Published on: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 |
Kota Kinabalu: Business and corporate sectors must ensure natural resources are used in a sustainable manner to prevent and manage environmental degradation at acceptable levels.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said these sectors have a management system for allocating resources to the best advantage.
Launching the Fourth Sabah-Sarawak Environmental Convention 2006 at the Le Meridien, Tuesday, he said environmental management involved addressing multi-sectoral as well as multi-dimensional issues and problems.
"In this regard, effective environmental management therefore requires a concerted effort and strategic alliance among all the relevant stakeholders, which includes the public and private sector, the business community, the civil society, the local communities and the general public in order to maintain the desired environmental quality," he said.
Musa said in this new era of technological advancement, the industries in particular were in better position to adopt new approaches in their production processes in order to safeguard the environment and at the same time, adapt to the concept of self-policing and self-regulating.
"The adoption of cleaner technologies and production processes must be based on the precautionary, preventive and corrective principles. Cleaner production includes conserving raw materials and energy and eliminating or reducing toxic emissions or discharges before they leave the production process," he said.
He said Sabah and Sarawak had been pursuing a vigorous socio-economic development in recent years through the utilisation of the vast natural resources.
The Chief Minister said concern had been raised about the possible impacts of the various development activities on our precious and fragile environment such as deterioration of water quality and threats to our terrestrial and marine biological resources.
"The debate over environmental management is often about striking a balance between conservation and the need to utilise our natural resources for sustainable development," he said.
The problems faced were often closely related to socio-economic factors affecting particularly the local communities, which include factors such as poverty, land-tenure and benefit sharing.
"In this respect, there is a great need to evaluate and recognise the economic, social, cultural and ecological values of the affected areas, and ensure the sustainable flow of economic benefits to the local communities and other stakeholders," he said.
Towards this end, Musa said the State governments of Sabah and Sarawak had a long history for environmental protection and conservation by embedding these aspects in many of its plans, policies, laws and regulations.
Both states had entrenched in the decision making process the policy of integrating environmental considerations into every development planning in order to ensure that development activities and utilisation of natural resources cause minimal negative impacts on the environment.
"For Sabah, I am glad the State Government has gazetted about 17 per cent of our total land area as protection or conservation areas under the administration and management of the various relevant government authorities," he said.
Musa added this had surpassed the World Conservation Union (IUCN) requirement of 10 per cent.
On the softer side of environmental management, he said there was a great need to foster and enhance awareness on the importance of environmental protection and conservation through formal and informal environmental education.
"There is a need to set up a mechanism to create a lasting fundamental environmental awareness at all levels of the community and society on the importance of conserving our environment and its natural resources, and how they can contribute towards maintaining a safe, clean and healthy environment."
It included implanting the principle of moral and ethical responsibility for the caring of the environment, he said.
The two-day biennial convention is organised by the Chief Minister's Department and Environmental Protection Department in collaboration with the Sarawak Chief Minister's Department and Sarawak Natural Resources and Environment Board.
There would be 16 working papers tabled spread over two days of the convention, while a post convention tour would be made to the Bavanggazo Traditional Village and Tanjung Sempang Mengayau in Kudat on Sept. 7.
