The Sabah Government, Universiti Malaysia Sabah and Japan International Co-operation Agency (Jica) officially signed Friday the Record of Discussions (RD) which will implement biodiversity conservation plans and strategies covering almost half the size of Sabah (3,350,000 out of 7,632,000ha) jointly developed over the last 10 years by the same under the BBEC Programme!The areas cover two of Sabah's biggest river basins - the Kinabatangan and the Segama in the East Coast, besides the Crocker Range Park in the West Coast.
The RD signing at Wisma Innoprise officially kick-starts two programmes: Firstly, the project on Sustainable Development for Biodiversity & Ecosystems Conservation (SDBEC) in Sabah and, secondly, the Integrated Biodiversity and Ecosystems Management Training Course under the Third Country Training Programe (TCTP).
State secretary Tan Sri Sukarti Hj. Wakiman signed for the State Government, Sato Kunihiko, Jica Malaysia Office Chief Representation, signed for JICA and Deputy Vice Chancellor, Prof Dr Shahril Yusof signed for UMS.
Sukarti will also be the Director and Chairperson of the Project's Steering Committee while the Project Management Committee will be chaired and managed by the Secretary of Natural Resources Office (Hasil Bumi).
Both committees constitute Project SDBEC's monitoring mechanisms.
Other signatories include Prof Dr Charles Santhanaraju Vairappan, Director of the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation (ITBC), UMS, Awang Besar Hj Mohd Yusof, Principal Assistant Director, who signed for State EPU Director Datuk Ismail Abdullah and an Official from the Sabah Regional Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Project SDBEC owes its existence to its famed predecessor project called the Bornean Biodiversity and Ecosystems Conservation (BBEC), a 10-year technical cooperation between JICA, Sabah Government and the UMS.
The project purpose is to get sustainable development promoted, said Suzuki Kazunobu, SDBEC Chief Advisor.
Where the action is will focus on two project sites.
Firstly, a massive area which covers 3,000,000ha of the Core and Buffer Zones of Lower Kinabatanagan and the Segama Wetlands (LKWS) Ramsar Site and its River Basin, where it will support the implementation of the management plan developed previously under BBEC, Suzuki said.
Secondly, 350,000ha of the Core, Buffer and Transition Zones of the Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve (CRBR) where Project SDBEC will develop and support the implementation plan and strategy, under UNESCO's Man and Biosphere Programme Proposed Crocker Range UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve..
Suzuki said since the Sabah Biodiversity Strategy is a core framework of biodiversity conservation in Sabah, Project SDBEC will align itself with the strategy.
For the sake of effective and efficient implementation, the project will collaborate with other Official Development of Japan, such as the Science and Technology Research Partnership for Sustainable Development Programme's project on Creation of Green Innovative Industry from Oil Palm Plantation for Bornean Biodiversity Conservation ; JICA Partnership Programme; Third Country Training Programme and Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV), Suzuki said.
Jica wants to achieve two outputs or outcomes through Project SDBEC
One, that capacity is developed with respect to realizing a society in harmony with nature in the project sites.
Two, that Sabah's experiences and knowledge in biodiversity and ecosystems conservation gained over the last 10 years with JICA are shared nationally and internationally for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, through the Third Country Training Programme.
