SARAWAK
LEADS THE PACK IN WILDLIFE
CONSERVATION
Wildlife is important to Sarawak
in many ways. It is an integral part of the state's culture. Different
animals are the foundation of legends, art and culture of the ethnic races in
Sarawak, for example the Gawai Kenyalang of the Dayaks. Animals are imitated
in dances and trophies are shaped and worn as personal decorations. They
are also the basis of the Bidayuh, Iban dan all the Orang Ulu communities.
Wildlife also provides meat for some rural population. Recent studies
have shown that an average 20% of all meals eaten by rural people are derived
from wild meat and this can be almost 70% in the remote parts of the highlands
of the interior, To replace this wild meat with those of domesticated
animals would cost an estimated RM187 million per annum!
The state's tourism concept of "Culture Adventure & Nature" hinges,
amongs others, upon the attraction of wildlife. Many visitors to Bako
Island can see the Probiscis monkeys and the elusive Orangutan. In Mulu,
they can marvel at the sight of bats emerging from the Deer Cave in their thousands
at dusk and visitors to Bantang Ai can look forward to the call of the Orangutan
in their wild habitat.
Sarawakians are all proud of the state's rapid development. This is having
an impact through improved standards of living, better healthcare and education
and reduced level of rural poverty. Nevertheless, rapid development must
also take into consideration the conservation of wildlife in order to prevent
the dwindling number of indigenous species of animalas in the state. Sarawak
has a diverse array of animals - about 185 different species of mammals, 530
species of birds, 166 species of snakes, more than 200 species of lizards and
amphibians and an unrecorded millions of insects and other invertebrates.
The Tembadau or wild cattle became extinct in Sarawak in the first half
of this century; the last reported sighting of a Rhinocerous in Sarawak was
more than 10 years ago; the number of marine turtles nesting on Talang-Talang
Island dropped by 95% between 1950 and 1987. A hundred years ago, Orangutans
could be found throughout the whole of southern Sarawak, from Simunjan to Ulu
Balleh but today they can only be sighted in the wild in a few isolated places.
And one of the single biggest causes of their declining population is hunting
as more areas ones isolated are now accessible by roads.
In 1994, the state government commissioned "A Masterplan for Wildlife in Sarawak."
Its aim is to produce a comprehensive cross-sectoral policy which could combine
the needs of wildlife conservation with that of development in the state.
The Masterplan was completed in December 1996 and approved by the Cabinet in
January 1997. It is being coordinated by the "Masterplan Implementation
Unit" of Forestry Department and overseen by "The Masterplan Implementation
Committee" headed by the State Secretary, YB Tan Sri Datuk Amar Haji Hamid
Bugo.
The Masterplan has two main themes - conservation in different categories
of land and the control of hunting. Strict control on the sale
of shotgune cartridges to reduce excessive hunting for sport and trade have
been reinstated. The Wildlife Protection Ordinances 1998 was passed in May this
year to ease the implementation of the "Masterplan for Wildlife in Sarawak."
The 1998 Ordinance, amongst others, bans any commercial trade in wildlife or
wildlife products hunted from the wild. This will have the dual effects
of conserving wildlife on the one hand and on the other, ensuring the sustainability
of wild meat supplies for the rural population. (The only expection
at present it the sale of bird's nests under licence.)
The 1998 Ordinance also makes it quicker and easier to gazette new wildlife
sanctuaries and to protect them effectively. The Forestry Department and
other related agencies will initiate a major programme of wildlife education
and enforcement throughout Sarawak. In the pipeline is also a plan to
extend the current system of wildlife sanctuaries and national parks so that
eventually they will cover a total of 10% of the land in Sarawak. Other
aspects of implementation already under way include staff training and the management
of wildlife throughout the permanent forest estate.
Prepared by the
National Parks & Wildlife Division, Forestry Department, Sarawak.
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