Sabah to consider wildlife-friendly roads for Phase 3 of Pan Borneo Highway

New Straits Times

19-05-2025

KOTA KINABALU: Suggestions from stakeholders to build "wildlife-friendly" roads will be considered for Phase 3 of the Pan Borneo Highway project, said Sabah Public Works Minister Datuk Shahelmey Yahya.
"For Phase 3 of the Pan Borneo Highway project, it has not officially commenced yet.
"Therefore, these suggestions can be considered, as the project is still in the planning stage," he said when contacted regarding a recently concluded workshop on infrastructure development.
The Pan Borneo Highway project in Sabah is divided into three phases: Phase 1, Phase 2, and Phase 3. The state is still completing the Phase 1 project.
The four-day workshop, held at Maliau Basin, was co-organised by the Sabah Wildlife Department, the Centre for Large Landscape Conservation, the IUCN WCPA/SSC Asian Elephant Transport Working Group and WWF-Malaysia.
Among the suggestions raised during the programme were that road construction should avoid sensitive areas such as high conservation value forests, water catchments, steep slopes, and key biodiversity zones.
Where avoidance is not possible, impact should be minimised by realigning routes or incorporating viaducts, culverts, and canopy bridges.
Affected areas should also be restored through habitat rehabilitation and ecological reconnection.
The workshop was attended by 46 participants from 15 government agencies, including the Public Works Ministry, non-governmental organisations and technical partners.
In a joint statement, Sabah Wildlife Department director Mohd Soffian Abu Bakar said it is still possible to incorporate conservation measures, as Phase 3 of the Pan Borneo Highway is currently under planning.
"We must learn from past mistakes, such as in Phase 1B, where the highway alignment was finalised before biodiversity concerns were fully addressed.
"This resulted in a route that cuts through the Tawai Forest Reserve, a Class I Protection Forest," he said.
WWF-Malaysia Sabah Conservation head Dr Robecca Jumin said that while they support development, it should not come at the expense of the environment.
"Infrastructure that avoids environmentally sensitive areas is not only better for nature. It is also more climate-resilient and cost-effective in the long run.
"With early intervention, cost-benefit analysis, and proper planning, including budgeting for environmental safeguards and strong political will, we can build roads that serve communities without sacrificing Sabah's unique forests, elephants, orangutans, and other iconic wildlife.
"Too often, environmental experts are consulted too late to influence road alignments or the design of wildlife crossings," she added.
While limited data is available on roadkill incidents, vehicle collisions are a known threat to the endangered Bornean pygmy elephants (Elephas maximus borneensis), which are endemic to Sabah.
These elephants also face multiple threats, including habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, poaching, and poisoning.