After the devastating events of last year where six pygmy elephants were found dead in Sabah, the government has finally agreed to a 10-year plan for the conservation of our elephant population.
According to BERNAMA, the Sabah State Elephant Action Plan 2020-2029 has received a RM20 million budget allocation.
Photo via Borneo Today
The program is to protect, conserve and prevent the extinction of the remaining elephant population in the state — estimated between 1,500 to 2,000.
Dr. Jamili Nais, permanent secretary of the Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture, and Environment said the plan was formulated by the Sabah Wildlife Department with the collaboration of “friends of conservation”. It has four primary objectives:
Protecting elephants better and stop killing of the animals
Enhancing habitat connectivity and permeability
Ensuring best practices in the management and off-site conservation of elephants.
Researching, monitoring and predicting elephant population trends.
Some of the efforts that will be taken under the plan include setting up of an enforcement unit under the Wildlife Department that will focus on the protection of wildlife in forest reserves.
An endangered species conservation unit will also be established to monitor the implementation of the action plans for terrestrial species fully protected under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
While the plan mainly focuses on elephants, other animals such as the clouded leopard and proboscis monkey will also receive attention by those involved with the plan.
Let’s hope our elephants will never face the threat of extinction ever again!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
