Sabah foresters focus on protecting 39 critically endangered tree species

KOTA KINABALU: Comprehensive measures are being taken to protest 39 endemic trees that have been identified as critically endangered species in Sabah.

State Chief Conservator of Forests, Datuk Frederick Kugan, said these trees would be put under the forest master plan for protection.

“Under the master plan, we will identify High Conservation Value forests to be protected.

“The presence of endemic tree species will be part of the criteria in determining these areas,” he said when contacted Saturday (Aug 26).

Other measures, Kugan said, include establishing arboretum including ex-situ and in-situ conservation of these critically endangered endemic trees including protecting the mother trees.

Asked if these trees became threatened species due to natural climatic causes or illegal logging, he said the reasons could be over-harvesting in the past or climate change that affected the flowering pattern.

Kugan was commenting on the release of the book “Red List of Sabah Endemic Trees” which identified 204 or about 70% of endemic Sabah tree species that face threats from climate change.

The overall assessment was carried out on 291 tree species that were classified as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable based on the standards of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species website, covering the period from 2018 to 2022.

The assessment was part of the global tree assessment initiative done by the collaborative efforts of the Sabah Forestry Department, Botanical Garden Conservation International and IUCN Species Survival Commission Global Tree Specialist Group.

The assessment found that about 66% of the endemic tree species were considered to have stable populations.

The Red List book was launched at the just concluded three-day Heart of Borneo international conference held in Kota Kinabalu earlier this week.

Kugan said information from the assessment would contribute to long-term forest management strategies and plant species conservation programmes to meet Sabah’s sustainable development goals.

According to a statement by the State Forestry Department, 95% of the 291 tree species were assessed by researchers from the department as well as Dr Colin Maycock and student interns from Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

Joan T. Pereira, Alviana Damit, Sandy Tsen Tze Lui, Reuben Nilus and John B. Sugau compiled the publication that was funded by the Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry under the Sabah’s Heart of Borneo project, the statement added.

The department hopes that through the publication, there will be greater awareness of the current conservation status of Sabah’s endemic tree species, giving priority to the 39 Critically Endangered species.