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The Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) is continuing its collaboration
with Cardiff University for another ten years with the signing of an
extension of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the management
of Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC), located in Lot 6 of the Lower
Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary.
The MoU was signed by Director of DGFC, Dr
Benoit Goossens on behalf of Cardiff University while the Sabah
Wildlife Department was represented by its Senior Officer for
Kinabatangan District Hussien Muin at the DGFC on Monday.
“The signing of this extension for another ten years acknowledges an
extremely successful relationship between the Sabah Wildlife Department
and Cardiff University,” said Datuk Pang Yuk Ming, Assistant Minister
of Tourism, Culture and Environment, who witnessed the signing.
“I was told by Dr Goossens that the field centre is now welcoming an
average of ten field courses per year from different universities in
the World (USA, UK, Germany, Hong Kong),” he said.
“This is testament to all the hard work that the staff at the centre
have put in. The field centre also welcomes numerous students from
masters to PhDs, including several from Malaysia, whom I had the
opportunity to meet,” he added.
“Moreover, it employs 16 staff, including 13 locals and it has set
up its own River Keeper Unit to assist the Sabah Wildlife Department in
its wildlife enforcement work,” Pang said.
Meanwhile, Goossens said: “We value our collaboration with the Sabah
State Government extremely highly and this day marks another major
event in that collaboration.
“It hardly seems possible that the centre has been open for five
years already: progress has been excellent during that time thanks to
the hard work of my team, our centre manager Mark Rampangajouw and my
dedicated staff and students,” he added.
Goossens also said a number of university field courses, school
visits, expeditions and research activities had been carried out at the
centre during the past five years and funds had also been raised from
international and national bodies such as the Sime Darby Foundation and
the Malaysian Palm Oil Council.
“The centre is financially self-sustaining and I am confident that DGFC
will become an important base for biodiversity monitoring and
assessment, training and capacity building in the region for years to
come,” he added.
“During these last 12 months we have had an increase in Malaysian students requesting to work or study at DGFC
and this is something I hope will continue in the future. Sabah’s
biodiversity is one of its greatest assets and we feel privileged to be
involved in studying the dynamics of animal and plant populations in
Kinabatangan,” Goossens said.
Meanwhile, Director of Sabah Wildlife Department Datuk Dr Laurentius
Ambu said: “During the coming ten years, we expect to see the centre
expand its research and maintain its teaching activities to the
excellent current standard. It is our major goal to increase the
management relevance of our research and to instigate a comprehensive
education program for students and professionals from Malaysia and
elsewhere in South-East Asia.”
“On top of these important activities, we hope the centre can play
an increasing role in biodiversity assessment and monitoring at the
Kinabatangan floodplain and help us manage the sanctuary. This important
floodplain, now part of an internationally recognised RAMSAR site, deserves nothing less,” added Ambu.
Source: New Sabah Times
