If serious about elephants, stop approving mega projects, says Seratu Aatai

Project Seratu Aatai urged the Sabah government to reconsider approval of major development projects, if it’s serious about the Sabah State Elephant Action Plan 2020/29. -NSTP/File pic

By Olivia Miwil - February 17, 2020 @ 1:42pm

KOTA KINABALU: Project Seratu Aatai today urged the state government to reconsider approval of major development projects if it is serious about the Sabah State Elephant Action Plan 2020/29.

Its founder Dr Nur Zhafarina Othman, while commending the state government for green-lighting the action plan, said the biggest challenge would be in the implementation of the plan.

The 10-year-plan is aimed to protect and conserve the remaining elephant population in the state – estimated at between 1,500 and 2,000 – and prevent their extinction.

Among the objectives include stepping up protection and stopping the killing of elephants; enhancing habitat connectivity and permeability; ensuring best practices in the management and ex situ conservation of elephants; and researching, monitoring and predicting elephant population trends.

In principle, the state government agreed to allocate RM20 million for the period of 10 years to implement the plan.

“I believe the government is very committed in coming up with the action plan but the biggest challenge will be the implementation.

“For example, the Action Plan mentioned that no major construction, infrastructure or development that would cause further habitat fragmentation should be allowed in Lower Kinabatangan Elephant Managed Range.

“Therefore, they should take this recommendation into consideration if they want to approve the Sukau bridge,” she told the New Straits Times.

In April 2017, the then Barisan-Nasional government had agreed to scrap the proposed RM223 million Sukau bridge that would span 350m across the Kinabatangan River as it was deemed threatening one of the last sanctuaries of the rare Bornean pygmy elephant.

The Action Plan had projected that based on the current elephant population statistics, the habitat and food available, and the various preservation and conservation efforts including the 10-year action plan, the elephant will never become extinct in Sabah.