WWF lauds move to tighten entry into Sabah's forest reserves
Published on: Saturday, January 31, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) – Malaysia fully supports the Sabah Forestry Department's move to amend its laws to tighten entry into forest reserves.Its Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Dato' Dr Dionysius Sharma said the move aims to curb widespread poaching activities within forest reserves which are at alarming levels.Restriction on illegal entry into forest reserves will also reduce the risk of forest fires, he said. ADVERTISEMENT "The forests and its animals deserve respect and they cannot be considered as playgrounds for people to go in and poach out animals. "The age of mindless exploitation of forests in Sabah is over and we have now entered a forest conservation era in which Sabah has become a front-runner."As Sabah Forestry Director Datuk Sam Mannan emphasised, the wild animals are integral to forests and necessary for forests to function properly and produce the valuable goods and environmental services. WWF-Malaysia congratulates the Sabah Forestry Department for showing such great concern on offences on wildlife," he said.Dr Sharma said rangers in the forest reserves constantly face the risk of harassment and retaliation from poachers.ADVERTISEMENT Hence, he said lax laws on entry into forest reserves will undo the good work that these brave officers are doing and may even de-motivate them from carrying out their responsibilities."The Sabah Government should allocate more resources to the Forestry Department to establish a stronger wildlife enforcement unit to patrol its protection forest reserves.
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"Besides stricter law for entry into forest reserves, it is also crucial for all agencies and their officers who are authorised by Sabah's Forest Enactment 1968 and Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 to demonstrate their commitment to enforce the enactment, thereby controlling wildlife crimes. "The wildlife enactment authorises Wildlife Department officers, Forestry Department Officers, Sabah Parks officers, honorary wildlife wardens, police officers, Customs officers and Plant Quarantine officers as the enforcers of the law. These officers should collectively shoulder the responsibility to control wildlife crimes," he said.Wildlife crimes need utmost attention and cooperation of all responsible agencies, he said."Poachers decimate Sabah's environmental wealth that the State and Federal governments have relied on to bring a steady influx of tourists every year. "On the international front, poaching incidents also cast a negative perception of Sabah's environmental and biodiversity governance," he said.Dr Sharma said it is worrying to note that these wildlife criminals have been known to carry illegal firearms and to act aggressively against park rangers, forestry officers and Wildlife Department officers who encounter them. "Free availability and usage of illegal firearms in Sabah are a great internal security threat, too. Therefore, the police need to clamp down on illegal firearms and show greater sensitivity towards wildlife crimes. "Their active support is essential for wildlife law enforcement activities to ensure the safety of fellow law enforcement officers from other agencies.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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"Sabah deserves better from all of its wildlife guardians. As a committed conservation partner, WWF-Malaysia supports capacity building of all wildlife law enforcement officers, including equipping them with latest tools such as the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool (Smart) methodology for patrolling and poaching monitoring," he said.With more resources allocated by the Government to wildlife law enforcement departments, stricter wildlife laws, more concerted enforcement by all authorised officers, and the establishment of a dedicated environmental court, wildlife crimes in Sabah can be reduced significantly, he added.