Kota Kinabalu: Continuous efforts to ensure sustainable forest management are considered crucial, especially through research and collaboration between relevant parties.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) Vice-Chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Kasim Mansur said these efforts are important and focused on achieving sustainable development targets aimed at protecting, restoring and promoting natural resources in diverse ecosystems.
“Besides that, this also focuses on continuing efforts to preserve forests, curb excessive forest exploration, and areas gazetted as reserves and prevent the loss of natural biodiversity.
“This is why we need collaboration between researchers and responsible parties to combine theoretical knowledge and basic science with practical applications,” he said this during the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between UMS and KTS Plantation Sdn Bhd, here, on Tuesday.
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“This collaboration between academia and industry is something that should be implemented because it proves the importance of cooperation between the academic world and industry players.
“For everyone’s information, UMS’s collaboration with KTSP was previously established in November 2015, followed by another MoU in November 2016 during the Heart of Borneo Conference, together with the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD), which can also bridge the gaps that exist between one another,” he added.
He added that such collaboration continued with the first MoU between UMS and KTSP in July 2018, focusing on collaborative research grant efforts for Forestry Studies at KTS Plantation Segaliud, Lokan: Existence of Mineralogy, Environmental Tourism, Civil Culture, and Morphophonology of Shorea leprosula.
“This has been ongoing since 2016 until 2022, and this achievement also led to the involvement of our undergraduate students in the Forestry Camp at Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve, Sandakan.
“As a result of that effort, we have completed four journal articles, six conference papers, publication of a brief book, 17 undergraduate student theses, four postgraduate science student theses, and a PhD dissertation,” he said.
Kasim also said KTS had supported conference efforts organised by UMS in 2022 and 2024.
“There have been many joint involvements between UMS and KTSP in research and study activities, including the first scientific exhibition of the Rawog River Conservation Area in August 2017 and September 2023. Research findings were also presented in seminars in February 2019 and February 2024,” he added.
Meanwhile, KTSP Director Ting Jack Hui said the noble efforts carried out through this collaboration are an initiative that respects nature, and related initiatives have great potential in driving progress in the forestry industry.
“Our collaboration focuses on research and studies involving capable researchers.
“University-industry collaboration needs to be continuously established because we each play our roles in reshaping our forestry sector landscape in today’s challenging era,” he said.
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