Issues

Attitude that counts

It is not easy to be prepared with the right answer when someone asks you critical questions on conservation in the Kinabatangan. This is particularly true in one case where our field personnel encountered loggers telling them that it is not wrong to log the remaining forest as people will plant trees to create new forests!

On another occasion, HABITAT assistants found a recently logged area within the project site with lines of logs used as rails and tree stumps blocking their way to the first replanting plot. Somehow, this devastating moment only strengthened their resolve to continue rehabilitation work and ensure the area is once again reforested.

It’s a fact that floods occur regularly at the project site. When this happens, flood waters cut off access to the village and project site thus affecting rehabilitation work. There was a time when we couldn’t monitor sapling growth for 3 whole months because of flooding. Replanting takes patience and perseverance.