KOTA KINABALU – After a year of active ground operations, the Sabah Forestry Department’s Protect Unit has notched significant achievements in combating forest crimes, such as illegal logging, wildlife poaching and trafficking.
Its chief conservator of forests, Frederick Kugan, said last year, the Protect Unit conducted more than 200 enforcement operations in forest reserves, protected areas and on public roads.
From the operations, 68 arrests were made, including the arrest and prosecution of two suspects in Tawau for possession of elephant tusks in January last year.
“The team also confiscated about RM3.1 million worth of forest produce from various illegal activities,” Kugan said in a statement today.
He said while the unit is not able to cover the entire state or establish a permanent presence in every forest reserve or protected area due to limited resources, the rangers have put the pressure on poachers and illegal loggers.
“At the moment, the unit comprises only 50 forest rangers, of which 25 members are funded by Yayasan Sime Darby for two years as part of its RM4 million grant to combat wildlife crimes in Sabah.
“The recent killing of a male elephant in Tongod shows that the task of protecting our wildlife against unscrupulous poachers is extremely challenging. We aim to further intensify our efforts in identified areas and work closely with our partners.
“The department is fully committed to protecting our forest resources and tackling poaching and wildlife crimes.”
Meanwhile, the unit’s project partner, Benoit Goossens, who is also Danau Girang Field Centre director and professor at Cardiff University, said: “The challenge of fighting poaching and wildlife trade is immense and cannot be easily solved in a few months.”
“It requires massive resources to enable intensive ground presence and intelligence-gathering by enforcement bodies such as Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Wildlife Department, Royal Malaysian Police and many others.
“Equally important is the public’s participation and awareness. We understand and acknowledge the importance of wildlife for Sabah, and it is through everyone’s combined effort that we can fight wildlife crimes.
“I truly appreciate the commitment shown by the Protect team and applaud their achievements so far.
“With full commitment and proper financial support from the state government and other agencies, I am confident that we will be able to win this fight,” Goossens said. – The Vibes, January 29, 2021
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