Sabah’s forestry management success

Published on: Sunday, July 25, 2021

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Tall tropical trees at Tawau Hills Botanical Garden.

THE recent article by Datuk John Lo (Daily Express 27 June 2021) is, but a microcosm of what we have achieved over the years in trying to reach the Nirvana of “Sustainability in Forest Management”.

The area mentioned is over 6,000 hectares of originally lush rainforest, but razed to the ground by the great “Fires of Borneo” in 1983.

I was lucky enough to witness the helplessness of it all, as we were not properly trained yet in the Forestry Department to fight or prevent fires.

That was before we had Canadian aid to do better. Since then, Sabah now has the capability to do much better. In 1983, one million hectares of Sabah were affected.

Now, if any, it would cover the tens of thousands of hectares, if that at all. The action of the government in 2016 or thereabouts, to allow the changing of the reserve to Class 2 ( commercial ) from class I (protection) was apt and intelligent — a dead forest tells no tales and we need to make it productive again, for it to serve Man and Beast.

But before the restoration and eventual commercial use of the fruits of the future, the previous BN government had already set aside some 1.9 million hectares of TPAs (totally protected areas) – mostly the crown jewels of Sabah, such as Danum Valley, Maliau Basin and the newest, the Imbak Valley of central Sabah.

The target for TPA coverage is 2.2 million hectares, 30pc of Sabah and we are almost there. At the same time, we restore and rehabilitate the rest naturally ( e.g. silviculture) or by artificial means ( tree planting of exotics and others ).

Not forgetting, tiny Sabah had the first tropical forest to be certified under the gold standard of the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council ) globally — Yes, the First one and many such successes came later.

Let me diverge a little on the genesis of SFM. Apparently. some say, it is the second oldest profession in the world.

Scientific forestry was born in Germany in the 18 century The concepts of AAC (Annual Allowable Cut), silviculture, restoration, thinning, pruning, multi-use, Ril (Reduced Impact Logging), etc, are virtually all German particularly, from the birthplace, in Lower Saxony, where old German royalties used to live.

Specially, not far in Hesse State, you can see a monument put up in honour of George Ludwig Hartig, apparently the “father” of German Forestry, erected sometime in the 19th Century.

The minister looking after forestry at that time, Tan Sri Pandikar, visited the monument in Germany with me in 1995. where 1 emphasised, the seriousness of the Germans, to him.

And when my colleague, the former Conservator, Datuk Miller Munang, engaged the German government to have SFM implemented in the 1990s, in Sabah, it was one of the best decisions he ever made in the department, I opinioned.

The weight of historical forestry and forestry direction for the future, were there for us to pick up, the challenge.

Apparently, Germany considered the joint project at Deramakot Forest Reserve, as the best ever, aid project. Well done, Sabah !!

Sooner than later, our knowledge of the importance of SFM for Sabah’s future, reached a critical mass for all, common persons, politicians, communities, etc.

In our world, politicians create democratic outcomes, and ideas. That’s why, the ancient Greeks had them, in the fifth century, AD. called “democratia”.

Therefore, let us look at leadership that has made a difference to sustainability.

The great American forests of giant trees, such as Redwood, Hemlock, Pines, etc, remain with us because of conservation measures by great leaders e.g. the creation of the US Forest service in 1905, by President Theodore Roosevelt and his right hand man, Gifford Pinchot, who became the first Chief, of the US Forest Service.

With that institutionalisation etc, came: National Parks, State Forest Parks, Fish and Wildlife Department, etc.

By the way, we also have our tallest tropical tree, in the world, believed to be over 100 metres tall, a super giant that beats them all, in the once sleepy hollow, of Lahad Datu, my home.

Now, for Sabah, what have we done? Continuity is the mother of SFM success. You do not chop and change.

To create success, you must learn to endure the long years of recovery, of forests that have been disturbed.

One may not know that, but forest savagery was launched in 1881 , when Sabah was created a nation. Natives watched in awe as colonialism dictated the destruction of our forests.

Maybe, our ancestors admired the process, given the absence of better information. Can you conclude then that, your master was actually a rat? Better still, join them!!

That concept followed on since independence, until recent times, as we realised better. Dualism is not our culture.

When the PM then, Dr Mahathir, visited Deramakot in August 1997, history again was created.

He mandated that the concept of Deramakot be expanded — thus, the launch of the SFM policy on 10th September 1997 by Datuk Yong Teck Lee, a Lahad Datu man, and his assistant, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin, despite the odds against the policy, on the grounds of “political expediency” .

But the SFM policy fired on, in pursuance of Gifford’s , “For the greatest good, and for the greatest numbers, in the long run” — a forte of Sabah.

Successive leaders such as Tan Sri Musa, expanded on the concept of TPAs (totally protected forests) by leaps and bounds — over one million hectares of newly created protected forests.

For our small size, it was proportionally, a huge success — creating over 13 “Singapores?”, a success yet to be matched and these forests became the “untouchables”, for posterity.

Criticisms, if any, on lost resources, needed correction for the good of all”. Otherwise, ignorance will be perceived as real.

The consistency of an adherence of keeping what is good, favours wise use of resources, to the core. And, many hands over time, make work light - SFM is Sabah’s legacy to posterity.

And now, with the current government entrenched and stability and peace restored, Sabah only has to repeat and repeat its successful SFM policies.

With the current CM, YAB Datuk Seri Hajiji Haji Noor in control and his many years of experience, that crossed timelines of forestry achievements.

We only have to wait and enjoy the fruits of our labour. Let Danum Valley Be Our Famous Black Forest, home of the original Cuckoo Clock !!

Datuk Sam Mannan,

Technical Adviser (Forestry)

to the Chief Minister of Sabah