Key stakeholders

There are a number of key stakeholders involved in the management of the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary and tourism development in Sukau. Although the following may not be an exhaustive list, the following stakeholders were actively involved during the research period in Sukau.

5.2.1 Sabah Forestry Department

The Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) manages the forest reserves in the area, and is therefore a key stakeholder in the protection of the Lower Kinabatangan. They have an office in Sukau village (refer Figure 7). The mission statement of the SFD is:

“to effectively and efficiently manage the state’s forest resources in accordance with the principles of sustainable forest management” (Sabah Forestry Department, 2007b).

In accordance with this, the SFD are investigating alternative uses of their forests. Within the SFD is the Forestry Research Centre which is based in Sepilok. They have a tourism sector whose objectives include determining the economic impact of tourism in Sabah, and an assessment of tourism or ecotourism potential in Sabah Forest Reserves (Sabah Forestry Department, 2005e).

5.2.2 Sabah Wildlife Department

The Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) is responsible for the implementation and administration of the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment, 1997. Under this enactment, the SWD is therefore accountable for the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary (Sabah Wildlife Department, 2004). As well as managing the Wildlife Sanctuary, the management of swiftlet nest collection at Gomantong is also the responsibility of the SWD (Payne, 1989). The objectives of the SWD are focused on conserving nature and natural habitats, and managing these resources for the benefit of the people of Sabah in particular (Sabah Wildlife Department, 2004). The SWD are being increasingly called-upon to help with human/wildlife conflicts in and around Sukau, yet they do not currently have an office in Sukau village.

5.2.3 Ministry for Tourism Development, Environment, Science and Technology

The Ministry for Tourism Development, Environment, Science and Technology’s involvement in the Kinabatangan is two-tiered. Firstly they are responsible for encouraging and promoting the orderly development of the tourism industry in the State, while

protecting, conserving and preserving the natural beauty of the environment by ensuring that development activities do not cause environmental degradation which may threaten the State’s well being, as well as endanger the wildlife and flora. Their vision in achieving these missions is to “make Sabah the premier nature tourism destination, a clean and healthy environment and a well maintained natural heritage and biodiversity” (Ministry of Tourism Culture and Environment Sabah, 2008). Secondly, they administer the Sabah Wildlife Department which is responsible for the KWS under the Sabah Wildlife Conservation Enactment, 1997.

5.2.4 HUTAN, KOCP, RAE

In 1998, a French NGO (HUTAN) established the Kinabatangan Orang-utan Conservation Project (KOCP) in collaboration with the Sabah Wildlife Department. The goal of the project is to achieve long-term viability of orang-utan populations in Sabah. To achieve this they hope to restore harmonious relationships between people and the orang-utan, which in turn will support local socio-economic development compatible with habitat and wildlife conservation. HUTAN’s priority is in nature conservation and providing work opportunities for the locals. For this reason, HUTAN has decided to work independently from the lodges whose main priority is economic profit (M. Ancranaz, personal communication, July 12 2007).

A concept for a community-run ecotourism project was developed by the Sabah Wildlife Department. Consequently Red Ape Encounters (RAE) was established in October 2001 when SWD signed with KOCP. Although KOCP work closely alongside RAE, financially they are independent. In 2004 RAE became a fully licensed inbound tour operator under the Ministry of Environment. Along with MESCOT in Batu Putih, RAE are the only operators who have permits to take tourists into the Wildlife Sanctuary. Other tour operators such as the lodges are restricted to the waterways and private land. The accommodation provided by RAE is that of the village home-stays.

5.2.5 WWF

WWF-Malaysia was established in 1972, and since then has been working towards biological diversity conservation and advocating for sustainable use of natural resources.

Scientific research by WWF and other organisations produced convincing evidence of the Lower Kinabatangan’s importance for species conservation, and it was WWF which proposed to the State government that an area of the Lower Kinabatangan be protected. A WWF study of the tourism potential of the area in 1989 revealed exceptional potential and helped to endorse the concept of a wildlife sanctuary (Payne, 1989; Vaz, 1993).

WWF are currently involved in a 13 year project in the Kinabatangan which began in 1998 and is expected to continue through to 2010. This ‘Kinabatangan Corridor of Life’ programme was formerly known as ‘Partners for Wetlands’, and has four distinct phases. Phase One largely consisted of data collection and base-line studies. In 2001 there was a tourism forum in Kota Kinabalu to set a direction for tourism in the Kinabatangan. During Phase Two WWF focused on tourism as an alternative livelihood for local communities. The home-stay programme was developed in four villages along the Kinabatangan (Batu Putih, Bilit, Sukau, Abai), and they facilitated training workshops and certifications. Most of the home-stay training took place in 2003, and during this time, WWF also helped the local home-stay operators to facilitate contacts with tour operators. There was a change of focus for WWF during Phase Three on obtaining land for reforestation and conservation. The focus on tourism and alternative livelihoods decreased, and the standard of the home- stays dropped during this time. WWF are currently in Phase Four of the project which was restructured to meet targets which focussed on alternative livelihoods and continuous protection. This includes ensuring continuous forest with good water quality, sustainable development (tourism and agriculture), the development of a Kinabatangan Tourism Management Plan, and establishing a Lodge Association (J. Majail, personal communication, July 31 2007). An important focus of Phase Four includes negotiating with oil palm companies and landowners to set-aside sections of their land to serve as wildlife corridors. Currently this is voluntary, however WWF are attempting to influence government policy to make this a legal requirement. WWF are also hoping that a government policy will be introduced which restricts forest clearance on private land due to its conservation value.

WWF-Malaysia is still very much involved in tourism and nature conservation in Sukau, and has an office in the village. WWF are currently trialling a Voluntary Conservation Levy (VCL). The purpose of this is to encourage tourists to contribute to on-going wildlife protection and conservation in the KWS. The levy is to assist the SWD protect the KWS

against illegal poachers and loggers with on-going patrols. Five lodges in Sukau are currently participating in the trial. WWF contracted a specialist (Dr. Janet Cochrane) in May 2007 to draw up a Tourism Master Plan for the Kinabatangan District. This was deemed necessary as the lodges and villages are located outside of the Wildlife Sanctuary, therefore there was a need to look at the area more holistically. However this document is yet to be published.

5.2.6 Sabah Home-stay Association

As previously mentioned, a home-stay programme was developed in Sukau (as well as Batu Putih, Bilit and Abai) under the guidance of WWF in 2003. The Sabah Home-stay Association was established in 2004. It is now compulsory that all home-stay programmes in Sabah must register their membership with the Sabah Home-stay Association and pay the annual membership fee. An inspection of the home-stay household is carried out, and if the home meets all requirements and conditions then the application is forwarded to the Federal Ministry of Tourism (MOT) for the final certification process (Sabah Home-stay Association, 2008). The website of the Sabah Home-stay Association provides information on the current home-stay programmes, their contact details, and links to the individual programmes websites where available.

All of these stakeholders are responsible in different ways for managing the KWS and tourism development in Sukau. Yet within the government departments in particular, there is sometimes uncertainty as to who exactly is responsible for what. For example the SWD does not have full jurisdiction over the protected areas of the KWS as the forest reserves are the responsibility of the Forestry Department. This currently hinders effective management of the KWS and tourism development in Sukau.

5.3 Tourism services in Sukau