Representatives of native communities, NGOs, conservationists and academicians attend a one-day workshop to discuss Tagal Hutan.

KOTA KINABALU: “Tagal Hutan”, a community-based forestry that has been practised by the natives for generations, may be the perfect solution to sustainably manage Sabah’s forests if it can be fine-tuned and legally recognized by the authorities.

Indigenous People Network of Malaysia (JAOS) director Jannie Lasimbang said traditional social forestry could be further improved and adopted as an effective management tool for conserving and protecting the forests, while at the same time protecting and promoting the interest and needs of the communities living in these areas.

“Tagal, which means prohibition in the Kadazan language, has existed among the native people for a very long time. This concept of traditional system involves collective responsibilities and management of important resources such as land, river, forest, water catchment and wildlife,” she said.

Lasimbang said…

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