20th March 2019 marks a historic milestone for Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) as it has signed the first Benefit Sharing Agreements (BSAs) in Malaysia with five indigenous communities for the Litsara® Project.
The five communities are the Bidayuhs of Kampung Kiding, Padawan; the Lun Bawangs of Long Telingan and Long Kerebangan, Lawas; and the Kelabits of Pa’Ukat and Pa’Lungan, Bario.
The signing of the agreements, which is under the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre Ordinance, 1997 and Sarawak Biodiversity Regulations, 2016, means that Sarawak has become the first in Malaysia to implement the Nagoya Protocol, an international treaty under the Convention of Biological Diversity.
This achievement is part of SBC’s commitment in its collaboration with the natives of Sarawak through best practices adopted in the BSA.
They are the recognition and respect to the communities’ rights to its biological resources and associated traditional knowledge; the assurance of fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge; and the promotion of biodiversity conservation.
Chairman of Sarawak Biodiversity Council, YBhg Tan Sri Datuk Amar Wilson Baya Dandot, who made the exchange of agreements with village chiefs representing the five communities, noted that this accomplishment provides an avenue to explore and develop a biodiversity sector in Sarawak.
He added that with Sarawak’s rich biological landscape, a biodiversity sector will open up to more opportunities to venture into a more knowledge and research-based approach to generate economic growth.
