KOTA KINABALU: Development, poaching and illegal trapping of Sabah’s wildlife are endangering protected species such as the Bornean Banteng (wild buffalo), proboscis monkey and Sunda Clouded Leopard.
To address the issue, a 10-year action plan to help protect these species is expected to be handed to the state Cabinet soon.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Christina Liew said the plan drawn up by experts including scientists, the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and Sabah Wildlife Department, would help the state tackle the problem.
“The plan will provide guidelines for the management of wildlife in Sabah,” she said after the soft launch of the State Wildlife Species Action Plan here yesterday.
Liew said she supported the proposals in the plan, and would submit the plan to the Chief Minister once everything was finalised.
“We need all, including the local communities, to be aware of the things they do that can hurt our wildlife,” she said, adding that Sime Darby Foundation had played a huge role in funding research to protect the state’s wildlife.
She said she was all for the proposal in the action plan to have an elite team of enforcers on the ground.
DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens said the Sunda Clouded Leopard, proboscis monkey and Borneon Banteng were threatened by habitat loss, poaching and the development of the Pan Borneo Highway.
“We need to get the government to relook the Pan Borneo Highway and get information on how not to bulldoze through wildlife-rich areas,” he said.
He said the decline in the proboscis population was due to expansion of aquaculture projects in mangrove areas while the clouded leopard suffered from loss of habitat.
“Bantengs are victims of heavy poaching, snaring and fragmentation and also ‘hybridisation’ with the Banteng mated with domestic cattle,” Dr Goossens said.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
