Brunei - Environmental preservation is vital

THE summary of a study on "Bruneian's green perception" which shows the population being more inclined towards economic development as compared to environmental preservation is worrying, said the Minister of Industry and Primary Resources (MIPR) yesterday.

Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Utama Dato Seri Setia Hj Yahya Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar mentioned this during his talk entitled "The Malay Islamic Monarchy and the natural green environment" at Universiti Brunei Darussalam's (UBD) Chancellor Hall.

"Extinction of animal species and plants is becoming faster and one of the factors contributing to the extinction of animals and plants is the loss of their habitat or natural home," YB Pehin Dato Hj Yahya explained.

The management of habitats is currently a challenge faced by many authorities due to competition for the use of the areas in which the habitats exist, especially for the use of development, he said.

He then cited a study conducted by UBD in 1998 entitled "Green perception of Bruneians: Evidence from a survey (Geetha Subramaniam)", where Bruneians are more inclined on developing the economy over preserving the environment.

"This finding worries the authorities. This means that efforts to preserve the environment is facing challenges and strong competition," he said.

He added that although economic development is important in Brunei, the government would not let the forests of Brunei go extinct.

In this regard, a number of laws and acts have been introduced to ensure that the forests in Brunei will continue to be taken care of. Furthermore, according to the minister, the government has also come up with a number of policies and initiatives to protect the natural environment and its wildlife.

One of the policies was the Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative, which was formed due to the concern of the deterioration of resources from the forests of Borneo. The minister said that the vision of this initiative highlights the importance of preserving the natural environment and the forests in Borneo for "life support".

Three countries are involved in the HoB initiative, namely Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia.

YB Pehin Dato Hj Yahya then referred to a titah delivered by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam during the 2007 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference, which mentioned that Brunei, via the HoB initiative, is committed to protecting its natural environment and to the promotion of sustainability, and that 58 per cent of Brunei's land has been provided for the initiative.

The minister further said that one of the MIPR's strategies, in efforts to carry out their responsibility towards the forests and resources, is to continue educating and informing members of the public, especially the youth, regarding the importance of protecting the forest and natural environment.

NURHAMIZA HJ ROSLAN

The Brunei Times

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