A PROJECT under the National Conservation Trust Fund (NCTF) at the Kinabalu Park World Heritage Site is progressing according to plan.
The initiative aims to research invasive alien species (IAS) within the heritage site and develop strategies to identify, control, and eradicate their growth.
The project, themed “Ecology and Management of Invasive Alien Plant Species in Sabah Parks: Development of the First Digital Application to Monitor, Control, and Eradicate the Invasive Alien Plant Species in Kinabalu Park”, represents a significant step forward in conservation efforts.
Kinabalu Park ecology research officer Vanielie Terrence Justine, along with his team, has successfully recorded 98 alien plant species, including 65 types of IAS, spanning 83 genera and 39 families.
Justine, together with Kinabalu Park senior assistant director Justinus Guntabod, recently briefed a delegation of 16 from the NCTF, led by Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change secretary-general Datuk Dr Ching Thoo a/l Kim, on the project’s progress.
The delegation was taken on site visits, starting from Timpohon Gate at the foothills of Mount Kinabalu up to Kilometre 0.5 of the summit trail, to inspect data logger installation locations.
Justine explained that they provided updates on project performance, study findings, outputs, budget reports, and the IAS project.
The delegation also visited the IAS permanent research plot at the Kinabalu Park complex, where they were shown a demonstration of data collection methodologies for both invasive and endemic plant species.
Approximately 300 dry and wet specimens were displayed, collected, and preserved for future reference, marking a first for such an extensive collection in Sabah and the country.
Following the visit, the NCTF advised Sabah Parks to apply for additional funding, particularly focusing on digitalisation aspects.
This includes installing real-time IAS monitoring CCTV along the summit trail, acquiring additional ecological tools such as data loggers and Vertex Transponders for data gathering, and digitalising specimen vouchers in Kinabalu Park.
