KUALA LUMPUR: Despite being allocated funds, Kelantan has yet to participate in the Ecological Fiscal Transfer (EFT) for Biodiversity Conservation, says NIk Nazmi Nik Ahmad (pic).
The Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister said federal funding for EFT has increased from RM70mil in 2021 to RM250mil last year.
This initiative aims to enhance protected land areas, with contributions from states like Pahang, Kedah, Selangor, Perlis, Terengganu, and Negri Sembilan, collectively adding 15,000 hectares in total land coverage.
"Unfortunately, Kelantan is not among the states (that has increased its wildlife protection areas), despite being allocated funds.
"I hope Kelantan can follow the example of other states to expand protected lands for wildlife, aiding our efforts to address human-wildlife conflict," he said during question time in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (March 5).
Nik Nazmi was responding to Ngeh Koo Ham (PH-Beruas), who questioned the government's actions in mitigating human-wildlife conflicts after fatal encounters with wild elephants and tigers in Gua Musang, Kelantan.
Last year, 337 human-wildlife conflict complaints were recorded, involving 218 cases with elephants and 47 with tigers, said Nik Nazmi.
Through the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan), he added that efforts to address these issues in Gua Musang included 306 patrols, setting up 15 traps, and conducting 10 elephant catch-and-release operations.
"We also urge the public to manage their livestock systematically to reduce conflicts with wildlife, including tigers," said Nik Nazmi.
He emphasised that comprehensive conservation of tigers and elephants is pursued through the Malayan Tiger Crisis Action Plan (MTCAP) 2021-2030 and the National Elephant Conservation Action Plan (2023-2030).
In a supplementary question, Ngeh suggested establishing a school to domesticate elephants, similar to practices in Thailand and Myanmar.
Nik Nazmi responded that knowledge-sharing initiatives have been ongoing with experts from India since the 1970s, supplemented by visits to Thailand to learn about wildlife conservation.
Additionally, Nik Nazmi also said that the disconnection of the ecological network in the peninsula is due to development projects like highways and railroads.
To counter this, wildlife corridors have been established to enable animals to roam freely across extensive forest networks.
Regarding compensation, he said that the government has disbursed a total of RM978,000 to 246 applicants affected by human-wildlife conflicts.
"However, these efforts must not be isolated. The core issue remains the destruction of wildlife habitats due to development," Nik Nazmi said.
