Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Peninsular Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources, Malaysia

Effective Management & Sustainable Financing in Taman Negara National Park

Allan Rodrigo Balang Superintendent Taman Negara National Park Introduction

Objective of establishment

“To conserve, enrich and protect the authenticity of flora and fauna in Malaysia to ensure that these treasures remain to the next generation; and Maintain areas with aesthetic value, history and research interests” Overview of Taman Negara

Peninsular Malaysia

Terengganu 853 km2 (19%) 1,043 km2 (24%)

Pahang 2,477 km2 (57%)

4,343km2 Taman Negara Organization Structure

Superintendent (Taman Negara Pahang) No of Staff: 118

Superintendent Officer In Charge (Taman Negara (Director General of ) DWNP) No. of Staff: 19

*Total no. of staff: 155 Superintendent (Taman Negara Kelantan) No. of Staff: 18 Management Structure of Taman Negara Pahang National Park

Superintendent

Deputy Superintendent

Wildlife Management Enforcement Recreation Conservation Section Section Section Section Implementing management effectiveness & sustainable financing

Biodiversity Budget/ Financing • Legislation Conservation • Ecotourism • Guides • Enforcement • Wildlife surveys • CBT • Operational • Hotels/ chalets • SMART Patrol • Research • CEPA • Development • Boat services • OGAs • Concession • Travel agents

Safeguard Engaging Stake Local communities/ Biodiversity holders private sectors

Effective management Sustainable financing Safeguarding Biodiversity

• Taman Negara Enactment (Pahang) 1939 • Taman Negara Enactment (Kelantan) 1938 • Taman Negara Enactment (Terengganu) 1939 • Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 [Act 716] Safeguarding Biodiversity

• SMART (Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool) • a new and improved tool for measuring, evaluating and improving the effectiveness of wildlife law enforcement patrols and site-based conservation activities. • SMART is much more than data collection tool… Safeguarding Biodiversity

Why SMART?

SMART is open source, non-proprietary and free to obtain

SMART incorporates intelligence gathering as well as patrol data, and it uses innovative ways to better aid conservation managers in strategic planning of enforcement activities

Empower staff, boost motivation, increase efficiency and promote credible and transparent monitoring of the effectiveness of anti- poaching efforts. How can SMART work for Taman Negara?

Motivates Rangers

Empowers Standardize protected d approach area managers

SMART Scalable across a Promotes broad range accountability of and good conservation governance contexts Driven by local management needs Law Enforcement Monitoring (LEM) was implemented in Taman Negara since 2014 and as patrol coverage - maps were produced - ranger started to orient patrols to areas that had been rarely patrolled

Biodiversity Conservation

Species diversity • > 200 mammal sp • > 80 bat sp • > 400 bird sp • > 150 herpetofauna sp • > 50 fresh water fishes sp • > 240 butterfly sp • est 14,000 plant species Biodiversity Conservation

• Camera traps • Biodiversity inventories • Wildlife surveys/ inventories were conducted periodically. • Data were kept for wildlife conservation management and publication purposes. Biodiversity Conservation

• Wildlife release programmes/ reintroduction • Wildlife population study Biodiversity Conservation

Species diversity Infrastructure & Maintenance

Regular & periodically maintenance of: • Trails • Canopy walkway • Facilities • Boats Engaging Stakeholders

Ecotourism • Enhance Quality of visitor’s Experience - low impact activities, ecologically sound design and an efficient maintenance system ensures that the park provides a safe and enjoyable experience for visitors as well as equitable benefits to the States and local communities. Natural resources as ecotourism products Kelah Fish Sanctuary • Lubuk Tenor, Sg. Tahan • Kuala Juram, Engaging Stakeholders

Orang Asli - Batek Engaging Stakeholders

Local Community Involvement - CBET • Local guide services • Boat services • Resorts / chalets operators • Restaurants Engaging Stakeholders

CEPA Programmes/ Initiatives Tourist Arrival in Taman Negara (for the year 2016-2018)

16,605 19,533

TNP TNK TNT 266,475

Taman Negara No. of Tourist (2016-2018) TNP 266,475 TNK 19,533 TNT 16,605 Total 302,613 Taman Negara National Park Management Plan 2018-2027 9 STRATEGIES

Strategy 1 • Strengthen PA Management Framework

Strategy 2 • Strengthen PA Legislation

Strategy 3 • Secure Park Boundary And Buffer Zones

Strategy 4 • Safeguard Biodiversity

Strategy 5 • Focus Research Efforts

Strategy 6 • Enhance Quality Of Visitor’s Experience

Strategy 7 • Engage Local Stakeholders

Strategy 8 • Develop Human Resource Capacity

Strategy 9 • Intensify CEPA Efforts Sustainable Financing

Operational Taman Negara adopted a budget more comprehensive planning approach: addresses cost management Development budget and income generation from alternative sources; involves the design and

Concession implementation of cost- savings measures and income-generating opportunities; in short, brings about significant increases in operating effectiveness and Revenues efficiency. Sustainable Financing

• Mutiara Taman Negara Resort provides accommodation inside Taman Negara as part of the sustainable financing initiative • MoU signed under the jurisdiction of the Enactment for leasing since 1994 • Contribution to Taman Negara Pahang Trust Fund Sustainable Financing

Boat services Hotels/ Travel Chalets/ agents resorts

Local Guides communities/

Private sectors Current scenario

For the most part, communities living inside and along the periphery of the park have co-existed with the Taman Negara landscape for decades, if not for much longer. Today many of these communities continue to rely on the park for shelter and subsistence or through emerging market opportunities such as tourism. METT Assessment

METT Assessment undertaken by the DWNP in Taman Negara National Park

Year 2010 2012* 2014 2016 2018 Score 72.5% 56.9% 74.5% 74.5% 75.5%

*Note: Please note that the score for the year 2012 is low due to insufficient funding for operational work which affected the overall scoring Challenges

Socio- Human Biological Habitat economic resource & fragmentation fragmentation fragmentation financial

Species and Inadequate Vulnerability of ecosystem Natural human resource local economies extinct capacity

Lack of Homogenization Climate Human operational of local economy budget

Landscape Relationship with rupture & other economies vulnerability lost Conclusion

• The main challenge in Taman Negara is to conserve biodiversity while providing the basis for the social and economic development of local residents. • Major threats to Taman Negara are illegal consumptive use of natural resources, i.e., illegal logging, poaching, illegal wildlife trade, illegal fishing, and illegal extraction for other NTFPs, and conflicts related to land use and tenure. • Human resources (number of staff, expertise of staff, number of park rangers) was a major constraint of Taman Negara; followed by collaboration with other institutions, law enforcement and patrol, and budget availability. THANK YOU…