Guest guest Posted September 19, 2006 Report Share Posted September 19, 2006 All winners in eco-tourism project in Sabah - New Straits Times *19 Sep 2006* Jaswinder Kaur <jaswin ------------------------------ *KINABATANGAN: An eco-tourism project launched five years ago in Kampung Sukau is helping villagers in more ways than one. * It has put food on the table for some 600 villagers who realised that farming and fishing were not enough to make ends meet. Now, the project has come up with enough money for an electric fence to protect a communal graveyard from elephant encroachment. Villagers have learned to live side-by-side with elephants and other wildlife, including orang utan, for the sake of conservation, after they were convinced that tourists would pay to see the animals. Red Ape Encounters and Adventures Sdn Bhd, which is the community-based eco- tourism company that the villagers run, launched a conservation fund yesterday. It will receive 10 per cent of all gross earnings from tourism. Managing director Sahdin Lias, who was once a fisherman, said RM4,500 was spent on equipment and putting up the electric fence. " This is our first project and is crucial to those who live in this community, " said Sahdin, whose grandparents are buried in the cemetery. The grave site lies along the regular migration route of about 150 Borneo Pygmy elephants. This has caused damage to grave stones. In the past, electric fences were put up in Kampung Sukau to protect cash crops, through an initiative by the community-run Elephant Conservation Unit (ECU) and the Sabah Wildlife Department. " Such fences give a slight shock to the elephants — it does not harm them or other animals and people. It's not the elephants' fault that they encroach into our areas as their habitat has become smaller due to development. " This is why it is crucial to carry out measures to integrate wildlife and habitat conservation which is suitable to local socio-economic development, " Sahdin said. Village leaders and the mosque committee are working with the company to make sure the project is a success, while the ECU is providing technical expertise. There are about 200 villagers buried in the one-hectare graveyard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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