Forest Management Plan - Sabah Forestry Department

small sundry shop and doing odd jobs for a living. They have no income from jungleproduce.5.3.8 Natural ResourcesAccording to the local communities, they do not depend on the forest inside FMU 17Afor meeting their basic needs (e.g. subsistence, protein, medicines, building materials,and clean water – HCVF 5). Usually they collect firewood from stateland forests, wastewoods from land clearing and woods floating in the river. Medicinal plants (e.g. TongkatAli) are collected occasionally at the statelands or at the border of FMU 17A.Meanwhile, forest areas critical to local communities’ cultural integrity (e.g. areas ofcultural and ecological significance – HCVF 6) are not found within FMU 17A.5.4 Managerial Implications of Social Issues with FMU 17AGenerally, most of the communities living adjacent to FMU 17A are highly dependent onagricultural crops (oilpalm, rubber, rice cultivation), which they have cultivated withintheir LA lots, for their subsistence needs and livelihood although the SFD has takenmeasures to involve communities in silvicultural activities such as, climber cutting andforest restoration to compliment their alternative economic livelihood. On the otherhand, the local communities do not depend on the use of forest resources (hunting/collection of NTFP) within FMU 17A. However, their population is increasing, which cancontribute to increased demand for agricultural land. In this context, the potential forthe local communities to encroach FMU 17A for economic farming is real in the future.Therefore, the forest management system as established in DFR, sets the standards andregulations, as well as, procedures for effective forest protection in FMU 17A.Permanent definition and subsequent surveying of boundaries had started in 2005 andwill be continued during the 9 th Malaysia Plan especially on areas that are subject toencroachments such as, in Kg. Kuala Karamuak and Kg. Kenang-Kenangan. In addition, FMU17A has been zoned according to land use. Zoning is used to identify activities that areacceptable or prohibited, subject to some form of regulations and procedures. This hascontributed to the effective protection, as in the case of DFR, from fire, encroachmentsand illegal logging. Therefore, the same concept and approach will be carried out in FMU17A. Besides, the firm commitment and appropriate plan and monitoring action by theDeramakot Forestry Officer and his staff, have effectively protected DFR frompotential threats and activities that might impair the achievement of SFM in the area.Their actions will be extended to FMU 17A.49