Tagal tourism, environmental management and the community

The tagal system is a local and traditional approach to biosphere management in Sabah. It is also known as bombon which means ‘do not’ in Kadazanduusun language. The system has been developed to limit the utilisation of the natural resources in order to ensure the continuous production of aquatic resources, especially, the inland fish. Today, the local community has started to integrate the system into its tourism industry. This paper is about the influence and contribution of the tagal system as a tourism product to the community of Kg. Luanti Baru, Ranau, Sabah. Primary data were collected via a preliminary study at the study area involving field observations and interviews with local key informants. Generally, the study found that this system was capable of functioning as a concrete tourism product in ways that were beneficial in terms of environmental, economic and social development of the local community.