purpose of implementing REDD-plus programmes in the state.

Under this cooperation, ARSM would help to assess the forest cover in Sabah using satellite images captured in 1990, 2000 and 2010 which would be based on four classes of forest areas – dry inland, peat swamp, mangrove and plantation.

REDD stands for reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation and REDD-Plus also covers carbon enhancement activities such as sustainable forest management (SFM), reduced impact logging (RIL), and forest restoration.

The SFD was represented at the signing ceremony by its director Datuk Sam Mannan while ARSM director Datuk Darus Ahmad signed on behalf of the agency.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Mannan said the HoB series of conference started in 2009 with the topic on “Connectivity and Corridors,” building up to the second one in 2010 focusing on ‘REDD-plus”, and  one this year is entitled, “Sabah Heart of Borneo (HoB) Green Economy & Development: Engaging Business for Environment’.

The HoB international conference last year, also held in Kota Kinabalu, paid particular attention to,‘Forests and Climate Change: Decoding and Realizing REDD-plus in the Heart of Borneo, with Specific Focus on Sabah’.

“We hold these conferences for good reason and one such important advance made arising from them are the realization of the Sabah REDD-plus and Road Map,” said Mannan.

In March 2010 Vincent Piket, the ambassador and head of the European Union’s Delegation to Malaysia confirmed that member states of the EU would finance a three-year programme in Sabah related to reducing of emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD), starting this year.

Piket (left), who is on the panel of speakers at this year’s conference, said the project, costing four million Euros (about RM17m) would also cover carbon enhancement activities like sustainable forest management, reduced impact logging (RIL), and forest restoration etc, often referred to as REDD+.

This year’s HoB conference also saw the launching by the Malaysian Chapter of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) its Heart of Borneo Green Business Network, a new initiative for rallying the private sector towards conserving and protecting the environment.

WWF-Malaysia Executive Director and CEO, Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma, said the Green Business Network (GBN) was part of their effort to encourage business entities to assume the leading role towards creating greener economic growth.

“We know that we cannot save the valuable Heart of Borneo forests without the support of the private sector. We’re reconfirming our commitment to work together with business towards green growth,” he said.

The GBN is aimed at raising awareness and to act as a catalyst in sustainability within the private sector in the context of a green economy in the HoB, providing tools and support to those companies willing to lead towards a future in which people and nature thrive.

Speaking at the launch at the close of the conference on Nov 16, Sabah forestry director Datuk Sam Mannan said it was fitting to close two days of intense conference discussion on green economy with an equally intense and more importantly practical initiative, which aims to support the participation of businesses.

A report entitled ‘Green Business Solutions – Delivering the Heart of Borneo Declaration’, is the result of six months of intensive research and interviews of nearly 200 businesses.The report found that only 54 per-cent of the respondents had heard of the trilateral government-led Heart of Borneo Declaration, many were willing to be involved and felt that business would have an important role to play once they had more information on the HoB and the opportunities offered by a green economic approach.

 

Over 40 per cent of the Heart of Borneo’s area is currently managed by the forestry, palm oil and mining sectors.

According to WWF’s HoB Initiative team leader, Adam Tomasek, it was necessary to create practical economic arguments for conservation and develop solutions that show how the biodiversity, forests and ecosystems of the HoB can become the engines for green growth and sustainability into the future.

The HoB Declaration was signed by the governments of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia in February 2007 to protect an area of more than 220,000 square kilometres in the centre of the island of Borneo and bordering all three of the countries.

These tropical rainforests have strategic, global, national and local functions, not only for citizens of the three countries but for the human race throughout the world.

It is supported under important regional and international agreements such as Association of East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC), and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD).

Source: http://borneopedia.com/2011/11/19/redd-plus-action-in-sabah/ 

Green Sabah says: The HoB bio-diversities, ecosystem and forestry can be the driving point of green growth and sustainability in Sabah's future, if only there is cooperation and support from all.

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WWF launches green business network

The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has launched the Malaysian chapter of its Heart of Borneo Green Business Network, a new initiative for rallying the private sector towards conserving and protecting the environment.

WWF-Malaysia Executive Director and CEO, Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma, said the Green Business Network (GBN) was part of their effort to encourage business entities to assume the leading role towards creating greener economic growth.

“We know that we cannot save the valuable Heart of Borneo forests without the support of the private sector. Tonight, we’re reconfirming our commitment to work together with business towards green growth,” he said.

The launch was held here last night in conjunction with the International Conference on ‘Sabah Heart of Borneo Green Economy and Development: Engaging Business for Environment’, one of the largest green economy conferences ever held in the region.

The GBN was aimed at raising awareness and to act as a catalyst in sustainability within the private sector in the context of a green economy in the Heart of Borneo (HoB), providing tools and support to those companies willing to lead towards a future in which people and nature thrive.

Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) director Datuk Sam Mannan when speaking at the launch, said it was fitting to close two days of intense conference discussion on green economy with an equally intense and more importantly practical initiative, which aims to support the participation of businesses.

A report entitled: ‘Green Business Solutions – Delivering the Heart of Borneo Declaration’, the result of six months of intensive research and interviews of nearly 200 businesses, was also released during the launch.

The report found that only 54 per-cent of the respondents had heard of the trilateral government-led Heart of Borneo Declaration, many were willing to be involved and felt that business would have an important role to play once they had more information on the HoB and the opportunities offered by a green economic approach.

“This is why we are launching the Green Business Network this evening, to support businesses that want to be on the leading edge of an emerging new green economy in the HoB,” said Dr Sharma.

Over 40 per cent of the Heart of Borneo’s area is currently managed by the forestry, palm oil and mining sectors.

According to WWF’s HoB Initiative team leader, Adam Tomasek, it was necessary to create practical economic arguments for conservation and develop solutions that show how the biodiversity, forests and ecosystems of the HoB can become the engines for green growth and sustainability into the future.

“The Business Solutions report outlines a number of sector specific opportunities which can lead to low carbon and sustainable practices, developed together with businesses operating in the HoB,” he said.

The report is complemented by the Green Business Network and website, which is dedicated to collaborating and communicating the information that companies need to build green businesses in the HoB.

Mr Sanjeev Chadha, CEO of Sabah Forest Industries and speaker at the Green Economy conference, said the setting up of the GBN was highly welcomed; it would help the private sector learn from each other’s experience and assist in the development of cost effective solutions to green economy business challenges.

An HoB Declaration was signed by the governments of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia and Malaysia in February 2007 to protect an area of more than 220,000 square kilometres in the centre of the island of Borneo and bordering all three countries.

The declaration emphasized that these tropical rainforests have strategic, global, national and local functions, not only for citizens of the three countries but for the global human race.

It is supported under important regional and international agreements such as Association of East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines-East Asia Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC), and the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD).

Source: http://kepkas.sabah.gov.my/index.php/archived-news-2011/37887-wwf-launches-green-business-network-to-protect-environment 

Green Sabah says: The private sectors, the Non-governmental Organizations and the government all played an important role in going green. This is a good initiative to encourage more private sectors to be involved in Green Business. Hopefully with the cooperation with all walks of life, we are able to take steps to achieve a greener and cleaner Sabah.

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Forms Of Green Technology

Green technology can come in many different types. These are the three most substantial ones: Energy, Building and Purchasing.

Green Energy is the generated energy from green sources like wind, tide and solar. The advantages of these is there is slightly to no carbon produced in the initial creation of the energy. So, we can use as much energy as we want without having to worry about the carbon footprint we produce.

Green Building is the process of building houses and offices that are conducive. It means is the building are built using eco-friendly products with low thermal emissions. From this, electricity bills can be reduced. As the consumption of electricity is lower, the carbon footprint is lower too.

Purchasing green products is the way most of us can right way reduce our carbon footprint. The combination of doing many things well can result in huge changes. 

 

Sabah Chief Minister, Musa Aman claims that green economy can benefits the environment and economy. Green technology is also a part of this.

Therefore, let's go green guys!

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Green economy the way to go

CM Musa Aman claims the green economy is a win-win arrangement which benefits both the environment and the economy through well managed utilization of the natural environment which will in turn allows the conservation of the natural resources.

Based on the UNEP report, an average of 13 million hectares of tropical forests are disappearing annually, which equals to six billion tonnes of carbon dioxide being released to the atmosphere.

Sabah has begun to diversify its economy to promote downstream processing of crude palm oil plantations covering 1.5 million hectares of land. Other similar sectors will also focus on downstreaming those such as oil and gas, tourism and coal-free energy.

The economic transformation programme has identified 56 early point projects to be taken over by the private sector which would generate about RM25 billion worth of investments, and creating 200,000 job opportunities, in the mean time, it would also raise the state's gross national income per capita to USD10,000 by 2020.

The UNEP strategy on forest is in line with the concept of sustainable forest management (SFM) that is practiced in Sabah. We generate knowledge of multiple forest uses, engaging initiatives to protect forests, adopt fiscal and economic policies and mobilizing public and private investment for our forests. 

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Solar Hybrid System - Great Green Technology

Solar hybrid system is one of the way that practising green technology. The sun becomes the main source to supply the energy and solar hybrid system helps in converting the sun's rays into electricity. That is why they are more green and more environmentally friendly when compared the diesel generator.

Green technology and sustainability are the future. Its objective is to preserve the environment, especially the climate of the earth by reducing the amount of carbon monoxide. That is why solar hybrid system must be a great part of this.

Sabah State Government is now initiating the green technology and they recently had provided electricity through the constructions of a solar hybrid system at Kampung Tanjung Batu Latu and Kampung Tanjung Batu Darat .

Therefore, more allocations are needed to implement this solar hybrid system in Sabah since grid connection for energy is not accessible due to geographical circumstances.

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Solar Hybrid System for Villages

The Sabah State Government had recently provided Kampung Tanjung Batu Latu and Kampung Tanjung Batu Darat with continuous electricity through the constructions of a solar hybrid system.

The System comprises of a solar farm and battery storage facility that collects and generates energy during the day, when no solar source is available, there is a diesel generator as a part of the system.With the solar hybrid system, villagers can now say good bye to the diesel powered electricity generators that requirers regular maintenance and costly fuel supply and could only run for six to eight hours a day. This solar hybrid system has improve the villagers living conditions significantly, now they can own televisions, refridgerators and washing machines as there are consistent supply of electricity to their homes.

This is also one of the ways under the GTP's Rural Basic Infrastructure (RBI) NKRA, where the state government will help provide electricity supply to those who are living in rural areas where the grid connection for energy is not accessible due to geographical circumstances. Other efforts under the programme are such as building and upgrading the rural roads, supply of clean and treated water and housing assistance programme.

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Green Economy Initiatives in Sabah

The state government receives compliment for taking pro-active steps and a leading role in promoting a green economy while exploring the potential of implementing it in Sabah.
 
Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas said Sabah has contributed a lot to ensure the environment is protected by practising sustainable manner when dealing in business. 
 
Uggah said that the government will make sure that the close cooperation among all the relevant agencies will continue to adopt the green economy via sustainable forest management in Sabah.
 
He was glad that a Note of Cooperation was signed between Sabah Forestry Department and the Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency (ARSM) which indicated the start of a 5-year cooperation to map Sabah’s forest cover for the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD) Plus Implementation programme.
 
Uggah also hoped the execution of a green economy would be given priority, especially when doing business with other countries.

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Sabah's success in forestry protection

Chief Minister Musa Aman said that Sabah has achieved remarkable success in protecting its forests and biodiversity through the implementation of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM)

The SFM's approach that prioritised knowledge, vision, enabling conditions and finance was in line with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) strategy on forests to realize contributions by forests to a green economy.

Some of the success examples are the Deramakot Forest Reserve which has been certified as a well-managed forest under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification scheme. Sabah was able to expand sustainable forest management for statewide application in 1997, and created job and revenue while preserving our forests and biodiversities at the same time.

The Ulu Segama-Malua project which covers some 240,000 hectares of production forest reserves for natural forest management and Orang Utan conservation is another example. Not only so, Sabah is also involved in the Malua Bio-bank, a pioneering public-private partnership on innovative conservation finance.

These initiatives were the proof that the Sabah government was achieving pay-offs form its green management programmes and signifies the viability of a green economy. It shows that Sabah is committed to the trans-boundary initiatives.

We hope to see more success in the journey towards a greener Sabah.

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Cleanliness is a Shared Responsibility

Conveying the message at a gotong-royong to clean up the beach,  Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir said a lot of public complaints on the unsatisfactory cleanliness level at Anjung Perdana, especially the smelly drains has been made to the City Hall.

Abidin stressed that maintaining the cleanliness at Tanjung Aru is very crucial because this place is popular for the locals and tourist from abroad.

Eatery operators as well as fruit hawkers at the Tanjung Aru Beach here were reminded to practice proper garbage disposal, instead of dumping them indiscriminately into the drains or on the beach in order to keep the place clean always.

It was part of the Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK) “5-Ks Program” to salvage the rapidly deteriorating image of Tanjung Aru Beach as a “must visit place” for both the local residents and visitors.

The 5-Ks refer to “Kebersihan” (Cleanliness), “Keindahan” (Beauty), “Keselamatan” (Security), “Keteraturan” (Orderliness) and “Kesejahteraan” (Peace).

Abidin also advised members of the public to do not litter the place indiscriminately. 

"It is devastating to see the beach was still littered with garbage like foods and drinks containers, cigarette butts even though provision of sufficient garbage bins," he said.

Therefore, he reminded that the maintenance of cleanliness of the place is not solely a responsibility of the DBKK, but a shared responsibility among the residents of Kota Kinabalu City.

While elaborating on the idea and objectives of the 5-Ks Concept, he noted that the gotong-royong exercise was a beginning for the various follow-up actions and strategies that had been identified to enable the Tanjung Aru Beach to achieve the 5-Ks status.

Among the follow-up actions that had been identified are:
1. Improvement of the cleanliness level of the beach;

 
2. Upgrading of the landscaping through planting of more trees;

 
3. Improvement of the security aspect by improving the public-safety features such as the lighting facilities, and to conduct regular security patrols;

 
4. To improve the orderliness of the place especially the hawkers stalls and eateries; and

 
5. All other actions which required the cooperation and involvement of all quarters.

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EU can help support Renewable Energy Development

During the Dinner Reception for a visiting EU delegation in Sabah, CM Datuk Seri Musa Aman has called for support from the European Nation to help develop renewable energy and green technologies in Sabah. The power supply issue is critical in Sabah, although the Federal government agreed to utilize more gas for Sabah's electricity needs, we still need to find solutions through renewable energy and green technologies. CM Musa Aman said the European Union might be able to help if they are willing to extend technical collaborations and capacity building.

The Sabah state government encourages oil palm planters within the state to become a part of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and adhere to its guidelines. Meanwhile, the state government has also initiated the Palm Oil Industrial Cluster (POIC) to support the downstream manufacturing and research the potentials from palm oil.Sabah is currently pursuing the use of biomass waste to generate electricity. The Sabah Development Corridor (SDC) is also one of the government's commitment to ensure sustainability and to protect Sabah's rich heritage. Other than that, the Sustainable Forest Management are also working to rehabilitate degraded forest, conserving and cease logging in various parts of the state.

Sabah would like to see greater interaction between the EU and Sabah in fields such as education, capacity building, exchange of information and human resource development.

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Best Future Bet - Green Economy

Sabah State Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Musa Aman stated his confidence that providing new job can improve public standard of living through green economy that is based on ecological economies and sustainable development.

Renewable energy, food security from agricultural technology improvements and practice of sustainable agriculture would be the alternatives to improve the quality of life of those who lack of basic necessities.

Musa Aman said that Sabah is a suitable platform for the practice and transition to green economy since it is blessed with vast biodiversity.

Successs stories such as the Deramakot Forest Reserve and Ulu Segama-Malua Project are the proves that green economy is not just a talk, Musa added. 

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Sabah going Green

It's good to hear from the Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman that Sabah is leading the way in renewable energy with various sustainable power generation projects. For instance, the state owned POIC Sdn Bhd was developing a RM280 million biomass plant together with a South Korean firm at Lahad Datu Plam Oil Industrial Cluster. The project will use large quantities of biomass which is from oil palm waste for generating power, this will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make good use of the oil palm waste. The project is expected to be commissioned by late 2012. This project will make Sabah a role model for clean energy in South-East Asia.

Other than that, Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) was also working towards generating more than 100 mega watts of power through renewable methods. They are currently leading the off-takers in Malaysia on renewable energy with 32 megawatts capacity and represented 3% of Sabah's power generation share against the national average of less than 0.5%

Datuk Musa Aman also said that the Sabah Economic Development Corporation has recently signed and MoU with a firm to venture into the production of organic fertillisers from oil palm waste, recycling of waste water and recovery of useful by-products from the oil palm industry.

Sounds like a good potential for green technology in Sabah, doesn't it?

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Intensifying the Green Effort in Sabah

The state government  of Sabah, Malaysia is set to intensify its green effort and bring more value to its conservation efforts in the state. The effort, which is envisioned in the "Heart of Borneo" initiative, was mooted by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) in recognition of the importance of the island of Borneo and its biodiversity.

Sabah Chief Minister, Musa Aman stated that the ongoing implementation of several key green programmes on the state's four hectares of land had benefited the economic and environmental efforts in the states.

Through the government's Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) programme, Sabah not only manage to protect the state's forest and biodiversity, but also would help realize its green economy ambitions. 

According to Musa Aman, the SFM comprised the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme strategy that guided countries on the contributions of forests to a green economy. Musa added that the SFM is being practised in the Deramakot Forest Reserves, which has been certified as a well-managed forest under the Forest Stewardship Council certification scheme. 

Another success story that worth to mention is the Ulu Segama- Malua Project, covering some 240,000ha of production forest reserves designated for natural forest management and orang utan conservation. 

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