~ This allows safe passage for wildlife crossings and provide opportunities to study their movement ~

17 October 2025, KUCHING, Sarawak: World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) welcomes the government’s initiative to integrate green measures such as an environmentally-friendly tunnel into the Sarawak-Sabah Link Road (SSLR) project.

This development showcases both the federal and state governments’ commitment to progress through innovative and environmentally conscious infrastructure. WWF-Malaysia especially commends the initiative and decision to adopt a tunnel route to minimise hill cutting and reduce travel distances — a choice that reflects thoughtful planning and genuine care for both people and nature, said Senior Conservation Director Dr Henry Chan.

“This shows that development and environmental protection can advance hand-in-hand. We hope the tunnel, the first to be built in Sarawak, would prevent or minimise incidents where wildlife, particularly endangered species, become roadkill such as the sad example of the baby elephant killed along the Gerik-Jeli Highway last May,” he said in response to Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Amar Fadillah Yusof’s recent statement, saying that there will be a road tunnel as part of the SSLR project.

The tunnel, being built in the Limbang area of northern Sarawak, will allow for a shorter, more environmentally friendly route. Fadillah was reportedly saying that it would be a major engineering feat due to the hilly terrain in the area. “To avoid cutting through hills and to reduce the distance from 14 or 20 kilometres down to just around seven kilometres, we are using a tunnel. This not only shortens the travel distance but also helps preserve the environment,” the deputy minister said.

Dr Chan noted that this initiative also aligns with Malaysia’s commitment to global sustainability efforts, particularly the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and Sarawak’s Post-COVID19 Development Strategy 2030. It is vital that environmental safeguards, including wildlife crossings, erosion control, and ecological monitoring are systematically embedded in infrastructure planning and implementation.

“By integrating environmental considerations into national infrastructure planning, Sarawak is helping to advance goals related to climate action, sustainable cities, resilient infrastructure, and the conservation of life on land, ensuring that progress benefits both communities and ecosystems.”

In terms of financial losses, Dr Chan said in May, former Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad reported that the country recorded 66,825 human-wildlife complaints between 2020 and December 2024. These complaints including damages to infrastructure and vehicles, as well as loss of biodiversity (mainly large mammals) valued up to around RM46.5 million.

Dr Chan urged all parties involved in the SSLR project to safeguard the state’s environment, natural resources and biodiversity to ensure that the tunnel is sustainable - not only in its end use but also in its construction.

“Where opportunities arise, we hope research and monitoring can be done to assess its impact of avoided environmental degradation and wildlife movement across green linear infrastructure. Such studies would provide valuable insights for others in the future,” he suggested.

“WWF-Malaysia hopes to see more linear infrastructure built on this same vision of green design and environmental stewardship. Projects like this especially in key wildlife areas are good for development and conservation of habitat connectivity and biodiversity,” he said adding that WWF-Malaysia is ready to offer technical expertise on the matter since more roads will be built in the state.

Dr Chan said the Ministry of Works Malaysia, Aurecon Group and WWF-Malaysia had collaborated to mainstream environmental considerations in roads and highway projects. “Together, we advocate for wildlife-friendly linear infrastructures by introducing the training module, Green Roads and Highway: Protecting Biodiversity in 2023 and the Green Budgeting Checklist in 2024.”

In June, it was reported that the Department of Public Works (JKR) Sarawak is currently tasked with implementing 466 infrastructure development projects across the state under the 13th Malaysian Plan. The Deputy Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, revealed that 200 projects have been successfully completed; 178 are slated for tender this year, while 128 are currently under construction.

Striking a balance between development and conservation is not only possible - it’s already underway, with states like Sarawak leading by example. WWF-Malaysia hopes that the first environmentally-friendly tunnel in Sarawak will inspire similar efforts nationwide, ensuring that infrastructure development continues to benefit both people and nature.

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About WWF-Malaysia

World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) was established in 1972 and is part of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the international conservation organisation. Working to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and nature, WWF-Malaysia’s efforts to conserve nature focus on six major themes: forests, oceans, wildlife, food, climate and energy, as well as freshwater. Our mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature.

Find our latest news here: https://www.wwf.org.my/media_and_information/media_centre_and_updates/