The Habitat Foundation is honoured to support a new national initiative to develop an IUCN Action Plan for the Conservation of Small Apes in Malaysia being coordinated by the Malaysian Primatalogical Society (MPS). Over the coming months, key individuals, organizations, institutions and agencies from across Malaysia will be participating in thematic discussions to help provide an assessment of the conservation status of Malaysia’s gibbon species. They will assess the main threats and challenges and collaboratively develop a strategic Action Plan to ensure their conservation in the wild.
The Action Plan is being developed with generous funding and technical assistance from the IUCN Primate Specialist Group – Section on Small Apes. To learn more, contact MPS at malprimsoc@gmail.com. To register use this link http://bit.ly/IUCNSAMsia
The initiative commenced on 22 September 2020 with the Inception Workshop which brought together diverse stakeholders to discuss the objectives of the Action Plan and the framework for consolidating inputs and developing recommendations.
Dato’ Kadir bin Abdul Hashim, the Director of PERHILITAN opened the workshop on behalf of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources. Dr Ozwald Braken Tisen attended for Sarawak Forestry Corporation and Mr Peter Malim represented Sabah Wildlife Department. The session was ably moderated by Dr Ahmad Zafir of The Habitat Foundation. Dr Susan Lappan, Dr Nadine Ruppert and Aini Hasanah presented for the Malaysian Primatological Society. Special thanks to Dr Susan Cheyne, Vice-Chair of the PSG Section on Small Apes for joining us all the way from Oxford even though it was very early in the morning!
Over the coming weeks, diverse stakeholders comprising primate specialists, protected area managers and staff, environmental NGOs, researchers, naturalists, and local knowledge holders will contribute data and insights to help us understand population distribution, habitat fragmentation and other serious threats. These and inputs from regional and international conservation experience will feed into more targeted conservation actions and potentially more financial support for all Malaysia’s five species of small apes.
