202

Special Features

BackgroundWhile attention has been focused on the problems of forest encroachments and the need for radically new approaches to forest management, there has been little concern to link these problems with the wider issue of “land rights”. On the other hand, increasing numbers of the rural poor who are living within and adjacent to the forests are having to earn their livelihood from forests, simply because they have no alternative means of subsistence. Equally often, the local communities have undertaken spontaneous “forest colonization” because access to statelands has been difficult for them simply because of overlapping applications. Impoverished local communities, displaced by “landlessness” have been moving into the forest reserves. The population increase has exacerbated this encroachment problem and no one denies that one of the main reasons that these people are obliged to “migrate” or move into the forest reserve is because of their poverty. Immediate action is certainly necessary to halt this forest encroachment. One such action taken by the Sabah Forestry Department is an Agroforestry Project in Mangkuwagu Forest Reserve (MFR). The Agroforestry Project is a win-win solution carried out by the Sabah Forestry Department with close collaboration with UNDP (18 months) and WWF-Malaysia (12 months).

Where is Mangkawagu Forest Reserve and what are the problems?Mangkuwagu Forest Reserve is located approximately 210 km from Sandakan and 71 km from Telupid town. MFR is 8,335 ha in size and it is one of the forest reserves within Forest Management Unit 17 (FMU 17C) – see Fig.1. It is estimated that 3⁄4 (76.8%) of MFR is classified under stratum 4 i.e. less than 4 commercial tree species (>60cm dbh) in 1 ha due to repeated logging in the past and burnt by fires in 1983 and 1988 respectively. In addition, approximately 1,846 ha of MFR have been cultivated by the local communities living adjacent and within MFR. The main problem in MFR is the depletion of the natural resources and the increasing usage of land by the local communities. There are also insufficient capabilities and capacities to effectuate sustainable resource management. In the past, the SFD was not able to influence control on proper use of land. The magnitude of the problems is certainly enough to justify serious concern. A coherent and improved management of MFR is crucial to reverse the degradation processes and maintain the livelihood possibilities of the local communities. The growing consciousness of this need as evidenced by initiatives, as well as, the commitment of the local communities, is a positive development. However, these efforts need further articulation and support in order to be more effective. The present social forestry project which was initiated by the SFD in collaboration with UNDP and WWF-Malaysia, is one of such supports.

Mangkuwagu Forest Reserve(FMU 17C)

Fig.1: Location of Mangkuwagu Forest Reserve

MAP OF SABAH

AREA ENLARGED

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Project ObjectivesThe objectives of the project are as follows:i. To rehabilitate the Mangkuwagu Forest Reserve based on

the Agroforestry concept in order to support the Sustainable Forest Management concept;

ii. To create a healthy, productive and continuous source of timber through silvicultural treatment in order to increase the State’s timber stock in the future; and

iii. To assist in increasing the socio-economic level of local communities residing within and adjacent to MFR in order to bring them out of the poverty cycle.

Project Management And Administration TeamIn the MFR project, the project management and administration team consists of the Sabah Forestry Department (HQ and Tongod District Forestry Office) and UNDP staff.

Our ApproachPeople-Centred Approach is the way forward that this project is undertaking. Both the Forestry Department and the communities provide inputs in the process of determining management measures. Fig.2 shows the process of the People-Centred Approach, which was applied in Kelawat Forest Reserve in the 90s’ with slight modification that suits the current scenario. The idea of this approach is to empower the local communities with the knowledge and technical know-how, which will subsequently prompt them to make a change in their way of living. The process was accomplished through a series of workshops, trainings, visits, consultations, dialogues and personal conversation.

Our Programmes And AccomplishmentIn order to achieve the project objectives, various programmes were proposed and implemented.

Silvicultural Treatment Of MFR This activity is to be undertaken within Stratum 3 and 4 of MFR, which are void of commercial timber species. These areas are currently colonized by pioneer species, climbers and creepers. In order to enhance the survival and quality of the potential crop trees, these areas need to be treated through silvicultural treatment. The focal area to be treated is approximately 380 ha. The activity will be carried out by the local communities in 2009 and 2010.

AgroforestryThe Agroforestry-based Management Plan for MFR was prepared by Pembekal Cekal Sdn. Bhd. The plan was prepared in consultation with the Forestry Department, the target groups i.e. local communities, other government departments and agencies through workshops, dialogues and field works. The agroforestry project has been identified as one of the measures that would be vital in developing the areas under the 9th Malaysian Plan. In the plan, several suggestions and recommendations were prescribed. Amongst them is the double-hedge planting system. Double hedge system maximizes the usage of 1 lot of land, which includes rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) as the long term crop while the short- term economic plants varies from ginger (Zingiber officinale), yam (Colocasia esculenta), maize (Zea may var. Saccharata) and ground nuts (Arachis hypogea). The project will also assist

• Who uses forest?

• When? For what?

• Conflict regarding access

• Other problems

• Mechanism required (e.g. committee)

• Role of local communities

• Role of nursery

• Enrichment planting / silviculture

• Protection

• Harvesting system

• Product distribution

ProcessTechnical Input(SFD)

Extension,

Training,

Education as

required by the

local communities

Village Input

Mangkuwagu Forest Reserve

Learning forest usage patterns and problems from

the local communities in MFR

Discussion with the local communities as they

determine management needs

Understanding procedures between SFD and local

communities

Implementation by local communities

Monitoring, feedback and management modification if

required

Fig.2: People-Centred Approach

Mangkuwagu Forest Reserve (FMU17C)

204

Special Features

the villagers in marketing their products to outside markets in order to spin their economic pattern wheel and subsequently uplift their status at socio-economic level. There are 340 participants (85 households/village) from 4 villages i.e. Kg. Mangkuwagu, Kg. Alitang, Kg. Saguon and Kg. Tampasak Zon A (Darat) & Zon C (Laut) which are located within and adjacent to MFR, selected to participate in the project. Physical development works in MFR started in September 2006 with full collaboration with the local communities. In September 2006 until February 2007, both the SFD and the local communities worked together in demarcating project compartment’s boundary for the 4 villages. The size of each compartment is shown in Fig. 3. These areas have been identified to have the lowest density of commercial tree species due to land clearance for subsistence farming by the local communities. After the boundary demarcation, the SFD went through a series of interview with all 4 villages to identify eligible project participants. The identification and selection of participants were determined based on the criteria such as age, no. of family members, current employment, education and so on. In February until April 2007, the division of each project compartment / village into 85 lots was carried out in the respective village. Each household is allocated 1 ha of land to be managed under this project except in Kg. Tampasak, which is 0.5 ha / household. After the allocation of lots have been completed, clearing of project lots by the participants through “gotong-royong” was carried out from April to September 2007. Prior to this, those areas which were found suitable for immediate planting were planted with rubber trees. The progress of planting as of 2007 is shown in Table 1.

Amount of seedlings

purchased from LIGS

Amount of Seedlings

Planted

Overall Rubber Lots

Area

Areas planted% Areas planted Kg.

MangkuwaguKg. Alitang Kg. Tampasak Kg. Saguon

26,882 seedlings 24,585 seedlings 306.5 Ha 24.6 ha (28.9%) 0 ha (0%) 29.37 ha (57%) 0.66 ha (0.78%) 17.82 %

Table 1: Progress of rubber planting in MFR in 2007

Approximately 138,000 of rubber clone seedlings are to be purchased from LIGS (Lembaga Industri Getah Sabah) for the 306.5 ha of rubber lots. In 2007, 26,882 seedlings were purchased for immediate planting where 91.6% were successfully planted in the field i.e. 54.63 ha. The other areas will be planted in 2008 and 2009. Since a large amount of rubber seedlings will be raised / purchased for this project, 3 nurseries were established, one each in Kg. Mangkuwagu/Alitang, Kg. Saguon and Kg. Tampasak Zon A (Darat).

Selection of project participants’ lot Project lots clearing through cooperation of both local communities and the SFD

One of the rubber lots prepared by the project participant Participant’s house compound planted with food crops

205

Intercropping With Short-Term CropsVarious short-term crops have been purchased after considering their viability and after consulting the communities. The short-term crops include 3,400 kg of ginger (Zingiber offi cinale), 34,000 seedlings of yam (Colocasia esculenta), 340 kg of maize (Zea may var. Saccharata), 1,020 kg of ground nuts (Arachis hypogea) and 17,000 seedlings of sweet potato. So far, yam was the only crop distributed to the villagers of which approximately 61.7% were planted in the project compartments. Other crops will be distributed in 2008.

Yam seedlings being distributed to project participants Ginger seeds

Re-structuring of 4 VillagesIn the 4 villages, there is a lack of socio-economic advancement. This has been aggravated by the problems of unemployment, under employment and lack of economic opportunities. As a result, most of the local communities are unable to build decent houses. Therefore, one of the project components is to address this issue by constructing some houses for those who could not afford to build them. In 2007, 4 units of low cost houses were built in Kg. Saguon. With the completion of these houses, 4 participants namely Mr. Peter Bakukang, Mr. Dosain Sulok, Mr. Esah Koyoi amd Mr. Masmod Bungin were found eligible to occupy the newly built houses.

,

Compt. Boundary for Kg. Tampasak Compt. “C”, Zone Laut (1,650 M, 48.28 Ha)

Compt. Boundary for Kg. Tampasak, Compt. “A”, Zone Darat (9,025 M, 117.69 Ha)

Compt. Boundary for Kg. Soguon (11,275 M, 360.63 Ha)

Compt. Boundary for Kg. Mangkawagu dan Alitang (8,225 M, 642.50 Ha)

Kg. TampasakZone Darat

Kg. TampasakZone Laut

Kg. Alitang

Kg. MangkuwaguKg. Soguan

Project Boundary

Common Boundary

Fig.3 : Location and size of all project compartments in 4 villages in Mangkuwagu Forest Reserve

Mangkuwagu Forest Reserve (FMU17C)

206

Special Features

SFD-UNDP ProjectBesides the 9th Malaysian Plan project, the SFD also has a collaboration project with the UNDP. This SFD-UNDP project have six key outputs, which are:

i. Zonation and protection of multiple use areas within FMU 17C in the Forest Management Plan based on a current database of the communitiesUnder this output, there are three studies to be carried out. The first study is the social baseline survey on the villages living within and around the forest reserve. The second study is the identification of High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) attributes around the MFR. The third study is to conduct Social Impact Assessment (SIA). Based on these information, the department will be able to identify, zone and prescribe the appropriate management recommendations for the different landuse within MFR. A consultant, namely GFS Inc. was appointed by the Forestry Department to undertake these 3 studies in MFR. GFS has presented their findings to the department in late 2007. The information will be used as baseline for the formulation of the FMU 17C FMP.

ii.Forest Management and Certification Committee established to ensure community participation in the certification processUnder this output, several activities are to be conducted jointly by the SFD and WWF-Malaysia in order to create awareness among communities pertaining to forest management and certification. This is to ensure that the communities are aware of the importance and benefits of participating in the process. The FMC committee was established which consists 10 participants from each village. The FMC committee represents the 4 villages in any social dispute issues with regards to certification requirements based on FSC and MTCC standards. Awareness activities on the role of communities pertaining to their livelihood and its connection to the environment were

The 4 houses under construction in Kg. Saguon

SIA Training in Kg. Minusoh

conducted by WWF-Malaysia in each village. Under this sub-component, a study on negotiation and communication skills was also conducted by GFS. The report recommends three ways forward in order for the negotiation and communication skills to be expanded among the communities. They are to implement participatory social policy for e.g. renegotiation and/or reconciliation with native communities affected by forestry management practices, to enable a legal environment for e.g. use rights and privileges of affected communities are secured and are recognized and, to develop a support organization. iii. Institutional arrangements and the study of the legal framework and options for communities in Forest ReservesUnder this output, a study will be undertaken to determine possible short term and long term solutions that will enable the communities to “legally” occupying the areas, which they have cultivated within MFR and how they can sustain and enhance their living standard. The study has been completed by GFS Inc., a consultant appointed by the Forestry Department. The report recommends that the rights and privileges of the communities are to be taken into consideration under Section 14(1) of the Forest Enactment.

iv. Three (3) demonstration sites on community related forestry projects established to improve livelihood in three villages in MFR.Three (3) demonstration sites on agroforestry are to be established in three kampungs in MFR. Each household will be allocated with one (1) ha of land. Under this agroforestry concept, long-term and short-term crops are to be interplanted. Rubber is identified as the long-term crop while the short-term crops include maize, groundnuts, ginger and yam. In the process, the SFD will provide capacity building and training on better agro-forestry management practices. The progress on this output has been reported earlier in this report.

v. Identification of suitable cottage industries for womenUnder this output, a feasibility study will be conducted to identify potential types of cottage industries for women. Market links are also to be identified. Trainings on capcity building and skills and those related to financial and business management will be conducted as well. A site visit to existing local cottage industries in other areas in Sabah was undertaken in July 2007 whereby 10 women from each village were selected. The objective of the visit was to expose and enhance their knowledge on cottage industries, which provide returns for the family. Meanwhile, the cottage industries studies were undertaken by the GFS Inc. consultant. The consultant recommends that further steps are to be taken pertaining to promoting successful cottage industry in MFR. One of the recommendation is to identify available resources in the community use zones.

Visit to LIGS Rubber Plantation in Semenanjung Bengkoka (Cottage Industry)

207

vi. Knowledge product development and dissemination on lessons learned and best practicesAs this project will serve to strengthen the model for community forestry, the lessons learnt and best practices from experiences will be documented and disseminated to targeted audiences such as, the forest management licence holders (SFMLA), the local communities, as well as, the general public. A plan for media and public outreach will be undertaken throughout the duration of the project to create greater awareness and support for the project. The knowledge products will be tailored at specific target groups such as, the forest managers, the communities and for general public consumption. A journalist/writer visited MFR in October 2007 for an overall view of the project and what has happened on the ground. The outcome of the visit will be reported through a publication, which will be completed and to be circulated in 2008.

Lessons Learnt So Far

i. How to work with the local communities?The main concern of the local communities in MFR is to have sufficient food and income for the family. For this reason, the local communities need guidance and assistance to improve their way of living. Given this situation, the Forestry Department introduced the Agroforestry system, which was well received and actively participated and implemented by the local communities. So far, the department has given the local communities an equal chance to work and get paid under this activity. Before implementing any activities, the Forestry Department consulted the local communities through dialogues and workshops to determine the methods of working, time-frame, working group formation, the do’s and don’ts while carrying out the fieldworks, reimbursement and so on. All these information will be put into a “working agreement” between the SFD and the local communities at a later stage. A much organized and systematic way of working with the communities was initiated and has proven a better progress in the implementation of the project. Nevertheless, there are slight differences between the villages on how they approach their methods of working. For example, project participants from Kg. Tampasak divided themselves into 10 groups of 8 people per group. Each group cleared the project lots, on a rotational-basis. The participants from Kg. Mangkuwagu, on

the other hand, worked on their own lots with the help from their household members. Both ways were accepted, which after all produced the same results. Meanwhile, the time-frame of fieldworks was based on the project plan of operation. While carrying out the works, there are set of rules that need to be followed by the participant for e.g. no open-burning. Other rules are proper use of field equipments such as chainsaw, spades, measuring tapes etc. Everyone was given an equal number of working hours, looked for replacement when one could not perform any fieldwork on a certain day and to report to the Forestry Department’s field supervisors on any damages of field equipments or any dispute with regards to work conflicts or differences. In 2007, all 340 project participants received a bonus ranging from RM167.09 to RM355.47. The project is still in its infant stage but nevertheless, the results so far indicate that we are on the right track in addressing both the SFD’s and the communities’ interests.

ii. Competition of Acquiring Rubber SeedlingsIn Sabah, there are many agencies and private sectors involved in planting rubber. However, the sole reliable supplier of rubber seedlings in Sabah is LIGS. Thus, this has created high in demand of rubber seedlings from LIGS by all these agencies, including the SFD. Booking of seedlings would have to be made a year earlier in order to obtain the full amount of seedlings required. We were not aware of this problem, which resulted insufficient supply of seedlings for the project. Furthermore, the SFD is subject to Treasury Instructions, which further delays procurements. Therefore, this has hampered the smooth progress of the project implementation.

iii. The Road Condition and Unpredictable Weather Condition The road that leads to the project area is in a sorry state. The weather is also problematic because it has been uncertain throughout the year. Rainy season is normally predicted during October – February but it was observed in 2007 that rains have occurred outside these months. Rains have hampered the progress of the field work especially physical development of the land. It has also worsened the already bad road condition resulting in little or no access to the project site. Unpredictable weather is beyond the Forestry Department’s control but what we did was to make full use of the sunny day and always be ready in case rains fall at unexpected times.

Mangkuwagu Forest Reserve (FMU17C)

Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.

– William Shakespeare