01 w1 tk and biodiversity conservation in sabah sabah biodiversity enactment 2000 (sbe 2000) was a...

Indigenous peoples, as defined by the World Bank, refers to a specific, vulnerable, social and cultural group who possess their own identity, are collectively attached to a place, have unique customary traditions, and, indigenous language. The global indigenous population is estimated at 370 million people, consisting of 5,000 distinct groups from 70 different countries. This makes up 4% of the world’s population, living in climate types found anywhere from the Arctic Circle to the tropical rainforests.

Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Sabah

Traditional Knowledge (TK)

The areas in which indigenous ethnic groups live covers 22% of the world’s land surface, coinciding with areas that contain 80% of the planet’s biodiversity. This fact forms the basis of a general rule of indigenous environments - that biologically rich environments exist where indigenous people live. In this respect, 95% of the world’s cultural diversity is derived from indigenous peoples.

L E A R N I N G P L A T F O R M F O R B I O C U L T U R A L D I V E R S I T Y A N D C O N S E R V A T I O N

Indigenous Populations and Number of Indigenous Ethnic Groups in Selected Asian Countries

[Source: World Bank 2008 Report, The Role of Indigenous Peoples in Biodiversity Conservation]

The core of culture and identity of indigenous peoples of the world is largely formed by traditional knowledge (TK), referred to also as traditional ecological knowledge to highlight the emphasis on knowledge related to genetic resources. Deep understanding of the environments they live in is based on centuries of living close to nature; their lifestyles connected with the richness and variety of complex natural ecosystems. Analysis of TK systems shows components of knowledge of species and other environmental phenomena obtained through local observations, practices in the way

* New estimates state that 82 indigenous ethnic groups exist in Malaysia, almost half of these groups found in Sabah.

“In Africa, when an old person dies it is like when a library burns down.”

Hampâté Ba (1901 – 1991) Malian philosopher theologian, an ethnographer, novelist and autobiographer, as well as linguist and ambassador.

COUNTRY TOTAL POPULATION NUMBER OF ETHNIC GROUPS Cambodia 101,000 17 China 105,000,000 55 Indonesia 1,100,000 365 Laos 6,000,000 49 Malaysia 3,400,000 53 Myanmar 30,000,000 100 Papua NG 1,240,000 253 Philippines 8,400,000 17 Taiwan 469,000 13 Thailand 923,257 9

people carry out their resource use activities, and beliefs regarding how people fit into, or relate to, ecosystems.

Traditional knowledge is adaptive by nature, gathered over generations by observers whose lives depend on this information. Knowledge accumulates in stages, is tested by trial-and-error and is passed on to future generations orally or by shared practical experiences. TK is a trait found in societies with historical continuity in resource use practice, mostly non-industrial or less technologically advanced societies, many but not all of them indigenous or tribal.

Management practices based on traditional knowledge include monitoring the wealth of resources and change in ecosystems, total protection of certain species, protection of vulnerable life history stages, protection of specific habitats, restrictions of harvest based on time, succession management, and management of landscape patchiness.

Connecting Biological and Cultural Diversity

Current biocultural principles stress biological and cultural connectivity such as

symbiotic conservation (noting that biological and cultural diversity are dependent on

each other and geographically overlapping) and new integrative and interdisciplinary

research. Focus is on the links between the world’s linguistic, cultural, and biological

diversity as a sign of the total variety of life. This drive stems from the fact that all three

diversities are under threat by these very same forces and is further emphasized by the

understanding that loss of diversity will result in dramatic impacts on humanity and the

earth.

Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Sabah Volume 1

Policy Matters: Initiatives, institutions and instruments that guide best practices in biocultural diversity research and training

Although international agreements linked with access to traditional knowledge and equitable benefit sharing exist, concern lies in the lack of real political will and genuine commitment by necessary institutional and financial mechanisms. To be effective, international policies must translate into local practices through federal, state and local laws which initiate the rules and regulations that govern local norms.

A Consolidated Approach for Access to TK and Equitable Benefit Sharing

Traditional ecological knowledge is defined under the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) as “a cumulative body of knowledge and beliefs, handed down through

generations by cultural transmission, about the relationship of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment”.

Indigenous peoples A specific, vulnerable, social and cultural group who possess their own identity, are collectively attached to a place, have unique customary traditions, and, indigenous language. Protected area An area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, managed through legal or other effective means. Traditional ecological knowledge A cumulative body of knowledge and beliefs, handed down through generations by cultural transmission, about the relationship of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international treaty that was adopted in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992 and entered into force on 29 December 1993. This convention recognises the close and traditional dependence of many indigenous and local communities embodying traditional lifestyles on biological resources, and the desirability of sharing equitably the benefits arising from the use of traditional knowledge, innovations and practices relevant to the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of its components.

The three main goals of the CBD are:

• conservation of biological diversity

• sustainable use of its components; and

• fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People (UNDRIP) recognises a wide range of basic human rights and freedom of indigenous people, which are noticeably related to biocultural sustainability.

• unrestricted self-determination;

• absolute collective right to ownership, use and control of lands, territories and other natural resources;

• maintenance and development of their own political, religious, cultural and educational institutions; and

• protection of their cultural and intellectual property.

UNDRIP requires, amongst others, free, prior and informed consultation, participation and consent in activities of any kind that impact on indigenous peoples, their property or territories, and fair and adequate compensation for violation of the rights recognised in the Declaration. However, similar to most international treaties, UNDRIP does not impose legal obligations on governments.

Instruments

World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) is the world's premier network of protected area expertise, administered by International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Programme on Protected Areas. WCPA’s mission is to promote the establishment and effective management of a world-wide network of terrestrial and marine protected areas. Its objectives are to help governments and others plan protected areas, strengthen capacity and effectiveness of protected areas managers, increase investment in protected areas and enhance WCPA's ability to implement its programmes. IUCN WCPA organises a World Parks Congress every ten years.

Institutions

An example of an initiative to guide best practices is that of United Nations University, Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU IAS) Traditional Knowledge Initiative. Established in 2007, UNU IAS explores relationships between traditional knowledge and a variety of elements including climate change, water management, biological resources, marine management, forestry, and international policy making. Planned outputs include an annotated collection of TK protocols, and the establishment of an institute aimed at promoting and strengthening research on TK.

Initiatives


A protected area is an area of land and/or sea especially dedicated to the protection and maintenance of biological diversity, and of natural and associated cultural resources, managed through legal or other effective means. Management of protected areas has evolved. Early governance methods adopted the practice of ‘evicting’ natives, as occurred to the Native Americans, who were the first inhabitants of the region now designated as Yosemite National Park. Important changes to management practices were set in motion during the IVth World Parks Congress through the outlining of the IUCN Protected Area Management Categories.

The six management categories are

I. Strict Nature Reserve / Wilderness Area

II. National Park

III. Natural Monument

IV. Habitat/Species Management Area

V. Protected Landscape/Seascape, and

VI. Managed Resource Protected Area.

Governance is characterized under four main types: the government (and its agencies), shared governance (collaborative management), private governance (owners of the concerned land and natural resources), and governance by concerned indigenous peoples and local communities.

Launched in 1968, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) biosphere reserve concept created the notion of reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. Core areas, buffer zones and transition areas were outlined. Specific areas within buffer zones referred to variously as community, multiple, sustainable or traditional use zones are often used in Resource Management Plans as areas reserved for use by designated resident communities for local livelihoods including for agriculture, fishing, hunting and non-timber forest product (NTFP) gathering.

Varying degrees of human intervention in the six identified IUCN Protected Area Management Categories

[Source: Applying the IUCN protected area framework in Sabah, Presentation by Sabah Parks]

Protected Area Governance


Protected areas such as national parks and reserves now cover more than 12% of the world’s land area. In Sabah, the new Master list of Protected Areas has 102 named protected areas covering 15.95% of the total land area (1,174,398 hectares). These areas fall under various jurisdictions - Protection Forest Reserves and Virgin Jungle Reserves under Forestry Department, Wildlife Reserves and Wildlife Sanctuaries under Wildlife Department, Sabah Parks under Sabah Parks Board of Trustees, and Conservation Areas under Sabah Foundation.

An effective system for managing Sabah’s biodiversity and biological resources is required to improve its economic competitiveness through sustainable utilization, while enhancing such resources to meet future generations’ economic demands.

The establishment of the Sabah Biodiversity Council and the Sabah Biodiversity Centre through Sabah Biodiversity Enactment 2000 (SBE 2000) was a response to such a requirement. SBE 2000 provides guidance in safeguarding biodiversity and biological resources of the State. Amongst others, SBE 2000 discusses the functions of the Council and the Centre, funding mechanisms, and legal proceedings, offences and penalties.

Governance in Sabah

This gave rise to the concept of Indigenous Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs).

Central characteristics of ICCAs are that specific indigenous peoples or local communities (static or mobile) are closely concerned about the area, which is related to them culturally and/or because of livelihoods. Such communities hold power (de jure or de facto) in deciding, implementing and enforcing management decisions. Within ICCAs, community voluntary management decisions and efforts achieve conservation results.

ICCAs are defined as natural and modified ecosystems including significant biodiversity, ecological services and cultural values voluntarily conserved by concerned indigenous

and local communities through customary laws or other effective means.


SBE2000 9(1)(j) – “establishing or caused to be established a system for the protection of biological resources so that the indigenous and local communities shall, at all times and in perpetuity, be the legitimate creators, users and custodian of such knowledge, and shall collectively benefit from the use of such knowledge”

SBE2000 9(1)(k) – “establishing linkages with other institution or bodies, within or outside the State, with a view to enhancing the management, protection, preservation, research and utilization of the biodiversity and traditional knowledge of the indigenous or local community of the State”

Sabah Biodiversity Council functions to advise the State Government on matters related to the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources, to promote the establishment and strengthening of the management of the biological resources of the State, to consider, formulate and review State policy with regard to biotechnology and application of biotechnology, to co-ordinate local, state and national activities relating to conservation research and sustainable use of biological resources and biodiversity, and, to co-ordinate preparations for regional and international activities relating to the conservation, research and sustainable use of biological resources and biodiversity.

Sabah Biodiversity Centre (SaBC), established on 25th April 2008, acts on behalf of the Council, and is the implementer of SBE2000. It functions to ensure that biodiversity of the State is sustainably managed by mobilising, facilitating and coordinating biodiversity conservation activities, regulating access to biological resources, collecting and analysing data/information on biodiversity, educating the public about the importance of biodiversity, and promoting the utilization of biological resources through biotechnology. The roles played by the Sabah Biodiversity Centre in protecting traditional knowledge is mentioned under Section 9(1)(j) and (k) of SBE2000.

Sabah Biodiversity Management System Framework


Source: Ensuring sustainable development of Sabah’s biodiversity, Presentation by Sabah Biodiversity Centre

Discover more...

Useful Websites

www.cbd.int

www.environment.gov.au/indigenous/

www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/ceesp

www.unutki.org/

http://cms.iucn.org/about/union/commissions

Suggested Reading

Adil Najam, Mark Halle and Ricardo Meléndez-Ortiz, editors. 2007. Trade and Environment: A Resource Book. Winnipeg, IISD, ICTSD. ISBN 978-1-895536-99-7

Alcorn, J.B. and A.G. Royo. 2007. Conservation´s engagement with human rights: Traction, slippage, or avoidance. Policy Matters 15:115-139.

Anonymous. 2007. Growing up Strong: The first 10 years of Indigenous Protected Areas in Australia. Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Commonwealth of Australia.

Barnsley, I. 2008. Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation in Developing countries (REDD): A Guide for Indigenous Peoples. Yokohama, Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS).

Beltrán, J. (Ed.) (2000). Indigenous and Traditional Peoples and Protected Areas: Principles, Guidelines and Case Studies. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK and WWF International, Gland, Switzerland. WCPA Best Practice Protected Area Guidelines Series No. 4.

Berkes, F., J. Colding and C. Folke. 2000. Rediscovery of Traditional Ecological Knowledge as Adaptive Management. Ecological Applications 10:1251-1262

Borrini-Feyerabend, G., Kothari, A. and Oviedo, G. 2004. Indigenous and Local Communities and Protected Areas: Towards Equity and Enhanced Conservation. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. WCPA Best Practice Pro-tected Area Guidelines Series No. 11.

Dudley, N., Editor. 2008. Guidelines for Applying Protected Area Management Categories. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN.

Implementing the CBD Programme of Work on Protected Areas Governance as key for effective and equitable protected area systems. Briefing note 8, February ‘08

International Workshop Report on Gender Equity and Equality in Access and Benefit Sharing

Malaysia’s National Policy on Biological Diversity

Maffi, L. 2005. Linguistic, Cultural, and Biological Diversity. Annual Review of Anthropology 34:599-617.

Nietschmann B.Q. 1992. The interdependence of biological and cultural diversity. Occas. Pap. 21, Cent.World Indig. Stud.

Sobrevila, C. 2008. The Role of Indigenous Peoples in Biodiversity Conservation: The Natural but Often Forgotten Partners. Washington, DC, The World Bank.

UNPFII Fact sheet on indigenous people

2007 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Zakri, A.H. 2000. Global Governance of Biological Diversity. In Proceedings of On the Threshold: The United Nations and Global Governance in the New Millennium, International Conference, 19-21 January 2000, UNU Tokyo.


The project Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Sabah: A Consolidation of Issues and Experiences related to Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Resource Management (Jan 2009 – July 2010) is a collaboration between the Global Diversity Foundation (GDF), and the Bornean Biodiversity and Ecosystems Conservation Phase Two Programme (BBEC II), and is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The project contributes towards the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Sabah, and Malaysia in general.

C O N T A C T S

Sabah Biodiversity Centre Natural Resources Office Chief Minister’s Department 7th Floor, Menara Tun Mustapha 88502 Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Malaysia Email: [email protected]

Southeast Asia Regional Programme Global Diversity Foundation c/o Sabah Parks P.O. Box 10626 88806 Kota Kinabalu Sabah, Malaysia Email: [email protected]

Having ratified the Convention on Biological Diversity on 24th June 1994, Malaysia agreed to incorporate into national policy the set of commitments under this treaty. This means developing national strategies, plans or programmes, and integrating them into sectoral or cross-sectoral plans, programmes and policies.

Sabah Biodiversity Enactment (SBE) 2000 is a response to these requirements.

The Sabah Biodiversity Council has the ability to ensure the “enforceability” of issues relating to three important elements of the CBD:

I. Conservation of biodiversity

II. Sustainable resource use, and

III. Access and equitable benefit sharing.

Through SBE 2000, the Sabah Government has undertaken the responsibility to respect, preserve and maintain the knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities, to protect the customary use of biological resources, to act according to national law to develop and use traditional and indigenous technologies, and to adopt economically and sound measures that act as incentives for the conservation and sustainable use of components of biological diversity.

~ Component One ~

The Learning Platform for Biocultural Diversity and Conservation is the first component of this collaborative project. Over 18 months, the Learning Platform has delivered a series of workshops and seminars aimed at broadening our understanding of the issues and recent developments concerning traditional ecological knowledge. This exchange of information and sharing of expertise allowed for the strengthening of capacity of conservation agencies, local communities and civil society organizations to address Access and Benefit Sharing issues in Sabah.

~ Component Two ~

The second component focused on the Identification of Potential Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Areas (ICCAs) in Sabah. We conducted a state-wide review to explore, assess the status, and identify measures to recognize and support community conservation in Sabah. Recently included in the IUCN Guidelines on Categories of Protected Areas, ICCAs uphold indigenous peoples’ rights to their lands and resources as enshrined in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to which Malaysia is a signatory.

P R E S E N T E R S

Dr. Gary J. Martin Global Diversity Foundation/GDF

Dr. Jamili Nais Sabah Parks

Dr. Abdul Fatah Amir Sabah Biodiversity Centre/SaBC

Mr. Adrian Lasimbang PACOS Trust

W O R K S H O P O N T R A D I T I O N A L

K N O W L E D G E A N D B I O D I V E R S I T Y

C O N S E R V A T I O N I N S A B A H

3 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 0 9

P A C I F I C S U T E R A H O T E L


This briefing note is edited, compiled and designed by Marina Aman Sham

Malaysia’s Commitment to the CBD

Images in this volume were taken by Alexzander Bulangai, Henry Roger Ross, Holly Shrumm, James Wong, Noah Jackson, Remmy Alfie Awang and Stanley Kurumbong.

All contents in this volume have been compi led f rom i n format ion generated at this workshop. Thanks is extended to all the presenters and facilitators for their valuable contributions towards the workshop.

Citation: SaBC & GDF. 2010. Tradi t ional Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Sabah (M.A.Sham Ed). Biocultural Diversity and Conservation Learning Platform Briefing Notes, Vol 1. Compiled from a workshop on Traditional Knowledge and Biodiversity Conservation in Sabah, 3 Feb 2009, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

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