Forest Management Plan - Sabah Forestry Department

8.0: MONITORING & PROTECTION8.1 MonitoringMonitoring will include all aspects of management such as timber harvesting operations,roads, forest protection (fire & encroachment) environmental impacts, wildlifepopulations, along with issues related to communities and forest workers. The SFD willalso promote research through collaboration with universities local NGOs, andinternational organizations. The SFD has developed a formal procedure for monitoringactivities under Procedure 6 (Monitoring).8.2 Operational MonitoringThe DFO is responsible for the implementation of the activities as prescribed in theFMP and are further described in the Annual Work Plan (AWP). The DFO is alsoresponsible to submit progress reports to HQ once in three months.Regular internal monitoring and control of all forest operations will be carried out by theDFO to ensure compliance and early recognition of problems and to take meaningfulcorrective actions immediately. This is an essential practical aspect of forestmanagement that forms the basis for compliance and transparent accountability ofoperational activities and procedures for monitoring8.3 Soil Protection And Watershed ManagementSoil erosion occurs naturally even in areas of undisturbed forest cover. However, thetype of soil and eroding agents will influence the degree of natural soil erosion.Meanwhile, the disturbance on the natural forest by humans both planned and unplanned,amplifies the natural soil erosion process. In the case of forest management,construction of access roads, skid trails and clearing of vegetation for base campestablishment can cause major disturbance to the soil. In view of the high amount ofrainfall received in the area, soil erosion is expected to worsen if the activities arecarried out during the rainy season. Road construction and/or maintenance, therefore,will not be carried out during the wet season.Timber harvesting and land clearing operations can have a severe impact on the streamecology, from the base of the food chain, from aquatic plants to fish and mammals.Logging can also destroy stream and river reserve habitats, which are important for abroad range of species. The impact may even affect ecosystems in the surrounding areaand impair the functioning of the aquatic populations. Aside from the direct loss ofhabitat, increased stream turbidity as a result of logging activities may temporarily63