COLLABORATION AMONG STAKEHOLDERS FOR HIGHLANDSCONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTINTRODUCTIONHighlands are environmentally sensitive areas. The fragmented administrative and management of highlands resources pose difficulties
for holistic and integrated decision making. Given that many highlands in Malaysia straddle over two or more states, managing them assingle entities would lead towards holistic solutions. Many districts have common boundaries in the highlands, making it necessary to planand manage highlands as integral and physical planning units. As such, the strategy and recommendations presented in the Country
Report are to improve inter-agency and inter-stakeholder collaboration on environmental management, development planning andbiodiversity conservation of the highlands, so as to ensure sustainable economic development.

THE RECOMMENDATION OF BEST PRACTICES FOR COLLABORATION AMONGSTAKEHOLDERS
Local Residents should be educated on environmental conservation.
Local Residents need to be educated on environmental conservation and the importance of sustainable development in thehighlands. The Local residents as key stakeholders should be encouraged to gain further knowledge and detailed understandingof environmental issues. This process would help lead to a change of perception and attitudes towards environmental
conservation and sustainable development in the highlands. Local residents should also be expected to acquire skills in
identifying, preventing and resolving environmental problems. The extend of civic consciousness should be greatly enhanced in
the highlands.

Government decision-makers, officers and administrators should be educated on
environmental conservation.
Government decision makers, officers and administrators should be educated on environmental conservation and management
in order to integrate environment concerns into the decision making and policy making process. Environmental education wouldinclude awareness rising on highlands issues. The Local Authorities are a prime candidate for environmental education, since
they are frontline agencies involved in day-to-day operations. Administrative training programmes should include environmental
education modules to raise awareness.

Environmental awareness and capacity among all stakeholders shall be increased.
Environmental education should be promoted and intensified to enable and encourage all stakeholders to participate in thesustainable development of the highlands. The first step in environmental education is raising awareness. Then stakeholders
would be encouraged to gain further knowledge and understanding of environmental issues and of each stakeholder's role inovercoming the problems. This would lead to a change of perception and attitudes towards environmental conservation andsustainable development, which should then motivate people to actively participate in and continue towards sustainable
development. Individuals and communities should also acquire skills for identifying, preventing and solving environmentalproblems.

The emphasis on environmental education in the schools in the highlands should beincreased.
The Ministry of Education should increase the emphasis on environmental education in the schools in the highlands in order toraise environmental awareness and educate students on the importance of environmental conservation right from a young age.
The Ministry of Education should continue its partnership work with non-governmental organisations to incorporate
environmental education module into the formal education curriculum. Nature education centres in the highlands should be
utilized to expose students to environmental issues unique to the highlands. Teachers and trainers will also need to be trained toteach the environmental subjects and use the teaching aids developed for the purpose. Some NGOs are presently involved in
conducting environment education modules for students and in training teachers to include environmental awareness elementsin the school curriculum.

A systematic slope maintenance programme should be undertaken with emphasis on
early detection and prevention of slope instability problems.
Based on the regular inspection and monitoring slopes, government agencies and private property owners and occupants should
formulate and implement slope maintenance programmes to carry out preventive maintenance of slopes. This is especially
important for slopes which pose risk to the public, such as slopes along main roads and slopes adjacent to densely populatedareas. Its is recommended that the Local Authorities, and Public Works Department (PWD) undertake a systematic slope
maintenance programmes that include:i. establishment of a database of slopes characteristics.
ii. identification and mapping of critical slopes.
iii. regular inspection of all slopes.
iv. establishment of a physical monitoring programme of all critical slopes.
v. a system to disseminate information on slopes to relevant stakeholders including the local community.

Occupants and property owners should be educated on ways to monitor slopes within
their property.
The Local Authorities should educate occupants and property owners on the importance of regularly monitoring slopes within
their properties. Example may be drawn from Hong Kong, where Civil Engineering Department of the Local Government provides
information to the public on ways to inspect slopes and walls within private property. Property owners should be given guides on
early detection of potential slope problems and how to recognise the warning signs of potential slope failure. The public will thenbe able to assist the authorities in monitoring slopes on a wider scale. The public can be further motivated for being informed on
the catastrophe that could befall them should any major slope failure occurs. The Public Works Department could assist byproviding technical advice to the Local Authorities.

An annual essay competition focusing on the highlands should be organised.
It is recommended that a nationwide essay competition focusing on "Sustainable Development in the Malaysian Highlands" beorganised by The Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment. The aim of such an essay competition, which should bedevided into appropriate categories, would be for further knowledge, awareness and interest among the Malaysian public,including school children, in sustainable development.

The role and function of the Nature Education Centres in the Highlands should beenhanced.
The education centres run by the government departments and NGOs should be made to function as a place of informationdissemination and environment awareness for the local community, with an emphasis on targeting students and farmers who
reside in the highlands. In addition, the education centre should be promoted as a stopover for local and foreign tourists.
Exhibits on the ecology and natural attractions of the highlands should be set up and open for public viewing. The education
centre should be a place for visitors to learn about environmental issues through various exhibition units, literature, audiovisual, posters and displays. Nature trail guides and brochures should also be made available to tourists as reference materials
and souvenirs.

The participation of the aborigines (Orang Asli) in all phases of economic development
must be encouraged.
The aborigines should be given sufficient opportunities to be involved in future development, especially those close to theirsettlement. The opportunities could be in the form of employment opportunities, local product development, entrepreneurshipand management of their cultural heritage. The Departments concerned should ensure that there will be efforts to establish,
where appropriate, arrangements to strengthen the participation of the Orang Asli as stakeholders in the formulation of national
policies and programmes relating to resource management.

CONCLUSION
There is at present, no overarching policy or strategy with regard to the land use in highland areas, often resulting in haphazard andecologically insensitive development. Therefore, strategies for the optimal sustainable utilization of the highlands and the resources areessential to guide the development plans for the Main Range as well as the highlands in the rest of the country. In this context, thecurrent situation in Malaysia with regard to highland conservation, has presented the critical need for a holistic and integrated approach todisaster reduction, mitigation and preparedness, which focuses on collaboration among all stakeholders. This would enable a much better
basis for the conservation and management of the highlands environment for sustainable development.

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THE MALAYSIAN EXPERIENCE AND FUTURE DIRECTION
ON DISASTER MANAGEMENTINTRODUCTION
Although Malaysia is geographically located outside the "Pacific Rim of Fire" and is relatively free from any severe ravages destruction
caused by natural disasters such as earthquake, typhoons and volcanic eruptions, nevertheless the country has experienced other types ofnatural disasters such as to monsoon floods, landslides and severe haze. Malaysia also went through several extreme climatic events,
ranging from freaky thunderstorms to monsoonal floods in 2003. Heavy rain caused major flooding in Kuala Lumpur City several time
during the year. The states of Kedah, Penang and Northern Perak were severely hit by worst floods in October 2003. About 22,000
hectares of agricultural lands were submerged, which affected about 13,000 farmers. Loses amounted to about Ringgit Malaysia 17
millions (USD 4.4 millions). Haze caused by open burning of Tran boundary transport of smoke occurred during the dryer period. Thecountry also from time to time, experiences some man-made disasters, which cause considerable damage to properties and loss of lives.
The Government is very concerned about occurrences of such disasters that adversely affect its people. Emphasis is being given todisaster risks reduction and development of disaster management capabilities in the various areas of disaster prevention, mitigation,
response and recovery.

THE AIM
The aim of this Country Paper is to outline and highlight briefly to the 6th ADRC International Meeting & the 3rd ISDR Asian Meeting on
the machinery and mechanism of the current Malaysia's Disaster Management. In addition, the Country Paper also highlights somestrategies for future direction in enhancing disaster management in the country.

THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL SECURITY DIVISION (NSD)
The National Security Division (NSD) is responsible for coordinating activities related to the preparation, prevention, response andhandling of disasters, basically related to natural and technological disasters.

MECHANISM AND MACHINERY IN DISASTER MANAGEMENTThe National Security Council (NSC) Directive No. 20 on "Policy and Mechanism on National Disaster and Relief Management" was issued
on 11th May 1997. The aim of the NSC Directive No. 20, (which is an Executive Order from the Honorable Prime Minister), is to outline thepolicy on Disaster and Relief Management according to the level and complexity of disaster, and to establish the management mechanismwith the purpose of determining the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies involved in handling the disaster.
The handling and resolving of disasters in Malaysia are currently conducted through the Committee System which emphasizes on theconcept of coordination and mobilizations of agencies involved in an integrated and coordinated manner. In this respect, the management
and handling of disaster are undertaken by the Disaster Management and Relief Committee at the Federal, State and District Level
respectively. The Committee as stipulated in the NSC Directive No. 20 ensures that the threat to public safety as well as protection ofproperties are effectively managed and handled.

The Government hopes that with the devisal of disaster management mechanism as reflected in NSC Directive No. 20, the handling andresolving of disaster could be carried out in a more coordinated manner with the integrated involvement and mobilization of related
agencies. All these will in turn ensure that Malaysia has credible disaster management machinery which is able to reduce the suffering andloses of the people in the face of ruthless disasters.

REGIONAL COOPERATION IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT
Regional and sub-regional cooperation in the field of disaster management and preparedness in recognized as very important in the effortto reduce disaster risk and to implement effective mitigation, response and recovery measures. In this respect, Malaysia gives support tothe various regional forums such as the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), theASEAN Regional Haze Task Force as well as the Sub-Regional Fire Fighting Arrangement. Malaysia believes that regional mechanism isneeded to promote exchange of information and sharing of experiences among personnel involved in disaster management in the region.
Such regional cooperation is expected to contribute greatly to disaster reduction efforts and enhance national disaster management
capabilities in the areas of resource mobilization, communication networks, warning systems, forecasting techniques and training.

PROGRAMMES FOR FUTURE DIRECTION
In order to enhance Malaysia's capability in the future course and direction of our disaster management, the country has adopted thefollowing strategies:
1. To integrate mitigation planning into the overall national development plans and projects for sustainable development.
2. To develop risk assessment capabilities, in order to reduce disaster vulnerability which can be translated into mitigation
policies and measures.
3. To form Working Committees involving Lead Agencies in risk analysis and assessment for specific sectors of disasterprevention.
4. To develop an integrated database management system for disaster planning and prevention.
5. To strengthen the existing laws and regulations on the aspect of safety, licensing and enforcement for the protection of
public safety, properties and the environment in disaster preparedness and prevention.
6. To conduct regular educational and community awareness programs in disaster prevention measures, particularly forrisk mitigation strategies.
7. To involve the District and State Disaster Management Committees and authorities in the development, testing andimplementation of the overall emergency response plans, especially on the Industrial Disaster Management System of
the respective industries.
8. To introduce standard safety control at the installations in order to have zero-threat during the occurrence of any
industrial incident, which could affect the nearby population?
9. To promote and develop regional cooperation and networking for exchanging, sharing and training on disastermanagement, as well as cooperation in rendering and receiving of disaster assistance, be it in the form of humanitarianassistance of the dispatch of search and rescue teams.

CONCLUSION
Due to the rapid development in the country, the cost of damage due to disaster is also escalating. Malaysia realized the importance thatthe element of safety must be built into each development project to avoid high casualty and damage to life and property in the event of adisaster. An integrated approach in the various aspects of disaster management involving the various agencies is adopted to achieve
higher efficiency and greater effectiveness. Efforts are being made by the Government to create higher awareness among the people so asto enhance disaster preparedness as well as to build a culture of prevention and Civil Protection/Public Safety in the community. TheGovernment also hopes to enhance its national capabilities in disaster management by the setting up of training facilities and throughrelated activities in cooperation with other countries. Malaysia hopes to create a safer environment for the people through effectivemanagement, risk reduction efforts and sustainable development in the 21st century.

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