Proper
planning and management is needed for Sungai Ingei Protection Forest (southwest
Brunei) to become a national park, said a senior lecturer at Univerisiti Brunei
Darussalam.
Dr Joseph Charles, who is also the Sg Ingei
Faunal Biodiversity Survey project leader, said steps must be taken before
eco-tourism is introduced in the area to prevent disasterous consequences.
The two-year survey will help the team of
scientists working on the project to push for the classification of the Sungai
Ingei Protected Forest into a national park.
This will set clear guidelines as to how the
government can introduce sustainable eco-tourism in the area, a potential boost
to the economy and creating better appreciation on the nation's green
environment.
Charles, however, said the word
"sustainable" is open to abuse. "People use it and they do not
know what it means," he added.
"We have many examples of poor management
in other parts of Brunei and lack of communication between ministries and
departments," the scientist said.
He gave an example of the clearing of
mangroves along the riverside near the Bengkurong village in May last year,
which drove away the proboscis monkeys and endangering its population.
Charles said the team is passionate about Sg
Ingei because "we do not want anything that happened elsewhere to happen
here, otherwise we have destroyed every part of Brunei."
Apart from thorough planning, tourist guides
need to be well-informed and trained. He added, "When you bring tourists,
you are not just showing them the place, you are showing them how proud you are
of that place. If you are proud, you must also think in terms of its
sustainability."
He explained that whatever natural resource on
display to tourists must maintain its beauty for many years to come. "By
showing the resource, if it deteriorates in its wonder and beauty, then you are
more or less committing suicide," he said.
"If we can have trained personnel and
properly managed recreational eco-tourism facilities, then this will be (very
good) and this can only come after proper planning, management and
training," Charles said.
The survey's Project Administrator Dr Ang Bee
Biaw said she believes that the forests will give long-term sustainability.
"If you log a forest, you gain short-term benefits and only a few
(logging) companies will gain. If you protect the forests and you bring in
properly managed eco-tourism, it will carry on for years and generations to
come," she said.
Ang added, "What is most important is we
must have properly trained ecotourism guides, who are well informed and know
what they are talking about and proud of what they have in Brunei."
Commenting on the Bengkurong example, she said
the proboscis monkey population will not be able survive long, as they move to
an area with poor foliage, "there is not much food left (for them) and it
was a sad scene to see".
"It is important to have a sense of pride
of what we have in our country, and if you have pride, you will protect
it," she added.
Ang said members of the survey team are all
volunteers. "We come here because we love the place. We are lucky to have
a monarch passionate about forest conservation, but we need proper planning and
management. Get input from people who live and work here, and those who know
what we have in Brunei. I know many Bruneians who are proud of our
heritage," she added.
Rasidah H.A.B
The Brunei Times
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