Borneo Beauty: A Clouded Leopard Sighted In The Jungles Of Borneo. Picture:Courtesy Of WWF-Canon-Alain Compost

Bandar Seri Begawan - Sustaining the ambitious Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative lies in no small measure in the development of capacity within each member country.

Speaking to The Brunei Times yesterday, Heart of Borneo Network Initiative Leader from the WWF (World Wildlife Fund), Adam J Tomasek said that progress will hinge on local capacity building to provide the next group of leaders, with education playing a vital role in moulding them.

"Without a doubt, the sustainability of the Heart of Borneo initiative is going to require leadership," said Tomasek, who pointed out that in any scenario, without the people in place to carry on the vision, progress may not be forthcoming. "What we should focus on is progress, and that requires local capacity," he stressed.

For Tomasek, it is one of the most important issues that needs to be addressed one which is also shared by Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia and Indonesia.

"When you look at what the three countries have agreed to do together, they have all agreed that capacity development is one of the most important issues," said Tomasek.

The WWF official pointed out that "everything from education approaches within primary schools and secondary schools" as well as making sure that the University curriculums "have a focus on, not just environmental issues, but sustainability issues".

"Entire curriculum and disciplines of academia have to change to provide future leadership with tomorrow's challenges," he said.

While there are no concrete plans set in place, Tomasek mentioned that a brief meeting with Universiti Brunei

Darussalam (UBD) and the Ministry of Industry of Primary Resources resulted in further recognition that collective progress must be made, with UBD already committed to developing the next echelon of leaders.

"I think it is an intriguing area of cooperation for the three countries, and one that the international community from a development perspective is very interested in," he said, before adding that it goes beyond philanthropy and is actual developing of capacity and human resources within a country.

One potential platform to facilitate this according to Tomasek, was a proposed forum, where "a meeting of the minds from the major universities", where experts from UBD, the universities in Malaysia and Indonesia, can "bring the thought leaders together where they can discuss regional ways of building that capacity".-- Courtesy of The Brunei Times

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