Medicinal Plants Used by Kadazandusun Communities Around Crocker Range
Fasihuddin B. Ahmad and Ghazally Ismail

Abstract
A brief account of 50 plant species used by the Kadazandusun communities living around the Crocker range Sabah, Malaysia is presented here. It is interesting to note the commonality between plants used to treat specific ailments by the Kadazandusun communities here and other indigenous communitiesof Borneo as previously documented by our own studies. The plants include those used for treating common afflictions such as minor wounds, skin diseases, diarrhea, fever, coughs and malaria. Among the plant species that seem to appear repeatedly in our documentation of medicinal plants in Borneo are Blumea balsamifera for fever, Cassia alata for skin diseases, Centella asiatica for stomachache, Gendarusa vulgaris for general malaise, Nicotiana tabacum as insect repellent, Psidium guajava for diarrhoea, Phyllanthus niruri for malaria, Tinospora crispa for hypertension and Zingiber officinale for rheumatism.

Local Use of Forest Products in Kuyongon, Sabah, Malaysia
 Jacob Andersen, Christina Nilsson, Thomas de Richelieu, Herdis Fridriksdottir, Januarius Gobilick, Ole Mertz and Quentin Gausset

Abstract
This article examines the use of forest products in Kuyongon, Sabah, Malaysia. An interdisciplinary approach of this study has enable scientific identification of the forest products and a mean­ingful assessment of the importance of these products in terms of subsistence and income generation. The article discusses the im­portance of the nearby Crocker Range National Park to the sur­rounding communities as the source of their forest products in re­lation to other forest areas near Kuyongon. Our study showed that forest products are used extensively in the villagers’ daily lives for a wide range of purposes; especially as wild vegetables, firewood and for construction and handicrafts. For most households, the in­come from forest products is small but for low-income groups, this could be appreciably substantial. The majority of forest products are collected at different stages of the secondary forest regenera­tion and this can explain the need for long periods of fallow in between shifting cultivation so as to allow growth of harvestable forest products required by the villagers. The Crocker Range Na­tional Park is however not a widely used gathering site for most of the villagers, with the exception of an occasional use for hunting and collection of special products.

Forest Plant as Vegetables for Communities bordering the Crocker Range National Park
 Tonga Noweg, Abdul Rashid Abdullah and Dimbab Nidang

ABSTRACT
The Kadazandusun and Murut communities in the interior parts of Sabah are traditionally dependent upon the forests as a source of food, medicines and building materials. A total of nine villages located along the eastern boundary of the Crocker Range National Park in Keningau and Tenom districts are surveyed for their pattern of utilisation of wild plant resources for food. The investi­gation focuses on types of wild plants commonly harvested as vegetables. Our finding indicates that a large proportion (about 70.6%) of the sample population are involved in collection of wild plants for vegetables. However, only 34.09% of the people surveyed claim that they are dependent on wild sources of vegetables. The survey also indicates that about 82% of house­holds who collect wild vegetable do so solely for their own consumption. However, 18% collected for own consumption and sell the extras in the market. The current rate of harvest of wild vegetables is unlikely to upset the sustainability of the resource, except for that of the wild palms. Although occasional encroach­ment into the park is evident, the current situation can still be accommodated. Most of the species harvested are actually found in secondary forests, which are largely outside the park boundaries.

Land Use and Farming Systems at the Periphery of the Crocker Range National Park Sabah, Malaysia
Dimbab Ngidang, Abdul Rashid Abdullah and Gabriel Tonga Noweg

Abstract
Shifting cultivation which usually employs slash-and-burn farming practice and commonly interwoven with cultural attributes of the Murut and Dusun communities, is now a dying culture. This paper argues that the transformation of this age-old farming system is attributed to both external and internal factors.

Land Tenure in Relation to Crocker Range National Park
Brian Long, Jonas Henriques, Heidi Skov Andersen, Quentin Gausset and Kelvin Egay

Abstract
The establishment of a National Park often caused conflicts be­tween national administrations and local populations when access to forest products and land becomes restricted. These conflicts stemmed from the different definitions of land tenure. What was seen as a legitimate and traditional use for some was seen as an encroachment of property by others. In the Dusun village of Tikolod (Tamhunan district), the Land Tenure Ordinance, based on a secure ownership of land, was slowly replacing the traditional Adat, which used to define the use rights attached to communal land. Villagers have accepted the new rules of the Land Ordinance and have officially applied for titles to all the land available in the area. They have internalised a new definition of property and the fact that land could only exist in a finite quantity. The boundaries of the CRNP are therefore unlikely to he encroached upon for the purpose of cultivation by these communities. However, the Adat would continue to play an important role in defining the land-use strategies of the farmers, both on private land and on state prop­erty, for as long as people continued to practice hunting and gath­ering of non-timber forest products.

Opportunities and Constraints for Agricultural Intensification in Communities Adjacent to the Crocker Range National Park Sabah, Malaysia
Jesper Løvenbalk, Daniel Hjarne, Abdel Aziz Taoutaou, Ole Mertz, Mahamad Dirir, Pernille Malberg Dyg, Kristin Marie Lassen and Michael Sehested

Abstract
Agricultural intensification has high priority in Sabah and through in­terviews in two Dusun communities, Patau and Kuyongan, located close to the Crocker Range National Park, this study analyses their opportunities and constraints for agricultural intensfication. Farming practices are still dominated by shifting cultivation although increased wet rice cultivation, permanent fruit tree plantations and replacement of upland rice with ginger are signs of agricultural intensification. Shortage of labour appears to be a major constraint for intensifying land use inly because of young people engaging in off-farm labour or labour migration. Land tenure is the most crucial issue in Kuyon­gan which is located in a recently gazetted water catchment area and much of the land is therefore not eligible for official titling. Various government agencies or government supported NGOs support agri­cultural intensification with subsidised infrastructure and inputs or credit schemes. However, many schemes have not been successful, probably because the labour and other socio-economic issues are not adequately addressed. Perspectives for intensification in Patau are good, however, whereas they are very uncertain in Kuyongan due to the land tenure situation.

Land Use and Soil Erosion in Tikolod, Sabah, Malaysia
 B. Gregersen, J. Aalbaek, P.E. Lauridsen, M. Kaas, U. Lopdrup, A. Veihe and P. van der Keur

Abstract
Soil erosion and the deterioration of water quality in many river systems of Malaysia is a major concern and can among other things be attributed to deforestation associated with land conver­sion for agricultural purposes. This study looks at the relationship between land use and soil erosion in Tikolod, Sabah. The village has gone through a major transformation because of an increase in population partly caused by migration from Kionop village located within the boundaries of what is today Crocker Range National Park (CRNP). With the use of rapid rural appraisal, an erosion risk assessment using the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and monitoring of river discharge and turbidity, it was possible to investigate the relationship between land use practices and soil erosion in relation to water quality. The study found that farmers did not relate soil erosion to land management but to the rainfall and no explicit soil conservation measures were used. Risk of ero­sion was high on ginger and hill rice fields mainly due to the steep slopes and because no conservation measures were used. It was questionable whether the USLE was valid for plots of 40 degrees slope. Finally, the lack of buffer zones along the river may be the major cause of high turbidity and sediment concentration in the watershed combined with a reduction of the fallow period. It is therefore important that conservation practices are incorporated in future land management to prevent deterioration of water quality.

Tourism as a Development Strategy in Rural Areas adjacent to the Crocker Range National Park Sabah, Malaysia
Louise gai Hjulmand, Uffe Nielsen, Pernille Vesterløkke, Rico Jensen Busk and Emil Erichsen

Abstract
This study explores the economic, social and ecological viability of nature tourism development in the rural areas bordering the Crocker Range National Park, Malaysia. Analyses of the potential market for nature-related tourism and the tourism interests and perceptions among the communities here were carried. Our data revealed that the level of interest in eco-tourism is high among the people living around the CRNP and this is related to the high mar­ket demand from tourists. Local visitors and tourists are found to be aware of the nature attractions and other tourism assets prevailing in the forest areas of the CRNP and are willing to pay for partici­pation in nature-related activities. This can he seen as a tremen­dous opportunity for the people here to generate additional income from promoting and organising nature-related activities for both local and foreign tourists.

Hepatitis B Infection among the Indigenous Communities Living in the Periphery of Crocker Range National Park Sabah
Abdul karim Russ, Viji Thambirajah, Zuridah Hassan and Ghazally Ismail

Abstract
The detection of antibodies to hepatitis B antigen using the im­muno-agglutination method as directed by lmmunoComb II HBs Ag Kit demonstrated 51 of 294 (17.35%) of the indigenous com­munities living in the periphery of Crocker Range Park, Sabah were exposed to hepatitis B. On the other hand, 118 of 260 (45.38%) serum samples showed reactivity for antibody against HBs antigen when tested using the ELISA method as specified by Abott ELISA (AUSZYME) Kit. When compared against the more sensitive ELISA method, only 22 of 51 (43.14%) of the agglutina­tion reactive sera demonstrated high ELISA titres. Almost all individuals who tested positive for hepatitis B antigen using ELISA method did not exhibit the disease manifestations commonly asso­ciated with the hepatitis B infection (HBV). These asymptomatic individuals within the communities may potentially serve as an im­portant focal point from which dissemination of hepatitis B to the rest of the indigenous communities living in these highland villages may occur. The study also demonstrates the specificity of the ELISA method in detecting HB antigens compared to the aggluti­nation method that generally tends to give false-positive values due to cross-reacting anti gens found in the samples.

Seroepidemiological Study of Leptospirosis among the Indigenous Communities Living in the Periphery of Crocker Range National Park Sabah, Malaysia
Abdul Karim Russ, Isam El Jali, Abdul Rani Bahaman, Andrew Alex Tuen and Ghazally Ismail

Parasitic Infections in Human Communities Living on the Fringes of the Crocker Range Park Sabah, Malaysia
A. Nor Aza and S. Ashley and J. Albert

Abstract
Most of the parasites that occurred during this survey are Giardia lamblia, Ascaris sp, hookworms and Trichuris trichiura. One hundred and fifty stool samples were collected from seven villages. Samples were diagnosed by direct preparation and formol ether concentration technique. The prevalence rate for intestinal protozoan were Entamoeba histolytica 21.0%, Giardia lamblia 8.6% and Entamoeba coli only 3.3%. The prevalence rate for soil-transmitted helminths were Trichuris trichiura 10.0%, Ascaris lumbricoides 8.7% and hookworm 3.3%. The age group 11-20 years old had the highest rate of infection with both helminths and protozoa.

The Relationship between Hostility and Coronary Heart Disease in Highland and Urban Population of Sabah: A Comparative Study
C.T. Chang and K.H. Chang

Abstract
Our study attempted to establish a correlation between living in a conducive environment such as the highland of Crocker Range Sabah with the individual’s affective component of hostility and predisposition to coronary heart disease (CHD). Our preliminary survey appeared to suggest that highland individuals with high level of hostility experienced fewer episodes of stress as compared with hostile individuals in the urban area. Each individual inter­preted and coped with stress differently. Our result also showed that the ways these two groups of hostile individuals handled their stress differed and urban hostile individuals tended to handle their stress by engaging high-risk health behaviours. Although this finding appeared to suggest that conducive environment and good social support may have a buffering effect on an individual’s hos­tiliiy, further large scale study is needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Twenty-Seven Base Pair Deletion of Band 3 Gene: Its Prevalence among Indigenous People of Crocker Range Sabah, Malaysia
A.E.R. Soosay

Abstract
Southeast Asia Ovalocytosis (SAO) is a hereditaty hemolytic ane­mia caused by a 27 base-pairs deletion in band 3 gene of the pa­tient. The EPB3 gene encodes band 3 of the red cell membrane and ovalocytic erythrocytes have been shown to be rigid and resistant to invasion in vitro by Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium knowlesi. A survey was undertaken to determine the prevalence of this specific mutation in a group of indigenous Kadazandusun population living in the vicinities of the Crocker Range National Park Sabah, Malaysia. The study took advantage of the fact that PCR product of the normal gene fractionates at 175-bp while the mutant gene yields a product size of 148-bp. The study failed to detect the 27-bp deletion in the band 3 gene in all of the samples processed to date. Possible reasons for this detection failure was discussed.