By Olivia Miwil - December 10, 2021 @ 3:11pm
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) to enhance inclusive conservation practices in Sabah.
Acting on behalf of the state government was Chief Conservator of Forests Datuk Frederick Kugan while WWF-Malaysia's was represented by its chief executive officer and executive director Sophia Lim.
The signing ceremony was held at the Natural Resources Office of the Menara Kinabalu, Teluk Likas, here, recently.
It was also witnessed by WWF-Malaysia's Head of Conservation Sabah Dr Robecca Jumin and SFD's Head of Division Forest Sector and Planning, Rosila Anthony.
The five-year agreement will focus on biodiversity conservation and maintaining forest ecosystem integrity through responsible forest governance.
The inclusive conservation involves developing and applying inter- and trans-disciplinary processes including the living landscape approach to balance the consequences of different visions and interests on the landscape for how forests and nature should be conserved.
The MoU is also expected to improve collaboration between the two parties in enhancing conservation activities of forest protection and quality through the restoration of degraded forest lands, habitats and wildlife corridors, social forestry work, stakeholders and partnerships organisations including Heart of Borneo (HoB) related activities in a transboundary effort between Indonesia, Brunei and Malaysia.
"We have always worked closely with SFD in our conservation works in Sabah.
"With this latest collaboration, we hope to strengthen our existing ties to work in unity with the state government to achieve lasting conservation solutions," said Lim in a joint statement.
Frederick said: "Close collaboration with non-governmental organisations and civil societies is the norm but must be tempered with pragmatism.
"WWF-Malaysia has always been an active and valuable partner to the SFD, and we hope to continue this momentum to achieve greater heights in our conservation agenda," he added.
To achieve its goals, both SFD and WWF-Malaysia, among others, will jointly restore open and degraded forestlands to enhance connectivity and wildlife habitats, improve ecosystem functions and services, and local community empowerment.
It is to be done through the facilitation of inter-agency collaboration through forest conservation works which includes restoration, anti-poaching taskforces and human-elephant conflict working groups at the district and state levels as well as developing action plans.
Meanwhile, social forestry works will include forest community engagement and capacity building for sustainable forest and biodiversity use.
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