RM16mil programme to tackle climate change in Sabah signed

KOTA KINABALU, Dec 5: A RM16mil programme to tackle climate change in Sabah has been signed between the State Forestry Department and the European Union (EU).

The four-year programme focusing on promoting sustainable forest management and community development is set to take Sabah a step further in preserving the environment and strengthening its carbon stocks.

“The programme is significant for Sabah because of our ongoing forest protection commitment in which about 20% of the land has been set aside for conservation purposes,” department director Datuk Sam Mannan said yesterday.

He said the programme would, among others, educate villagers on how to harvest from the forest in a sustainable manner, as it involved the environment and their livelihood.

“This is not just about ensuring the continuity of our forests and life in it, but also about peoples’ livelihood because there are a lot of villagers and industry players who depend on the forest and its resources for a living,” he added.

Sam said the programme would also enhance the institutional capacity of the state government and develop the necessary systems and tools to design and implement the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) strategy.

REDD+ is an effort to reduce greenhouse gas due to deforestation and to tackle climate change.

EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Malaysia Luc Vandebon said the body was confident of embarking on this project on a large scale with Sabah due to the state’s ongoing environment protection efforts.

“We believe Sabah, and Malaysia as a whole, is capable of achieving a lot in this field to become an example to other countries in the region,” he added.

The programme was launched in conjunction with the first EU-Sabah Days held from Dec 3 to 5 in Kota Kinabalu.

source: The Star