Remote forest missionUPM sends expedition to Long Moh in search of seedlings for reforestation programme

Handle with care: Preciouslittle 'Selangan Batu'or scientificallyknownas'Shorea Superba' seed

ies, these villagers' supermarket isthe jungle.

"It provides them with every­thing they need in their daily life,from fish in the river to wild gamesand herbs in the jungle to keepthem healthy.

'These are the natural resourcesthat keep them alive and thrivingfor years.

"Destroying this fragile eco-sys­tern would eventually lead toannihilation ofthe people's way oflife and heritage," he stressed.

Zamri said UPM Bintulu's col­laboration with Long Moh com­munity is a long term programmeand would be expanded in future.

"We might invite other facultiesto do research here," he said.

gramme, which would involve set­ting up a forest nursery at LongMoh.

The ForestryScience Departmenthas also forwarded a request forgrant to enable the university todo an in-depth, multi-disciplinarystudies in the areas.

The first project being mootedwas to explore Long Moh eco­tourism and forest conservationeducation potential.

"As people whose lives revolvearound forest, just like the Penan,the Kenyah Lepu Tau, Lepu Linau,Lepu Ungkau and Lepu Jangan atLong Moh need the forest to sus­tain their way of life," said DrSeca.

"Unlike those in towns and cit-

do, according to Zamri, is to teachthe locals about forest conserva­tion.

He said the eco-system alongthe Moh river was still thrivingand healthy, a sign that it was stillcapable of supporting lives in theareas.

"What we need to do is to edu­cate the local communities on howto protect and preserve the forestsurrounding them,"

Baram MP and InternationalTrade and Industry DeputyMinister Datuk Jacob DungauSagan was very supportive of theinitiatives taken by the university.

Through his personal aide AlbertJalong Kiriew, Jacob donatedRM5,pOO to kkk-start the pro-

forest were of lesser quality com­pared to those growing healthilywithin their concession zone.

However, he said, it was nottoo late for these companies toallocate certain areas within theirconcession zone as a "seed bank"area.

Zamri was confident of LongMoh's potential as a biodiversityand wildlife conservation area.

He said although there weretraces of logging activities in thesurrounding areas, the forest mightstill be rich in biodiversity notfound anywhere else.

"Its remoteness and sparse pop­ulation form a natural protection,"he said.

What the university hopes to

terocarp forest that was notlogged or not within logging con­cession zones these days apartfrom the national parks," said DrSeca Gandaseca, one of the expertson the expedition.

A few years ago, UPM sourcedseedlings used in its reforestationprogramme in collaboration withJapanese multinational MitsubishiCorporation from forests nearBintulu, like in Ulu Sebauh, Segan,Samarakan and Tatau.

"But to find adult trees that pro:: _ """W -"'_.

duce healthy seeds in these places Group photo: The UPMleam posingwith longhousefolkinvolvedin extractingseedlings from the forest near LongMoh.is getting more difficult, as mosthave been cut down," Dr Secasaid.

During the expedition, the teamcollected more than 1,500 SelanganBatu (Shorea Superba) althoughthey were hoping to find moretree species.

"Even in far-flung places likeLong Moh, it is still difficult to findmany species of trees," said DrGandaseca, pointing to the magni­tude of the problem the state wasfacing if no serious efforts weretaken by all parties to tackle theproblem.

He said several logging compa­nies had approached UPM forseeds for their reforestationprojects, only to be told that seed­lings sourced from a rehabilitated

LONGMoh, a remote settle­ment located near the Sara­wak-East Kalimantan border,

has attracted a local university toexplore its eco-tourism and biodi­versity potentials.

Universiti Putra Malaysia,Bintulu campus recently sent a 12­member team comprising lectur­ers, tutor and laboratory staff on afive-day preliminary study cumoutreach programme.

The team was led by Zamri Rosli,head of the Forestry Science De­partment, Faculty of Agricultureand Food Science.

Their mission was to locatetrees that stilI produce healthyseeds and seedlings which couldbe used in the university's refor­estation programme and identifysuitable sites for research.

"It's a win-win programmebenefiting both parties," saidZamri.

He added that UPM wouldbuy seedlings from the Long Mohcommunity and educate them onthe proper and sustainable forestmanagement.

"It's getting harder to find dip-

By CALVIN JEMARANGsarawakstar@thestar.com.my

:areful extraction: Zamri pulling out a selangan Batu seedling from the:round near Long Moh.

ack-breaking: Navigating the rocky Moh River can sometimes involve the!moval of boulders as big as the boat itself.

~.~prooting a healthy seedling.

Green: Healthy dipterocarp trees found in Long Moh.Long Moh: This remote village in upper Baram is located less than lOOkm fron

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LongUoh style: The UPM team being greeted with a traditional lunch of fresh fish, jungle ferns and shootsJpon their arrival at the 86-door Kenyah longhouse.

Handling withcare: The preciousselangan batu plantis known

scientifically asShorea superba.

ew-found buddies: Dr Gandaseca posing with Long Moh headman Bilong Tingang on their way up theloh River.