KOTA KINABALU: Expect more human-elephant conflicts (HEC) near Telupid town and nearby villages, if a section of the Pan Borneo Highway is built across a forest reserve in central Sabah, said experts.
They said decision-makers should instead consider building an elevated section or rerouting the proposed highway to the northern part of the Tawai Forest Reserve, not far from the township.
Scientists Dr Nurzhafarina Othman and Professor Benoit Goossens said the alternative approaches could minimise habitat disruption while allowing development to proceed by cutting across the northern section of the 226sqkm reserve.
In a recent seminar themed 'Defining Tawai: Ecological Integrity Meets Social Values,' organised by the Sabah Forestry Department here, Nurzhafarina gave insights into the increasing cases of human-elephant conflict (HEC) in the region.
"We are already receiving complaints from communities in areas where elephants have not been seen since the 1980s," the founder of non-governmental organisation Seratu Aatai revealed.
"These conflicts are arising even before the construction of the Pan-Borneo Highway has begun.
"What will happen if we further disrupt these intact habitats?
"The situation will undoubtedly worsen, with devastating consequences for both people and wildlife," she said.
Nurzhafarina represented Seratu Aatai, along with colleagues from Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), in delivering a presentation titled Beyond the "Band-Aid: Tackling the Root Causes of Human-Elephant Conflict in Central Sabah Landscape."
She said the root causes of HEC—habitat loss and fragmentation—must be addressed to prevent long-term repercussions.
"Communities are already frustrated, and the costs of inaction will only escalate.
"This is our opportunity to take proactive measures and make decisions that benefit both people and wildlife for generations to come.
"We cannot keep relying on temporary solutions like electric fences or compensation schemes," she said, adding that such measures were costly, unsustainable, and failed to address the underlying problems.
Goossens of Danau Girang said scientific data following years of satellite tracking of several male and female elephants in the Telupid region, including Tawai Forest Reserve, have been produced by DGFC, Seratu Aatai and SWD.
"It clearly shows that the Pan Borneo Highway alignment would cross elephant habitat, and any linear infrastructure would have a negative impact on the elephant population in the region as well as on many other totally protected species such as the orangutan, the sun bear, the Sunda clouded leopard and the rediscovered Bornean peacock-pheasant," added Goossens, who is also the co author of the presentation.
Nurzhafarina and Goossens, in urging the government to consider alternative approaches, said the highway could be rerouted as proposed by the 3H Coalition or constructing elevated roads, like the Sungai Purun viaduct in Peninsular Malaysia.
They reiterated that these solutions can minimise habitat disruption while allowing development to proceed.
Goossens also warned that "further habitat destruction would not only exacerbate HEC but also diminish the ecosystem services provided by intact forests."
"No technology can replicate the benefits that nature provides for free. By preserving these ecosystems, we are not just protecting elephants; we are safeguarding the well-being and livelihoods of local communities."