BCT and resort to promote wildlife and forest conservation

All together: Japanese students with members from the resort and BCT during their recent trip to the Lower Kinabatangan.

KOTA KINABALU: An environmental non-governmental body is teaming up with a resort in the Lower Kinabatangan region to showcase a forest that is rich in wildlife. For the next 10 years, the Borneo Conservation Trust (BCT) will work with the Myne Resort in the conservation and management efforts of a 40ha forest in the area.

Earlier this year, the resort had pledged not to clear the forest land, saying that it intended to maintain and protect the rainforest as wildlife corridors benefiting endangered animals such as the Bornean pgmy elephants, orang utan and others.

BCT Head of Conservation and Research Raymond Alfred said an observation platform would be set up for orang utan and pygmy elephants during this period.

“We believe that this move will encourage more people to come and visit the Lower Kinabatangan Mega Biodiversity Corridor, which is within the Myne’s Forest corridor. “They can also learn what they can do to support conservation efforts in the area,” said Alfred.

BCT, he added, would also be carrying out a unique wildlife observation programme, to be open to volunteers keen on taking part in actual field recreation work.

“This will include the enrichment and restoration programme for wildlife. It will become one of the activities that Myne Resort can offer visitors,” he said, adding that BCT would also develop a long-term volunteer programme with the view of encouraging the participation of youths. “At the same time, we will continuously promote the said forest as an orang utan conservation area and elephant corridor connecting wildlife to the bigger Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary,” said Alfred.

The BCT and Myne Resort’s project, he said, was aimed at preserving the forest, using the private sector-driven initiative.

“Since we have just initiated the project in January, we are still in the process of estimating the cost of protecting the rainforest area per hectare. We hope we can come up with the estimation by the end of this year or by early 2014,” he said.

Sabah Wildlife Department director Datuk Dr Laurentius Ambu said that the implementation of the programme between BCT and Myne Resort had already benefited the Bilit community in Kinabatangan.

“BCT and Myne Resort have recruited the local villagers as part of their capacity building programme. The local communities have also been involved in tree-planting activities which are part of the programme,” said Laurentius.

-thestar online.