Existing Challenges & Strategies to Improve Environmental Management in Sarawak

1. Existing Challenges & Strategies to Improve Environmental Management in Sarawak by Justine Jok Jau Emang Assistant Controller Environmental Quality Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) Sarawak

2. Outline of Presentation • National Environmental Policy • Existing Challenges/Areas of Concerned • Environmental Protection in Sarawak • Strategies to address Environmental Challenges

3. National Policy on Environment

4. Principles • Stewardship of the Environment, • Conservation of Nature’s Vitality and Diversity, • Continuous Improvement in the Quality of the Environment, • Sustainable Use of Natural Resources, • Integrated Decision Making, • Role of Private Sector, • Commitment and Accountability, and • Active Participation in the International Community

5. Green Strategies • Education and Awareness • Effective Management of the Naturral Resources and Environment • Integrated Development Planning and Implementation • Prevention and Control of Pollution and Environmental Degradation • Strengthening Administrative and Institutional Mechanism • Proactive Approach to Regional and Global Environmental Issues • Formulation and Implementation of Action Plans

6. Issues and Challenges in Sarawak • Incorporating environmental into development process, • Conflicting use of resources, • Conservation of wetland/peatland, • Carrying capacities of ecosystem, • Review Standards and Guidelines, • Regional/Accumulative impacts of small development, • Strategic Environment Assessment, • Public Apathy, • Lack of baseline data, • Inadequate coverage of environmental legislation, • Institutional capacity, • International cooperation on Transboundary environmental Issues, • Waste Management e.g. illegal dumping, and • Cooperation between Federal and State agencies.

7. Strategies of NREB • State Environmental Policy, • State Waste Management Strategy, • Integrated Development Planning, • Sustainable Development, • Research and Development, • Capacity Building and Manpower Development, • Environmental Education and Awareness, • Environmental Management System, • Environmental Monitoring and Auditing, and • Delineation of environmentally sensitive areas

8. Environmental Legislation in Sarawak • Legislative Powers of Parliament and State Provisions under Ninth Schedule Constitution of Malaysia: List I (Federal), List II (State), and List III (Concurrent). “Environment” – matter not enumerated under any of the Lists Article 77 of the Constitution of Malaysia; “Legislature of State shall have power to make laws with respect to any matter not enumerated in any of the Lists set out in the Ninth Schedule, not being a matter in respect of which Parliament has power to make laws” (Fong, 1996)

9. Continue… • State amended Colonial legislation “Natural Resources Ordinance, 1949” to “Natural Resources and Environment Ordinance, 1993”

10. Natural Resources and Environment Ordinance (NREO),1993 • Objective: Title • Strategies: Sect. 5a, b, e, i. -provisions that allow the NREB to formulate ways to develop plans how to achieve the objectives of NREO, 1993 • Legal instruments: Sect. 5, 10, 11A (1), 14, 18, 30, 30a, 33 -provision under Sect. 11A(1) NREO, 1993 to make subsidiary legislation; The Natural Resources and Environment (Prescribed Activities) Order, 1994

11. Establishment of the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) • The NREB; • Policy Body • Management Body

12. The Natural Resources and Environment (Prescribed Activities) Order, 1994 • Listed matters; • Agriculture plantation development, • Forest Harvesting, • Housing, commercial or industrial estate development, • Mining of minerals (river sand and clay extraction), • Quarrying of rocks, • River diversion and dam, fishery and aquaculture, • Hill slope development, • Road construction, • Golf Course development, • Beach Resort or park development, • Others (Section 10, NREO, 1993)

13. NRE (PA) Order, 1994 continue…. • Article 3(1) • Mandatory requirement of EIA, • Expert or authority approved by NREB • Article 3(2) • Consult Controller on scope and depth of coverage of EIA study • Article 4 • Format of EIA (Second Schedule) • Article 5 • Controller; approval, alteration, amendment, addendum, and deletion as appropriate on guidelines or conditions

14. NRE(PA)Order, 1994 continue… • Article 6 • Issuance of approval with conditions • Undertaking of approval conditions • Article 7 • Power to issue stop-work order • Article 8 • Penalty and fine

15. EIA Process

16. Site validation

17. Deliberation among EIA Panel Members at Project site

18. EIA Procedure in Sarawak Review Panel Meeting

19. Progress and Achievement • State Environmental Policy • State Waste Management Strategy • Integrated Development Planning • Research and Development • Capacity Building and Manpower Development • Environmental Education and Awareness • Environmental Management System Environmental Monitoring and Auditing • Delineation of environmentally sensitive areas

20. Capacity Building – Restructuring of NREB • Planning and Development • Environmental Regulation • Monitoring and Auditing • Compliance and Enforcement • Environmental Education and Publicity

21. Collaboration • Sarawak DANIDA: UEMS • SV-JICA: Waste Management • GEF: Loagan Bunut (Environ. Sensitive)

22. Research and Development Projects • Buffer zone • Environmental Master Plan • Water Resource Management • Waste water management • Centralized Pig Farming Areas

23. Thank You