WWF: Long-Term Solutions Needed for Conservation of Borneo Pygmy Elephants

Pygmy elephants

WWF-Malaysia is concerned about the recent pygmy elephant deaths in the Gunung Rara Forest Reserve.

 

“WWF-Malaysia is providing support to the Sabah Wildlife Department and is part of the special taskforce that has been set up by the Department to further investigate the matter. Our patrolling teams worked closely with the Department in unearthing the incident,” said WWF-Malaysia Executive Director/CEO, Dato’ Dr Dionysius S K Sharma.

According to reports, all the deaths have happened in areas where forests are being converted for plantations within the permanent forest reserves.

“The central forest landscape in Sabah needs to be protected totally from conversions. All conversion approvals need to be reviewed by the Sabah Forestry Department and assessed not purely from commercial but the endangered species and landscape ecology perspectives”, Dr Dionysius said.

“Conversions result in fragmentation of the forests, which in turn results in loss of natural habitat for elephant herds, thus forcing them to find alternative food and space, putting humans and wildlife in direct conflict”, he added.

Holistic long-term solutions need to be put in place to address and mitigate the problem, Dr Dionysius said.

He said that elephants need to be elevated to a ‘totally protected’ status under Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment of Sabah, which has been recommended in the Sabah Wildlife Department’s Elephant Action Plan 2012-2016, but yet to be implemented.

“Frequent and large scale patrolling is critical to avoid such conflict from happening again. However, given the vast area that requires patrolling, it is a massive task for the Sabah Wildlife Department. More resources, including manpower, hardware and finances, should be allocated for the Department. The existing honorary wildlife warden programme of the Department is doing well and should be expanded,” Dr Dionysius said.

The Borneo pygmy elephants are an endangered species. There are approximately 1,200 of these evolutionarily unique elephants in Sabah and all of Borneo. Ten carcasses of the endangered elephants were found dead within the central forests of Sabah which is also a part of the Heart of Borneo.

Source: ecoseed.org 

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Sabah looks forward to stronger cooperation with HoB partners

 KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is looking forward to building stronger cooperation with its partners in the Heart of Borneo (HoB) programme, an agreement signed in 2007 by the three countries in Borneo to protect a 220,000 sq. km. swathe of forest on the island.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said the government was committed to continuing in the governance of best practices in forest management and conservation.

“I am pleased to note that the HoB initiative has fostered good ties among various government agencies and partners such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Malaysia, Sime Darby Bhd, Malaysian Palm Oil Council, HSBC, New Forests Asia (Singapore) Pte Ltd and non-government organisation Land Environment Animal People (LEAP), just to name a few.

“The key focus in driving sustainability is restoration and rebuilding of the productive capacity of forests, rationalising forest landuse from the ecological and social perspectives, and further developing as well as capitalising ecosystem services provided by the forest and its biodiversity in search of sustainable financing,” he said when opening the International Conference on the HoB Initiative here yesterday.

His speech was read by Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai. Also present were former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his wife Tun Jeanne Abdullah, who is also chairwoman of Lanskap Malaysia.

Musa said much had been achieved in Sabah since the inception of the initiative in 2007.

He said under the Ninth and 10th Malaysia Plans, the Sabah Forestry Department received funds through the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to carry out biodiversity documentation on various selected forest reserves and social baseline studies of nearby communities.

“To date, 17 forest reserves have been surveyed and results incorporated into the preparation of forest management plans that contribute significantly to best practices in forest management.

Source: Bernama

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Environment and wildlife protection collective responsibility of all

KUDAT: The State Government wants people in coastal areas to keep the shores clean so that turtles will always have a place to lay their eggs.

Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun said it was still obvious that residents along the coast have not stopped throwing rubbish into the sea, particularly plastic bags, which are often seen strewn all over the beach.

He said the rubbish on the beach have been one main reason why turtles are reluctant to come ashore to lay their eggs because the sea creatures prefer a clean surrounding.

Masidi also lamented that there were less turtles found off Kudat waters, once renowned for the abundance of turtles, due to the sale and consumption of their eggs.

He urged communities to work together to overcome the problem and discouraged them from taking the eggs and especially to stop eating their eggs and meat.

He stressed that protecting the environment and wildlife was a collective responsibility that everybody needed to shoulder.

Masidi said this in his speech at the launch of the Beach Cleanliness Campaign in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup Day. Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Bolkiah Haji Ismail delivered the text.

The event was organised by the Environmental Action Committee (EAC) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) at Simpang Mengayau in Kudat.

Bolkiah, who is the assemblyman for Pitas, was pleased to note that the organisers managed to gather people from all walks of life to care for the area in Simpang Mengayau.

He said it was important to keep all areas clean and not just the beaches.

Also present at the event were Tanjung Kapor assemblyman, Datuk Teo Chee Kang, Kudat district officer, Sebastian Lim, chairperson of the Kudat Turtle Conservation Society (KTCS), Francesca Winfield, SabahEAC members, World Wildlife Fund representatives and heads of government departments as well as local communities.

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Marine Scientists to Survey the Proposed Tun Mustapha Park

4 September 2012, Kota Kinabalu: From 6 to 26 September 2012, a team of marine scientists from Malaysia, the Netherlands and Australia will begin an expedition in the proposed Tun Mustapha Park, Kudat, Malaysia.

The Tun Mustapha Park Expedition (TMPE) will assess aspects of marine biodiversity and ecology, as well as the socioeconomic benefits of the marine ecosystems to local communities in the proposed park. The expedition is organised by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Sabah Parks and WWF-Malaysia. As signatory to the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), Malaysia developed a National Plan of Action for protecting the Coral Triangle region. This expedition is one of Malaysia’s activities under the CTI-National Plan of Action.

Jointly leading the expedition are Mr. Muhammad Ali Syed Hussein, Leader of the UMS team; Dr. Bert Hoeksema of Naturalis Biodiveristy Center, Leader of the Coral Reef Biodiversity Team; and Ms. Bobita Ahad of WWF-Malaysia, Leader of the Coral Reef Status Team. Other expedition participants include marine scientists from UMS, Universiti Malaya, University of Queensland, Naturalis and researchers from Sabah Parks.

The overall objectives of the expedition are to:
1) Assess the coral reef biodiversity including reef fish and associated reef fauna richness,
2) Assess the coral reef status and reef population health,
3) Verify coral reef categories for the zoning of Tun Mustapha Park,
4) Assess the biodiversity of mangrove ecosystem,
5) Conduct physico-chemical oceanographic studies,
6) Study the distribution, diversity and abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton,
7) Survey socio-economic aspects of the local communities, and
8) Raise awareness of Tun Mustapha Park and benefits of protecting and managing marine ecosystem.

The proposed Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) is an area of 1.02 million hectares with more than 50 islands and islets located across Kudat, Pitas and Kota Marudu districts in the Kudat-Banggi Priority Conservation Area (PCA). TMP has unique biodiversity that support a series of complex and linked habitats and is home to endangered marine animals, such as green sea turtles and dugongs.

The proposed TMP produces Sabah’s third largest volume of fishery products from coral reefs, bays and open waters. It is a source of livelihood to 80,000 coastal inhabitants of diverse ethnic groups. This unique demography forms the rich cultural heritage of the Park. As a scenic and historical area in Sabah, TMP has great potential for sustainable ecotourism.

The TMPE will be launched by YB Datuk Dr Maximum Ongkili of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) in Kudat on 6 September, and the preliminary results of the expedition will be announced at a press conference at the UMS campus in Kota Kinabalu on 27 September 2012.

The TMPE is jointly funded by Malaysian-CTI (MOSTI through the National Oceanography Directorate), USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership and WWF-Malaysia’s individual supporters.

Follow the expedition blog and other social media such as Twitter, Weblog, Flickr, and Facebook, where the expedition members will update their daily work and share new findings, as well as their stunning images and short videos. Visit: www.naturalis.nl.

Source : http://www.wwf.org.my/media_and_information/newsroom_main/?uNewsID=14663

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A green economy in the Heart of Borneo on the world stage

UN Resident Coordinator for Malaysia & UNDP Resident Representative for Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, Mr Kamal Malhotra, commended the SFD on its focus on a green economy, particularly in the lead up to the Rio 20+ conference in June 2012, which would elevate these issues to the world stage.

He said whatever the definition you choose for a green economy, there is no doubt that applying green economy concepts such as improved energy efficiency and renewable energy production could provide employment and economic growth, while reducing pressures on natural resources.

“It can drive technological improvements and also provide mechanisms to help prevent the destruction of nature by highlighting the benefits we obtain from environmental services,” he said

Mr Malhotra concluded by highlighting the need for a roadmap for the development of a green economy to be prepared - not just for Sabah and the Heart of Borneo - but for all regions wishing to build a green economic future.

Adam Tomasek, Leader of WWF’s Heart of Borneo Initiative, said he was encouraged by the leadership of the Malaysian government to advance the understanding and the implementation of a green economy in the Heart of Borneo.

“Bringing scientific, business and investment leaders into the same room with policy makers is an example that must be replicated if the Rio+20 Summit is to be successful next year. WWF will continue to support the multi-stakeholder process to develop green growth initiatives that deliver lasting conservation and sustainable development in the Heart of Borneo,” he said.

The two day conference convened by the Sabah Forest Department and co-hosted by WWF and UNDP will attempt to demystify the green economy concept by:
• Gaining a common understanding of the real meaning of Green economy as against Business as Usual.
• Understanding the economic contribution of HoB’s natural capital to the State Development Agenda
• Sharing knowledge on green economy incentives and the policy mechanisms needed to encourage these activities.
• Map out a strategy, or road map, for a consolidated approach to realizing a green economy in the HoB landscape.
Source: http://wwf.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/indonesia/news/?uNewsID=202378

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Orang-utan conservation effort receives shot-in-the-arm

Kota Kinabalu: The State's orang-utan conservation effort received a shot-in-the-arm with the signing of a contract agreement between WWF-Malaysia and AEON Co. (M) Berhad here Monday.

The five-year agreement is to provide for reforestation and rehabilitation of the orang-utan's natural habitat in North Ulu Segama, Lahad Datu.

The forest in this area was severely degraded due to several cycles of logging operations in the past and the frequent occurrence of forest fire, but miraculously the orang-utan which inhabit the area survived despite the ordeal they have had to endure.

The reforestation and rehabilitation effort will involve planting saplings of high trees, middle high trees, low trees and shrubs in approximately 80 hectares of the area over the next five years, with a RM500,000 investment by AEON.

The fast growing tree species to be planted will help restore the connectivity of the forest canopy so that the orang-utan will be free to roam in search of food in all the areas within the area and places to build their nests. The wild fruit trees will be source of food for the orang-utan.

Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun witnessed the contract agreement signing and exchanging of documents between AEON Managing Director Nagahisa Oyama and WWF-Malaysia CEO Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma in a ceremony held at Le Meridien Kota Kinabalu here.

Thanking AEON for choosing Sabah as a place for it to carry out its corporate social responsibility, Masidi said the project is a recognition to WWF-Malaysia's good work in Sabah apart from being a kind of vote of confidence in the State Government's effort through the Forestry Department to rehabilitate and conserve the forest.

"It is my sincere hope that there will be more corporate organisations like AEON to come over to Sabah and assist us in our effort to not only save the orang-utan but also other species which are in danger of extinction like the rhinoceros and sun bear," he said.

He said the reason is simple, that is, because the forest is being fragmented by the opening up of land that affected their reproduction process, which in turn, contributed to the decline of the animal populations.

"Such an assistance from various quarters there is now light at the end of the tunnelÉin Sabah we are doing the right thing, at the right track, to help these animals to continue surviving for the future generations to appreciate," he said.

For AEON, this is not its first because it has actually been involved in tree-planting activities since 1991 at the JUSCO Malacca branch in Ayer Keroh.

It was called "AEON Hometown Forest Programme" where 50,000 saplings were planted.

AEON Co. Ltd in Japan is the pioneer of AEON Environment Foundation that has been contributing towards greening areas in Sudan and several sites surrounding the Great Wall of China.

"It has always been the company's aspiration to preserve the environment and the orang-utan's habitat in North Ulu SegamaÉwe see the growing importance of conservation measures to protect and nurture a green environment," said Oyama. The project will help foster closer ties between AEON and the local residents, not only as a business venture but also in the hope of educating the locals on the importance of preserving the environment, he said.

AEON in collaboration with WWF-Malaysia hopes to spread the significance and value of rehabilitating the orang-utan's population and looks forward to sustain this project for a long time.

Tree-planting has always been AEON's commitment towards reviving nature, to create a more natural and pleasant environment for the sake of future generations. To date, AEON has planted more than 400,000 saplings throughout Malaysia.

Oyama also said that the need for combined effort between all quarters to conserve nature will become more important within the next 10 years with the anticipated increase in economic development activities in Southeast Asia, which may also have a great impact on the environment.

Dr Dionysius said this restoration effort acknowledges the need to improve the quality of this forest, which will be by putting back the structure of the forest.

WWF-Malaysia feels very encouraged to be able to work with the State Government very closely, he said, adding it is important to conserve nature not only because for the animal and other wildlife but also for humanity itself, because humans also need the forest for survival.

The State Government has gazetted 40,000hectare of land in North Ulu Segama as a Permanent Forest Reserve for habitat conservation and the orang-utan.

http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/print.cfm?NewsID=76804

Green Sabah says: Good that WWF will work closely together with the Sabah State Government to conserve Sabah's nature and wildlife. Hope that the Orang Utan Conservation will be continued as it can help protect our wildlife species. 

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Joint application of Danum, Maliau and Imbak for Heritage status

Kota Kinabalu: Preliminary work on nominating Danum Valley, Maliau Basin and Imbak Canyon as a World Heritage Site, has begun following a one-day workshop organized by the Sabah Foundation, here, Tuesday.

The workshop called Nomination Process of World Heritage Site is held to discuss the sites' strengths and identify it in accordance to the World Conservation Union (IUCN) Outstanding Universal Values criterion.

According to a member of the nomination draft working group under the Steering Committee, Dr Waidi Sinun, the workshop resolution could influence the IUCN dossier draft, which is part of the first step in the World Heritage Site nomination processes.

"The Committee is in the midst of preparing the criteria to be included in the dossier and we are working on the details.

"So we are at the dossier nomination drafting stages, the working group has prepared a paper on the criteria so we need to discuss it today and for us to adopt it and submit it to the government," he said.

Sinun said the 133,000 ha sites would be nominated in a single heritage site which will be called DaMaI, an abbreviation of Danum Valley, Maliau Basin and the Imbak Canyon.

He said, however the DaMai is only an unofficial name tentatively agreed to by the Government after the committee had submitted about six names.

Currently the Nomination Draft Group members are Dr Fatah Amir, Dr Jamili Nais (Chairman), Dr John Tay, Dr Rahimatshah Amat, Dr Robert Ong including Sinun.

The group is also aided by Dr Kanehiro Kitayama from University of Kyoto and Dr Glen Reynolds from the Royal Society of Danum and consultant Dr Agnes Agama.

Although the workshop's resolution is not part of the formal IUCN nomination process, it is still vital since it gathers the thoughts of many individuals representing the public's interest.

There are about seven stages under the IUCN World Heritage nomination process and the State Government has already appointed a Steering Committee, solely to work on the matter.

The Steering Committee, chaired by the State Secretary, formed a Technical Committee, which consists of the Nomination Draft working group given the task to draft the nomination dossier.

The Technical Committee meanwhile is chaired by the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment's Permanent Secretary while the nomination draft group consists of experts from Sabah Foundation, Sabah Parks and relevant parties, who are working on a pro-bono basis in the committee.

According to Sainun, the nomination draft group was tasked with drafting the dossier, which would lead to other subsequent steps laid out earlier in a presentation by a representative from the Department of National Heritage, Mohd. Shahrin Abdullah.

According to Shahrin the process would take at least two years.

The workshop was attended by some 60 officials from Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Sabah Parks, Sabah Foundation, Pacos Trust, WWF and others.

GreenSabah says:I do hope that Danum Valley, Maliau Basin and Imbak Canyon will be successfully nominated as World Heritage Site, the Sabah government and environmental bodies have made efforts to conserve our nature especially these 3 areas.

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WWF on marine conservation

WWF- Malaysia is assessing turtles in northeast Semporna within the Priority Conservation Area (PCA) to establish a marine conservation plan in the coral triangle of the Sulu-Sulawesi Marine Ecoregion (SSME).

WWF is working with the tourism and fishery industries to establish a mechanism on managing the ecosystem and this includes the conservation of sea turtles.

“We are gearing towards efforts to protect the sea turtles. The first step we took was to provide training and appoint honorary wildlife wardens among people working in the tourism industry and from the local community,” said Robecca Jumin, manager of the SSME.

At the state-level, she said WWF is working closely with the fish dealers to urge them to form a trader group so that they can promote good practices to ensure the sustainability of the industry.

“We are hoping to work with the government agencies to establish a concerted management mechanism for the whole of Semporna because at the moment, all the different agencies work by themselves,” said Robecca when speaking to New Sabah Times.

It is estimated that the Semporna PCA is capable of generating over RM123 million a year as the seas there support livelihoods through fisheries; collection of sea cucumber, abalone and giant clams; cultivation of seaweed; and is the backbone of a major tourism industry, estimated to have a net value of RM34.3 million a year.

Robecca said the SSME project was initiated by WWF in late 1999, and adopted by Malaysian, Philippines and Indonesia governments in 2004 before becoming a full-fledged tri-national programme in 2006.

The coral triangle has been identified as one of the 500 important marine ecologies in the world and the three governments have been working together to facilitate the establishment of a conservation programme, she said.

Robecca, who is in charge of all marine works in Sabah said in Malaysia, the Fisheries Department was appointed as the lead agency while WWF-Malaysia assumed the role as an implementer to carry out the conservation plan.

“We began by setting up our office in Kudat in 2006, to work with the government to establish the Tun Mustapha Park, and in late 2007, our office in Semporna was set up where we worked on the conservation of the coral reefs, mangrove, sea grass, seaweed and the marine species including the sea turtles to facilitate sustainable development and resource exportation such as fish,” stated Robecca.

According to her, the first phase of the project since they started in 2007 was to establish the status of the eco-system before they could really engage and establish actual collaboration on the ground. Each phase consists of three years.

“Firstly, we need to establish collaboration with the tourism industry and local community to conserve the turtles. Secondly, to work with the tourism industry on anti-fish bombing and carry out patrolling in the northeast islands off Semporna because this is where all the turtle nesting beaches are found,” said Robecca.

WWF also works with the local community in the town area and the islanders to raise awareness on the importance of resource management especially on how their lifestyle can affect the environment such as throwing plastic bags indiscriminately into the sea.

It is also working with tour operators and the locals to establish a collaborative environment monitoring team to look at changes in the climate and ecosystem so that remedial measures can be taken to minimise the impact.

Meanwhile, Robecca believes that the community here doesn’t hunt for sea turtles as most of the people are Muslims and therefore do not consume the meat for religious reasons. However, they do collect the eggs.

“I think we are lucky in that sense as they only consume the eggs but that still affects the turtle population because out of 1,000 eggs only one will be lucky enough to survive and reach adulthood,” she stated.

“In fact poaching turtle eggs is threatening the turtle population not only here but throughout the region,” she said.

Based on their studies, most of the turtles’ nesting activities happen on the northeast islands of Semporna such as Mataking, Pom-Pom and Pandanan as these areas have less human population unlike in Mabul, which is densely populated due to the presence of resort operators there.

She said the sea turtles will only return to the islands when they are sexually matured, which is usually when they reach 30 years old, and when they need to lay eggs.

“We don’t have documentation on where the turtles go during the time from juvenile to adulthood and we describe this as the ‘lost years’ because when they go into the sea they go into a ‘swimming frenzy’, during which they swim as fast as they can, and even go around the world when they reach adulthood,” said Robecca adding that the sea turtle is a solitary animal.

Source: http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/54787http://www.newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/54787

Green Sabah says:Sea turtles are also slowly going extinct,  we can do our part by refusing to purchase turtle eggs and report turtle egg sales to the authorities. Cases where turtle eggs are stolen, sold and consumed has greatly reduce the amount of turtles that hatches. Awareness to conserve our sea turtles are also much needed and we hoped WWF will continue to help out in this effort. Keep up the good job.

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Rhino heroes earn kudos

They work at a remote rainforest, spending extended periods away from home determined to do their bit to save the critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros through a captive breeding programme.

It is this dedication that led Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA) field staff who work under overall supervision of the Sabah Wildlife Department, to assist Department staff in finally capturing elusive female rhino Puntung at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve last month.

Pending tests, Puntung is potentially a mate for Tam, a rhino that walked out of a forest and into a plantation in 2008, and who is now housed at the Borneo Rhino Sanctuary (BRS) captive breeding interim facility in Tabin, over an hour by road from here.

The BORA Management Board led by its chairman Dr Abdul Hamid Ahmad on Friday presented 21 field staff with certificates of appreciation, applauding them for their hard work and willingness to live in a rural location away from family for long periods.

“The successful capture of Puntung required various types of resources, and effort. The most important of all was the hard work over months and years among people working on the ground. Our staff worked at all times in collaboration with Sabah Wildlife Department staff in Tabin.

“At any one time, BORA alone had about 20 people involved one way or another in the capture of Puntung as well as the care of rhinos Tam and Gelogob who were already at the interim facility.

“On behalf of the BORA management, I express my sincere thanks to the staff for their dedication over the past two years. Without their effort, today we would not have Puntung,” Abdul Hamid said in a Press release issued by BORA.

BORA is a non-governmental organisation that is currently assisting the Sabah Wildlife Department in the development of the BRS, a programme of the Sabah Government that kicked-off in 2009 to prevent the extinction of rhinos in Sabah through captive breeding.

The BRS programme aims to bring rhinos from non-viable situations where the mammal exists but is not breeding, to a facility that will maximise chances for reproductive success.

Abdul Hamid said BORA staff are also involved in patrolling and guarding the general area, building and monitoring traps, caring for rhinos and carrying out administrative duties and management of assets.

“Tremendous self discipline is needed to stick with this sort of work and to maintain a harmonious environment,” Abdul Hamid who is also Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation director, said.

BORA field staff Justine Segunting, 33, said he was proud to receive the certificate and sees it as a recognition that will further encourage him and his colleagues to work on rhino conservation.

“It took us almost two years to find Puntung. I was one of the first staff to see her, and nothing can describe how I felt at that time.

“We worked around the clock from when Puntung was found on Dec 18 (last year) to when she was brought to the interim facility on Christmas day. We sacrificed our Christmas leave, as we could not go home to celebrate, but it does not matter,” Segunting who is from Telupid, about 200km from here, said.

Segunting said he has worked in the forest for eight years including with another NGO and cannot see himself doing anything else.

“This job is my best experience and is something I am passionate about. The survival of rhinos is at stake, and I want to play my part in saving the species,” he said.

Rajimah Kasran, 26, one of only two women involved in field work said it was a relief that Puntung was not captured by poachers who prize rhino horn for traditional medicine.

“We have been tracking Puntung for years and we were worried that poachers might get her. I am so glad that she is now with us and doing well in the interim facility,” she said.

Rajimah of Kampung Dagat in the Segama area, only returns home about five times a year despite monthly leave as all she can think of is her work in rhino conservation.

“When I first started working in Tabin in 2004 through another NGO, I did not know anything about rhinos or why we needed to protect them. Now, all I think about is what I can do to help prevent extinction of rhinos,” she said.

The Sumatran rhino is amongst the most endangered species in the world, and needs urgent and sustained action to prevent its extinction. It is listed as a totally protected mammal under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.

Apart from one female in Cincinnati Zoo in the United States, all breeding female rhinos of this species are now known to exist only on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

To date, core funding for development and operation of the BRS has come primarily from the Sime Darby Foundation and from the Government, with extra help from WWF-Germany.

Source: http://newsabahtimes.com.my/nstweb/fullstory/55695

Green Sabah says:  The Sumatran Rhino currently only exist in Sumatra and Borneo and its a species that is slowly going extinct. We must take urgent actions in order to preserve them and a good job to all who are involved in protecting and preserving the Rhinoceros.

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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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