Tropical Forests: PD 288/04 Rev. 2 (F)

PD 288/04 Rev. 2 (F)

Development of Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary as a Totally Protected Area, Phase IV (Final Phase)

Malaysia

This transboundary conservation project is the fourth and last phase of the ITTO project of the same name, that was co-financed by Switzerland from the beginning. It played a well known leading role in the operationalization of the concept of Transboundary conservation in ITTO sustainable tropical forest management programme. Equally important has been its role in the ecological and socioeconomic processes within Sarawak as well as in the transboundary context with Indonesia. The present proposal takes into account the recommendations of an ex-post evaluation conducted in 2002 and emphasises the need to enhance participation of the local communities in conservation management. The specific objectives are (1) To strengthen sustainable management capacity of the Totally Protected Area at the Government and local community levels; (2) To enhance conservation and research potentials of the Totally Protected Area. This last phase will allow the completion of community-based field center to be used as a permanent field base to enhance cooperation with the local communities. An other emphasis is to extend resource surveys and collection of baseline data to Batang Ai National Park which was incorporated in the transboundary conservation scheme since 2001. It is also the aim of the Implementing Agency to strengthen the protection of the Totally Protected Area by developing long-term environmental education programme targeting schools. At the transboundary conservation level, strengthening cooperation between Sarawak and West Kalimantan is an other priority. The beneficiaries of the project are mainly the local communities, the Sarawak Forest Department, and public institutions and NGOs which have a stake in biodiversity conservation.

Implementing agency		Forest Department of Sarawak
Budget		ITTO: USD 512'028 Swiss contribution: USD 256'700
Planned duration		2 years.
Starting date		April 2007
Status		completed
Topics		Biodiversity conservation and protected areas management
Contact		jgasana(a)intercooperation.ch
Final Report ITTO 2011, Final Report, 5p. Progress report November 2010 The project was approved by the International Tropical Timber Council during its Thirty-eighth Session in June 2005 and full financing for its implementation was pledged during the same Session. The agreement regulating the implementation of the project had been sent to the Government of Malaysia for signature in July 2005 and it was dully signed by all parties only on 14 July 2006. The first disbursement of funds was made on 9 April 2007. Based on the recommendation of the PSC meeting held in Kuching on 16 February 2009, a six-month extension until September 2009 was granted to fully achieve the planned outputs of the project and to publish a high quality book to document main findings and lessons learned from the ITTO Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary Project. A detailed work plan to publish a documentary book for LEWS until March 2011 was endorsed by the ITTO Secretariat. Since the Forty-third Session of the Committee and in accordance with the project's progress report submitted by the Executing Agency in August 2010, progress in implementation of the project can be summarized as follows: The following reports have been published: A Study on the Ecotourism Potentials of the Batang Ai National Park; Environmental Conservation Education Programme in Lanjak Entimau Wild Life Sanctuary; Importance of community-use zone in the periphery of the Lanjak-Entimau Wild Life Sanctuary as a Wild Life Corridor for Mammals and Birds; Traditional use of Non-Timber Forest Products among the Iban Communities in the Periphery of Batang Ai National Park. To enhance community based activities, five more valley ponds were constructed for four longhouses and one school and 10,000 fries and feeds were supplied. This will probably be the last batch of valley ponds for fish farming in the Ulu Engkari and Ulu Kanowit areas. Maintenance and monitoring of existing ponds continued. The tagang system to restore depleted fish stock in the Ulu Engkari River was launched on 10 February 2010 for three longhouse communities which will be responsible for looking after the project. Under this system, the river is divided into three different zones - red zone is strictly no fishing zone, yellow is for controlled fishing, while green zone is where fishing is permitted. Since the launch, the fish has increased in number and size, and the people living down rivers are reported to be catching bigger fish. Two thousand seedlings of scented wood Aquilaria microphylla were sent to the rangers' station in Mujok for planting there. If successful, sale of the scented wood will bring additional incomes to the people. The outcome of the project was presented at the International Conference on Biodiversity Conservation of Tranboundaary Tropical Forests held on 21-24 July 2010 in Quito, Ecuador. The EA is making greater effort to promote the work in Lanjak Entimau by preparing publicity materials like flyers and posters in addition to the documentary book. These will be translated into the Malaysian language for the benefits of the local populations. For the publication of a documentary book for LEWS, a work plan had been prepared and the necessary arrangement is underway.
Documentation ITTO 2010: Development of Lanjak-Entimau Wild Life Sanctuary as a Totally Protected Area, Phase IV, Presentation at the Project Steering Committee Meetings, 24-26 May 2010, Miri Sarawak, Malaysia Ok M. H.; Ahmad S.; Shebli Z. 2010: MINUTES of the 3rd Project Steering Committee Meeting, Miri, Sarawak, 5p. Blaser J. 2010: Back to the office report, Project Steering Committee Meetings, SECO supported projects in Sarawk, 24-26 May 2010, Miri Sarawak, Malaysia, 3p. Shebli Z; Chai P.K. 2009: Project Progress Report, 1 February 2009 to 31 July 2009, 9p.