KOTA KINABALU: Yayasan Sabah will be organising a seminar for participants of Imbak Canyon Timbang scientific expedition to present their findings to the public.
The 10-day expedition held in August, saw the participation of 177 participants from Yayasan Sabah Group, Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Museum and several government departments and agencies, institutions of higher learning and non-governmental organisations.
Yayasan Sabah group director Datuk Sapawi Ahmad said 37 papers will be presented by 33 presenters throughout the two-day seminar to be held here on Dec 4.
“The seminar is the post Imbak Canyon Batu Timbang Scientific Expedition, planned as part of the Yayasan Sabah Group-Petronas collaboration in the Imbak Canyon Conservation Area (ICCA).
“It is hoped that more researchers and students will use the conservation areas as a research destination.
“A major part of its core area of 27,599ha and its 107, 656ha buffer zone, has yet to be explored,” he said in a statement.
Sapawi added the seminar, which will be held at Menara Tun Mustapha, will be divided into four sessions.
It will cover tidal-influence shoreline, the discovery of a new trail and physical development of Batu Timbang, as well as the tourism, archaeological survey, and homestay potential, besides cultural heritage of the villages surrounding ICCA in Ulu Kinabatangan area.
It is expected that some 120 participants from the Batu Timbang Scientific Expedition, head of relevant government departments and agencies, institutions of higher learning, and relevant individuals will be attending the seminar.
During the seminar, Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun is expected to launch the ICCA Strategic Management Plan 2014-2023.
Sapawi added the preparation of this Management Plan was made possible by the financial assistance from Petronas and active participation of all relevant stakeholders who shared their experience and knowledge.
“It is one of the key outputs of the Yayasan Sabah Group-Petronas Imbak Canyon Conservation partnership.
“The document becomes an essential tool to ensure sustainable management at ICCA, and provides a framework for activities to be implemented in the conservation area for a period of 10 years.”
ICCA is located to the north of the Maliau Basin Conservation Area in the central interior of Sabah.
The canyon is a 27, 599ha complex of pristine rainforest habitats ranging from lowland dipterocarp forests representative of the eastern lowlands of Sabah through lower montane heath forests on the sandstone ridges that comprise the canyon’s confining walls.
It is also part of the upper catchment of Kinabatangan River, the longest river in Sabah.
The canyon proper is a 25km long valley which is hemmed in on three sides by sandstone ridges.
At their highest point, the ridges exceed 1,000m above sea level. Most, but not all of the steep outer ridges, are protected as virgin jungle reserve, while the biodiversity-rich valley is now a Class I (Protection) Forest Reserve; all set within the Yayasan Sabah Concession Area. Combined, they form the ICCA.