case studies undp: mescot, malaysia
TRANSCRIPT
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 1/12
Equator Initiative Case StudiesLocal sustainable development solutions or people, nature, and resilient communities
MalaysiaMESCOT
Empowered live
Resilient nation
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 2/12
UNDP EQUATOR INITIATIVE CASE STUDY SERIES
Local and indigenous communities across the world are advancing innovative sustainable development solutions that wo
or people and or nature. Few publications or case studies tell the ull story o how such initiatives evolve, the breadth
their impacts, or how they change over time. Fewer still have undertaken to tell these stories with community practition
themselves guiding the narrative.
To mark its 10-year anniversary, the Equator Initiative aims to ll this gap. The ollowing case study is one in a growing ser
that details the work o Equator Prize winners – vetted and peer-reviewed best practices in community-based environmenconservation and sustainable livelihoods. These cases are intended to inspire the policy dialogue needed to take local succ
to scale, to improve the global knowledge base on local environment and development solutions, and to serve as models
replication. Case studies are best viewed and understood with reerence to ‘The Power o Local Action: Lessons rom 10 Years
the Equator Prize’, a compendium o lessons learned and policy guidance that draws rom the case material.
Click on the map to visit the Equator Initiative’s searchable case study database.
EditorsEditor-in-Chie: Joseph Corcoran
Managing Editor: Oliver HughesContributing Editors: Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Erin Lewis, Whitney Wilding
Contributing WritersEdayatu Abieodun Lamptey, Erin Atwell, Toni Blackman, Jonathan Clay, Joseph Corcoran, Larissa Currado, Sarah Gordon, Oliver Hughe
Wen-Juan Jiang, Sonal Kanabar, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Rachael Lader, Patrick Lee, Erin Lewis, Jona Liebl, Mengning Ma,
Mary McGraw, Gabriele Orlandi, Juliana Quaresma, Peter Schecter, Martin Sommerschuh, Whitney Wilding, Luna Wu
DesignOliver Hughes, Dearbhla Keegan, Matthew Konsa, Amy Korngiebel, Kimberly Koserowski, Erin Lewis, John Mulqueen, Lorena de la Pa
Brandon Payne, Mariajosé Satizábal G.
AcknowledgementsThe Equator Initiative acknowledges with gratitude the MESCOT Initiative, and in particular the guidance and inputs o Rosli Hj Jukra
and Zazarita Badrun. All photo credits courtesy o www.mescot.org/ and www.acebook.com/media/albums/?id=1442890723142
Maps courtesy o CIA World Factbook and Wikipedia.
Suggested CitationUnited Nations Development Programme. 2012. MESCOT, Malaysia. Equator Initiative Case Study Series. New York, NY.
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 3/12
PROJECT SUMMARYMESCOT works in orest rehabilitation, ecotourism, and
invasive species eradication to improve livelihood options
or the community o Batu Puteh, in the Lower Kinabatangan
region o Malaysia. This area has been documented as a site
o mega-biodiversity due to its concentration o lowland
wildlie, particularly large mammals and primates.
One o MESCOT’s key projects has been eradicating the
invasive Salvinia molesta. In 2001, oods introduced
the species into Tungog Lake, used by the Batu Puteh
community or shing: within 16 months, the lake wascompletely covered. MESCOT mobilized a vast volunteer
eort in 2005 to remove the weeds rom the surace and
bottom o this endangered reshwater habitat. Revenues
rom ecotourism have unded ongoing eradication eorts.
KEY FACTS
EQUATOR PRIZE WINNER: 2004
FOUNDED: 1996
LOCATION: Sabah state, Malaysia
BENEFICIARIES: Village o Batu Puteh, Kinabatangan
BIODIVERSITY: Forest, foodplain, and acquatic ecosystem
3
MESCOTMalaysia
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Background and Context 4
Key Activities and Innovations 6
Biodiversity Impacts 8
Socioeconomic Impacts 9
Sustainability 10
Replication 11
Partners 11
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 4/12
4
he Kinabatangan River ows out o Borneo’s mountains in theMalaysian State o Sabah. Its upper reaches wind through thick
ungle, sparsely inhabited and rich in biodiversity. The lower
Kinabatangan slows signicantly, carving out the landscape into a
meandering oodplain. The area orms the agricultural heartland
Sabah. Lining the oodplain is a remarkable diversity o orests –
lluvial, resh water swamp, lowland dipterocarp, heath, peat swamp
nd limestone. Because o this high diversity o orest types, there
s a corresponding richness in diversity o habitats or ora and
auna. The Lower Kinabatangan has been documented on many
ccasions as a site o mega-biodiversity and stands out due to its
igh concentrations o lowland wildlie, particularly large mammals
nd primates. All ten species o Bornean primates are ound in the
rea, including orang-utan and proboscis monkeys. So too, nine out eleven hornbill species that can be ound on Borneo – such as the
hinoceros hornbill, helmeted hornbill and the rare wrinkled hornbill
can be ound in Lower Kinabatangan. Other rare birds, extremely
are in act, include the Storm’s Stork, Bornean Bristlehead, and Argus
heasant. The area is also one o the ew remaining habitats o the
orneo pigmy elephant.
Environmental threats in Lower Kinabatangan
or hundreds o years, the indigenous Orang Sungai people o
he Lower Kinabatangan have relied on these orests or their
ood, medicine, livelihoods and wellbeing. Their lives changed
ramatically rom the 1960s onward, however, with the introduction large-scale extractive industries and mechanized tree-elling
apacity. The introduction o commercial orestry and international
mber demands had deleterious eects on the landscape and the
ocal population. Huge tracts o land were deorested, in the process
liminating unique ecosystems and biodiversity ound nowhere
lse on the planet. The wholesale reorientation o local economies
o accommodate commercial orestry also created dependence on
n unsustainable extractive industry. As wide tracts o land were
onverted or agriculture, large numbers o the local population
were orced into illegal timber and wildlie poaching to make a living.
Roots o community-based conservation eorts The Model Ecologically Sustainable Community Conservation
Tourism (MESCOT) Initiative evolved in 1996 in the communi
Batu Puteh, later orming KOPEL Bhd., a village-based cooper
enterprise designed to coordinate conservation and commu
based ecotourism activities. Since its inception, MESCOT
provided local and indigenous communities with altern
livelihood options, while at the same time protecting the last ves
o rainorest and indigenous culture that remained in the re
Early in the project’s genesis, ecotourism was identied as a v
economic option capable o improving local incomes, increasing
economic value o the remaining standing orests, and attra
unds to support the protection and restoration o the surrounwetland orests and wildlie.
Batu Puteh is made up o ve villages – Mengaris, Perpaduan, P
Singga Mata, and Batu Puteh proper. The community is notewo
or several reasons, not least o which because it is compl
surrounded by the 45-square kilometer Supu Forest Reserve – un
in containing six distinctly dierent lowland orest types – and
Kinabatangan Wildlie Sanctuary. Local community members
all ve villages were project pioneers, including a large numb
unemployed or underemployed youth.
Beyond ecotourism
MESCOT has the stated objective o empowering local peop
take responsibility or rainorest conservation, while at the s
time providing them with training opportunities, productive
development, and income generation options. Awareness-ra
is also a central objective; sensitizing the local population
global community writ large to the drivers o biodiversity loss i
wetland habitats o Lower Kinabatangan, as well as the imper
o supporting conservation eorts. And indeed habitat conserva
is a motivating catalyst or MESCOT work. It aims to restore m
than 1,000 hectares o wildlie corridors to provide a habit
Background and Context
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 5/12
55
nbroken canopy cover or the wildlie within neighbouring orest
eserves, including threatened primate species such as the orang-
tan. Along these same lines, MESCOT is working to clear an invasive
pecies o water weed, Salvinia molesta, rom the reshwater aquatic
cosystems o the Kinabatangan wetlands; an invasive species that
s endangering the reshwater aquatic ecosystems and wildlie in the
ungog Lake.
n the early days o the MESCOT initiative, ecotourism developmentwas a singular and primary objective. The scope o their work was
roadened in 1998, however, when drought-induced res ravaged
he orests surrounding the villages o Batu Puteh. A voluntary
roup rom MESCOT was assembled to support in ghting these
res. In the atermath, MESCOT decided to adopt the rehabilitation
degraded wetland orest ecosystems, shrinking habitats, and
ritical wildlie corridors as central pillars o their work. This was,
t the time, a ground-breaking decision, as relatively little was
nown about the complex oodplain ecosystems and orest types
the area. Ever since, orest restoration has developed into a core
ctivity o MESCOT. Also born rom re-ghting eorts in 1998 was
a partnership with the Sabah Forestry Department, which has s
expanded to include collaboration in protecting the Pin-Supu F
Reserve, biological monitoring and evaluation, awareness rai
tree planting, and silviculture treatment.
Birth o KOPEL cooperative, 2003
In 2002, a number o previously disparate community tou
groups launched through MESCOT undertook a consultprocess and decided to combine orces into a single comm
tourism cooperative. It took a ull year o meetings, dialogue
preparation plans or KOPEL to be registered as a cooperativ
2003. The cooperative retained the original community grou
distinct administrative units, while MESCOT retained responsibi
or driving the overall program, maintaining community sup
coordinating tourism activities between groups, training villa
as guides, accountants, and maintenance sta, accounting
nances, and providing communications support.
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 6/12
6
Key Activities and Innovations
his community-based cooperative operates with the understandinghat alternative income generation options are necessary or the
ommunity to halt unsustainable pressure on orang-utan and other
wildlie habitats. Economic incentives are essential. They are not,
owever, sufcient on their own to instill a conservation ethic or to
onserve and restore ecosystems and biodiversity. This is why, above
nd beyond a ocus on livelihoods creation – primarily through
cotourism ventures – MESCOT activities also ocus on awareness-
aising and orest restoration.
Community-based ecotourism
hat said, the primary activity o MESCOT rom which all other
ctivities are born (and unded) is ecotourism. With ve dierentypes o oodplain orest, 208 species o birds, 10 primate species,
orang-utan, gibbons, clouded leopards, otters, sun bears, ying
zards, and a plethora o other wildlie, the surrounding orests
ave all the appeal and attraction necessary to sustain ecotourism
operations. MESCOT’s primary outpost or ecotourism is the
ungog Rainorest Eco Camp. It oers an exceptional platorm or
ow-impact wildlie and bird watching, more than 18 kilometers
o trails, a number o tree hides, swamp orest boardwalks, and
en live-in observation platorms. Guides rom the local villages o
atu Puteh look ater visitors and arrange or activities such as river
rips, cave visits, specialist wildlie and bird observation, and orest
onservation activities such as seed collection and tree planting.
rekking to satellite camps is also an option, which combines wildlieracking and orest restoration. Environmental conservation and
ducation activities are arranged or student groups and or amilies
isiting with children.
Forest and habitat restoration
As has been mentioned, another priority MESCOT activity is orest
nd habitat restoration. The cooperative has been carrying out this
imension o its work since 1999, ollowing serious droughts and
widespread orest res in 1998, which mirrored a similarly destructive
series o events rom 1983. Studies quoted by the community shoalmost zero natural regeneration or nearly two decades ollo
the orest res o 1983. With a vision o taking orest restoration
their own hands, MESCOT began with experimental activitie
swamp and ooded orest restoration. Based on the success o t
interventions, MESCOT has since expanded its activities in this
pioneering a number o restoration techniques (such as the bla
liberation o vines and weed grasses) and planting over 100
trees in our oodplain orest types.
The oundation o MESCOT tree planting eorts is a tree nu
which cultivates both endemic tree species, as well as ruit-bea
trees. MESCOT uses local knowledge o native tree species
orest ruits, and mobilizes members o the local communitseasonal seed gathering expeditions. Seeds are gathered rom
surrounding oodplains. Some targeted trees only bear ruit
a year, while others ruit sporadically at dierent times o the
As such, seed collection takes place throughout the year o
ongoing basis. Whatever happens to be in season makes its way
the MESCOT tree nursery to be processed and germinated. N
germinated seeds are then careully moved into soil-lled plan
bags. Trees are nurtured in the nursery or our to six months b
being transported to orest sites or planting. Site prepar
includes the de-vining and weeding o planting sites, somet
up to three rounds beore planting. Young trees are hand-carri
baskets to planting sites. The trees are monitored monthly or the
12 months, ater which monitoring is reduced to once every tmonths. A core team coordinates operations o the tree nursery
much is achieved through the enthusiasm and energy o volunt
Students and school children are also engaged in various aspec
the nursery activities.
When MESCOT began its orest restoration eorts, external ex
advised that one-meter rows be cut into the vine thicket ab
the planted trees. Ater only three months, the planting lines w
no longer distinguishable, with the planted trees smothere
a canopy o vines, climbing grasses and bamboo. To counter
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 7/12
7
MESCOT pioneered a ‘blanket liberation’ approach to de-vining,
which has allowed saplings to eectively germinate and survive
he rst inant years o growth. Subsequent studies have shown
hat, or every one tree MESCOT planted, more than ten trees
ave regenerated naturally. Over the last ten years, MESCOT has
lanted more than 100,000 trees, the majority o which are ast-
rowing pioneer species such as Mytrogyna sp and Nauclea spp,
which produce leaves, owers and ruit. These species are also ast
eplenishing a robust orest canopy, needed to shade out weedines, to support seed-bearing birds and animals, and to aid in the
egeneration o a ‘climax orest’. Certain tree species have also been
elected or replanting purposes based on the ruit they provide or
ndemic wildlie, such as orang-utans and hornbills. Favorites o the
rang-utan which t this bill and which are cultivated by MESCOT
nclude Dracontomelon sp, Artocarpus sp, Garcinia sp, Diospyros sp,
Canarium sp, and Ficus sp. To date, 23 species o trees have been
rialed and are being planted on a large-scale or various purposes.
ake restoration; invasive species eradication
Another core activity or MESCOT is lake restoration, or, more
pecically, clearing the harmul water weed Salvinia molesta. This
nvasive alien species, a water ern which is reported to have been
ntroduced in the early 1990s, suocates the wetlands and waterways
eastern Sabah and has enguled the Lower Kinabatangan. The
overage and impact o this invasive species is remarkable: the weed
oubles in size every three days. In a matter o two short decades,
alvinia molesta has transormed once pristine lakes, reshwater
wamps and tributaries into estering sludge pits, smothering and
hoking the ragile wetland habitats. And, much to the dismay o
Batu Puteh residents, oods in 2001 introduced Salvinia mo
into Tungog Lake, the village’s traditional shing grounds. With
months, the 18 hectare oxbow lake was completely covered. MES
has invested energy and resources since in removing the w
rom the surace and bottom o this endangered reshwater hab
revisiting on a monthly basis to ensure it does not re-accumu
Revenues rom ecotourism ventures are used to pay a team o
week every month it takes to keep Salvinia molesta at bay. This t
has pioneered a ‘sawak’ method, in which Salvinia regrowth is neand then dumped on the orest oor at strategically ident
locations on the ringe o Tungog Lake, where it takes between
months to decompose.
Direct and indirect benefciaries
The primary beneciaries o MESCOT are the villages o Mukim,
Puteh, and Kinabatangan. When the initiative began, only 5 per
o the local population were engaged in MESCOT activities.
number has grown exponentially to over 60 percent. This initia
has achieved major advancements in the empowerment o
and indigenous peoples, ecologically sustainable developm
the combination o local with scientic knowledge in silvicu
or lowland orests, and the restoration o critical orang-
habitat. The ground-breaking work o MESCOT in determining
appropriate species types, their seasonality, ruiting behav
and nursery propagation, has contributed much to the ov
knowledge o orestry in Sabah as well as to reorestation e
MESCOT has supplied tree seedlings and other technology
accumulated experience directly to other partners or research
restoration activities.
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 8/12
8
Impacts
BIODIVERSITY IMPACTSOne o the clearest biodiversity impacts o the MESCOT project
has been the reorientation o the local economy away rom illegal
imber harvesting and poaching to sustainable, low environmental
mpact ecotourism. With the introduction o commercial logging,
he local population and the local economy had become entirely
dependent on an industry that was steadily and switly removing
arge swaths o standing rainorest and, with it, the region’s unique
biodiversity. So too, an inormal economy o illegal logging and
poaching emerged in which the local population, with little to no
viable livelihood options, was orced to go outside the boundaries
o the law to make ends meet. Unemployment in the region had
been high, and alternative income streams were hard to come by.
By introducing a viable livelihood option in the orm o ecotourism,
MESCOT successully recongured the local economy towards
n environmentally-riendly revenue generator and away rom
predominating, singular view o available local development
options, which had until that point been quite short-sightedly
mited to land conversion.
Reorestation impacts
MESCOT has also been successul in restoring degraded orest
and, thereby reintroducing conditions or local biodiversity to
hrive. This has been particularly true or the endemic orang-utanpopulations, whose habitat has been saeguarded. Local community
members rom Batu Puteh have been involved in researching and
mapping orest resources, both or conservation purposes and
o distinguish key eatures with potential or eco-tourists. This
participatory mapping and restoration planning has increased local
wareness and knowledge o the region’s biological wealth, and
mproved local understanding about the impacts o orest loss and
ecosystem depletion on health, livelihoods and wellbeing. Through
ts reorestation program, MESCOT has planted over 100,000
rees in the degraded resh water swamp orest. Oversight and
maintenance o a highly productive tree nursery has also enaMESCOT to contribute to a range o orest rehabilitation pro
across Lower Kinabatangan, as the cooperative has becom
recognized and relied-upon provider o seeds and tree sapling
too, the organization has become a much coveted source o reg
knowledge on orest ecology, invasive alien species, and ruit
behaviour.
MESCOT continues to identiy and pilot new tree specie
propagation and planting. Through its phenological monitoring
cooperative has piloted three new tree species: Colona serrati
Durio graveolens and Dipterocarpus aplanatus. Colona serratio
Mangkapon) is a common pioneer species that eectively colo
burnt orests. Durio graveolens is a wild durian ruit tree, previo
common throughout the oodplain and a avorite o end
primate species. Although this species grows at comparatively
rates, it is considered essential to the mix o a robust and unctio
orest ecosystem. Dipterocarpus is now very rare within
oodplain orests, though these trees once constituted a large
o the orest cover. Fruit rom this particular genus are very dif
to obtain due to its rare and sporadic ruiting cycles, occurring
every seven to ten years.
From invasive species to organic ertilizer
Equally important in terms o biodiversity impacts has MESCOT’s work in clearing the invasive alien weed species, Sal
molesta. These water weeds were ‘introduced’ to the region in
1990s, spilled over into the Tungog Lake ollowing oods in 2
and have since been choking the wetland and aquatic ecosys
o the Lower Kinabatangan. Tungog Lake, which was traditio
used by the local community or small-scale shing, was cov
and suocated by the water ern. MESCOT has engaged in wha
only be described as a liberation campaign to ree the lake and
surrounding wetlands rom the grasp o this invasive species.
concerted year-long eort in 2005 cleared the surace and bo
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 9/12
o the lake, and these gains have been maintained through monthly
clearing activities. Fish have returned to restored areas o the lake
n greater numbers. Additionally, MESCOT has successully piloted a
echnique o using the vast amount o removed organic material as
a ertilizer in the surrounding orest.
SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS
The introduction o ecotourism in Batu Puteh has opened doors
or the local people. First and oremost, the homestay program
and eco-camp site have provided employment and direct income
o an unemployed or underemployed population. The Batu Puteh
Community Ecotourism Cooperative combines village-level
associations such as the Miso Walai Homestay Program, Wayon
Tokou Nature Guide Association, Mayo do Talud Boat Service, Tulun
Tokou Handicrats, and the MESCOT Culture Group. Taken together,
hese groups have advanced a viable business model capable o
ustaining the local population and unding conservation activities.
ncome generation and job creation
As an example, in its rst year o operation, the homestay program
generated over RM 70,000 (Malaysian ringgit), in its second year over
RM 80,000, and in its third year over RM 104,000. In a community where
average per capita income ranges between RM 3,600 and RM 9,600
per year, this income stream is both signicant and transormative.
MESCOT also directly employs 30 people on a salaried basis, and over
00 on a rotational, part-time basis. Additionally, the cooperative
upports 20 amilies in the homestay program, 60 people involved
n the village boat services, 10 nature guides, 30 elders and youth in
the village culture group, which ocuses on ethno-tourism, and
coordinators. The local community has also beneted rom tra
and capacity building in educational programming, bus
management skills, guide services, communications and marke
and interpretations services.
Rotating und; volunteer contributions
Notably, MESCOT has also established a rotating community
which is replenished through a set percentage o tourist reven
The und has averaged growth o RM 9,000 per year, and in
stood at over RM 25,000 (around USD 8,200). The und is use
oer micro-credit loans to community members, who have m
investments in water and sanitation services, sustainable electr
and roong. More broadly, revenues rom ecotourism activities
been used to support ofce and administrative costs, coordina
and management o business and conservation activitie
the ground, boats, storage inrastructure, and the tree nur
Importantly, ecotourism revenues are reinvested into orestwetland restoration equipment and activities.
The cooperative also maintains a volunteer and youth program
support with silviculture, seed collection, maintenance o plan
materials and the nursery, and tree planting. Engaging tourists
volunteer conservation and orest restoration program has pr
highly successul, tapping into an interest rom visitors to not
invest their tourist dollars, but to also invest their own en
manpower, and to quite literally lend a hand in orest and ha
protection. To date, more than 300 volunteers have been invo
in MESCOT conservation and reorestation activities.
9
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 10/12
10
Sustainability and Replication
SUSTAINABILITYhe primary indicators used by MESCOT to gauge their sustainability
re the number o tourist visitors and, among those, the number
repeat visitors. Visitor arrivals have steadily increased since the
roject began, and the number o repeat visitors is promising.
evenues have also increased over each year o operation, and are
einvested into the community through the rotating community
und, conservation activities, and trainings.
he initiative is also socially and culturally sustainable, with a
igh level o acceptance and ownership by the local indigenous
ommunity. One example o how this has been accomplished is thetrict code o conduct or tourists visiting the region. The cultural
nd environmental sensitivity and distinctiveness o the region
re communicated to visitors well in advance o their trip. This has
empowered the local community to take pride in local ecosystem
in their traditional culture, and has eectively mitigated a neg
response rom the community to any perceived intrusivene
incursion by tourists. MESCOT established a powerul precede
this regard by undertaking an inventory and documentation o
history and traditional knowledge – particularly as it may app
orest resources – beore the ecotourism venture began. This s
o respect and reverence has served to oster a revival in local int
o traditional knowledge and the culture associated with it.
The ull and direct participation o community members in MES
decision-making and strategic planning has been an esse
element o its sustainability and longevity. This participationsustained the cooperation and trust necessary or ongoing colle
action, and enabled a united ront in the community’s pursu
environmental, economic and cultural regeneration. The MES
Fig. 1: Growth of MESCOT ecotourism volume and revenue (2000-2009)
EFT: Total ecotourism volume (2000-2009) RIGHT: Ecotourism revenue (USD) (2000-2009) Source: MESCOT, 2010
176
2943
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
2000 20 01 2002 20 03 2004 20 05 2 006 20 07 2 008 2009
0
100,000
200,000
300,000
400,000
500,000
600,000
700,000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 11/12
1111
model is successul only and unequivocally because o the energy
nvested by community members, oten on a voluntary basis. While
he organization retains ull-time sta, program activities succeed
r ail based on the contributions o a peripheral core o part-time
elp. This organizational cohesion is attributable to working with
ore interest groups; planning work that has realistic but ambitious
bjectives; studying and understanding local capabilities, strengths,
esources and limitations; establishing a charter o internal rules and
egulations governing local activities and resource use; and carryingut community consultations or adaptive learning, to understand
what is working and what is not.
REPLICATION
number o other communities across the island o Borneo have
equested MESCOT’s expertise on orest restoration, and have actively
ought to replicate the program model. For example, a number o
illages in the region o Abai have requested support in starting a
milar project, also ocusing on ecotourism, but with some needed
daptations to the orest restoration dimension. A similar request
as come rom the Penan community in Sarawak. The cooperative
as also received a number o requests rom various levels o
overnment to support in the replication o the project. Toward this
nd o sharing best practice and lessons learned, MESCOT provides
ractical demonstrations and knowledge exchanges or interested
ommunities and government ofcials. MESCOT is also represented
n a number o regional and state committees or community
evelopment and conservation, where it plays an advisory role.
PARTNERS
MESCOT began based on partnership with the World Wildlie Fund
WWF), the Ministry o Tourism, Culture and Environment, the Sabah
orestry Department, and the Kinabatangan District Ofce. In 1996,ndividuals rom the Batu Puteh community approached WWF or
upport. At the time, WWF was supporting the Ministry o Tourism,
ulture and Environment to gazette an area o Lower Kinabatangan
s the Kinabatangan Wildlie Sanctuary. WWF agreed to sponsor
xperts to consult with the community on tourism planning,
ommunity mobilizing, undraising, and business development.
WWF-Norway then provided unds or the initial pilot project
which ultimately cemented the MESCOT group within the Batu
uteh community. These start-up unds were used to purchase
quipment or easibility studies, orest research, training programs,
xposure trips and educational visits, and, importantly, village-level
workshops and consultations. The Ministry o Tourism Culture and
nvironment was the lead government agency supporting MESCOT.upport came in the orm o community training on operating the
omestay, inspections and registration, and, later, an invitation to
t on the State Homestay Development Committee and support
he development o homestay programs in other villages across
he state. Less tangible support came in the orm o credibility and
egitimacy. A similar role was adopted by the Kinabatangan District
Ofce, the head o development in the Lower Kinabatangan region.
upport came in the orm o institutional support, endorsement,
romotion and inormation sharing. A number o other key partners
re listed below:
The Sabah Forestry Department : SFD has been a primary
essential collaborator rom the very beginning o the initia
Support has been extended in the orm o ofce space, compu
telecommunications, approval o orestry research and restora
activities in the Supu Forest Reserve, technical support in map
and tree species identication, approval o occupational permit
the eco-tourism camp, and seed separation support through
Sabah Forest Research Centre.
Land Empowerment Animals People (LEAP): This international NGO
been the key bridging organization with external unding, provi
essential institutional support or the transer and administra
o unds or wetland rainorest restoration. Additional support
been provided through the acilitation o village level dialogues
workshops.
Shell Sabah Petroleum: SSP provided a seed grant to initiate the
stages o the eco-camp, drating o the ormal development pla
well as the purchase o materials and construction o the rst
buildings.
Alexander Abraham Foundation: AAF is the main sponsor o wet
and orest habitat restoration work, with some work co-spons
by American Forests. Support has been provided or lake and aq
habitat restoration, as well as the restoration o critical wil
corridors.
Arcus Foundation: The oundation has been integral in unding
physical construction o the eco-camp.
Adventure Tour Companies: Among the noted tour and exped
companies supporting MESCOT are Outlook Expeditions (w
supplies school groups), Camp Borneo (also a supplier o sc
groups), and Rakuno Gakuen University. Other large internati
companies initiating programs with MESCOT include Exo
Travel, Intrepid Travel, Geckos Travel, JISCO Travel and Imagin
Traveller, all o whom run short adventure holidays, with a ocu
responsible tourism.
7/22/2019 Case Studies UNDP: MESCOT, Malaysia
http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/case-studies-undp-mescot-malaysia 12/12
Equator Initiative
Environment and Energy GroupUnited Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
304 East 45th Street, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10017
Tel: +1 646 781 4023
www.equatorinitiative.org
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is the UN’s global development network, advocating or change
onnecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better lie.
The Equator Initiative brings together the United Nations, governments, civil society, businesses and grassroots organizati
o recognize and advance local sustainable development solutions or people, nature and resilient communities.
©2012 by Equator Initiative
All rights reserved
Click the thumbnails below to read more case studies like this:
FURTHER REFERENCE
MESCOT website http://www.mescot.org/
ESCAP Tourism Review, Managing Sustainable Tourism Development http://www.equatorinitiative.org/images/stories/2004win
MESCOT/managingsustainabletourism.pd
Ngece, Kunga. 2002. Community Based Ecotourism: What can the people o East Arica learn rom success stories elsewhere? , East A
Ecotourism Development and Conservation Consultants. http://cbnrm.net/pd/nicholas_kn_001_ecotourismpaper.pd