Pilot project to re-green Sarawak

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/3/11/nation/5835969&sec=nation

Thursday March 11, 2010

Pilot project to re-green Sarawak

By STEPHEN THEN

stephenthen@thestar.com.my

MIRI: Watersheds, rivers and forests degraded by human activities in the state are to be “re-greened” and “nursed” back to their natural state via a serious, integrated and comprehensive effort.

The state government, realising the urgent need to restore these depleted natural eco assets, has roped in the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), the Sarawak Forestry Corporation and the local native communities to jointly “repair” the natural environment through a series of “integrated water and forest conservation” projects.

The pioneer project began in Ulu Merario in Bario, adjacent to the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, some 400km inland from here. It was launched on Monday by Bakelalan state assemblyman Nelson Balang Rining.

Balang told The Star that the project involved the Ulu Merario River and its surrounding forests as well as the upper reaches that serve as a watershed from where many river tributaries channel water to villages and farmlands for human consumption and irrigation.

“This is the first time that we have embarked on such an integrated conservation project,” he said. “Before this, river protection projects were usually carried out separately from forests rehabilitation. We will replant trees in the forests near the river and clean up the river and shore up the quality of the water by rearing fish.”

Balang said, if successful, the Ulu Merario River project would serve as a model for the rehabilitation of other similar areas in the Bario highlands and the Bakelalan constituency.

He noted that some 40 years ago Ulu Merario was known for its big trees and crystal-clear rivers.

“However, since the original settlements in Bario Asal were relocated to the present Bario settlements by the British during the Malaysia-Indonesia confrontation (1962 to 1965), the environment has deteriorated to what it is today,” said Balang. “It is now even difficult to get any firewood from the forests.

“We want to replant the area with fast-growing trees and other plants. The local communities will be roped in to help replant these trees, maintain them and ensure they are protected,” headded.

Balang said the Ulu Merario River fed four other river tributaries, supplying water to dozens of settlements and longhouses.

The river runs through the Pulong Tau National Park as well, and is also the source of water that powers the turbines in micro-dams for the production of electricity for the minority Kelabits and Lun Bawangs.