• Environment

Can Sabah build roads without losing forests?

KOTA KINABALU: 27 September 2026

How can Sabah build roads for growth without cutting off its wildlife?

That question drove a workshop in Kota Kinabalu, where government, scientists and civil society agreed environmental evidence must enter road planning before routes and budgets are locked.

The workshop, by Institute for Development Studies (Sabah) (IDS) and the Humans, Habitats and Highways (3H) Coalition of 10 civil society groups, gathered almost 60 participants.

The gap is critical. By the time biodiversity data reaches planners, alignments are often finalised.

Key agencies including State Economic Planning Unit, Sabah Maju Jaya Secretariat, Environment Protection Department, Lands and Surveys Department and Sabah Forestry Department shared where the system allows or blocks early input.

Tawai Lessons for Next Highway

Efforts to keep the Pan Borneo Highway out of Tawai Forest Reserve ultimately failed, said chief executive facilitator of Forever Sabah Cynthia Ong.

We want our rigorous evidence to contribute during planning, not after budget and design are set, she said.

Scientists said Tawai offers lessons that can save the next stretch.

It is not too late for Kalabakan-Maliau for Phase 3, said professor of Cardiff University and director of Danau Girang Field Centre Prof Benoit Goossens. Alignment and budget are not finalised. There is still time to ensure the road respects nature and people.

A study by Seratu Aatai and Danau Girang Field Centre, supported by Yayasan Hasanah and Ministry of Finance, tracked elephants before and during Tawai construction.

Three elephants we monitored – one male, two females – moved out during early construction, said senior lecturer at Universiti Malaysia Sabah and director of Seratu Aatai Dr Nurzhafarina Othman. We found concentrated activity that overlaps directly with the highway.

The team has advised against guardrails at key crossings that would block calves. It is low-cost mitigation that only works if engineers get data in time.

Tools already exist, said senior officer of WWF-Malaysia Dr Cheryl Cheah, including the IUCN Handbook to Mitigate Impacts of Roads and Railways on Asian Elephants.

The workshop will produce practical recommendations on when, where and how science must be mandatory in Sabah road planning.

If Sabah wants greener development, we must bring development and biodiversity together from the start, said Dr Nurzhafarina Othman.-HS