eTN Asia, 28-9-2006
The US government has pledged to support the Heart of Borneo conservation project initiated by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia with a grant of US$100,000.
US Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice pledged the financial support during her visit to Malaysia last month at an ASEAN summit meeting.
WWF Malaysia, along with the International Tropical Timber Organization, will oversee the project aimed at protecting rainforests through managing sustainable forest areas.
The Malaysian and Indonesian governments have been the target of conservationists worldwide for allowing illegal logging of forest reserves for planting of palm oil. The wholesale clearing of vast tracts of jungle areas has led to the loss of habitat for the jungle animal inhabitants.
The grant is in addition to the US government financial aid of about $217,000 for the protection of elephants, gibbons, orang gutan and rhinoceros in Sabah, Borneo Malaysia since 2005.
The proposed Heart of Borneo conservation project, covering an area of 220,000 square km of virgin rainforest straddles the three Borneo states of Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.
"The US government will continue to cooperate with the three countries to help preserve one of the oldest rainforests in the world," said US ambassador to Malaysia, Christopher LaFleur, during his visit to the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Center.
