KOTA KINABALU, Malaysia - Those who kill
Borneo elephants will now face a mandatory jail term as part of Sabah's efforts
to upgrade its conservation of the animal.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment
Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said the elephant was classified as a totally
protected species under its wildlife laws.
"This means that as far as our elephants
are concerned, if you kill, you go to jail," he said when closing a
wildlife conference here yesterday.
The conference was jointly organised by the
state's Wildlife Department and the Malaysian Palm Oil Council.
Under the totally protected classification,
those convicted of killing the animals will be liable for a mandatory jail term
of up to five years.
Previously, those convicted of killing these
animals, which were listed only as protected, were liable to a fine of up to
RM30,000 (S$12,339) or three years in default or both.
Masidi said the state was also finalising its
draft of a request to the Federal Government to amend the Fisheries Act to
prohibit the hunting of sharks in Malaysian waters.
"We hope that with such changes, we won't
see the sale of shark's fin in this country soon," he added.
On concerns that the state's agricultural
sector was impacting the environment, Masidi said: "We know we are blessed
with an abundance of natural assets and we are determined to protect them.
"But Sabah, too, has its peculiarities
and among these is that we are dependent on agriculture to eradicate poverty.
"So, you can criticise us but please see
our side of the story, too."
Meanwhile, Sabah Wildlife Department
director Laurentius Ambu said among the consensus reached at the conference,
which was attended by conservationists and oil palm industry representatives,
was the need to push zero tolerance for wildlife killing.
"If companies would make it clear to
their staff that they would be fired if they were found to be killing wildlife
illegally, this could be a highly effective tool," said Laurentius, adding
that such an approach should be taken for protected species.
He said participants also highlighted the need
for the maintenance of forest corridors in plantations.
"If such corridors no longer exist, these
should be re-established wherever possible. It is, however, recognised that
corridor establishment is expensive and challenging, and needs to be done
together with other management tools," he added.
The Star/Asia News Network
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