Kota Kinabalu: Parti Warisan President Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal again urged the State Government to prioritise the preservation of its wildlife lands and criticised plans to privatise the Bornean Elephant Sanctuary.
Speaking during a Chinese New Year event on Saturday, Shafie said wildlife are an integral part of Sabah’s heritage and privatisation would threaten this heritage and undermine conservation efforts.
He said long-term planning and public management are crucial for protecting endangered species.
He highlighted Warisan-Pakatan Harapan’s past commitment to conservation, citing the allocation of 30,000 hectares in the Telupid district for a wildlife sanctuary during their 2018-2020 tenure.
He also mentioned Saraya Corporation’s significant land acquisition in the area to support wildlife preservation, emphasising the corporation’s commitment to conservation.
Shafie recounted a meeting where Saraya Corporation explicitly requested the land be preserved for wildlife, highlighting the need to protect conservation lands from private entities.
Shafie said it should be a major wildlife park modelled after the Serengeti National Park.
“Such a park will serve both tourism and preservation, safeguarding Sabah’s rich biodiversity for future generations,” he said.
The recent RM1 million pledge from Saraya Corporation for an elephant food corridor project in Lower Kinabatangan further emphasises the potential for collaboration between private entities and the Government in conservation initiatives, but Shafie stresses that this should not come at the expense of public land designated for conservation.
