All articles of environment in Sabah

08Nov

‘Diving all year round in Sabah’

SEMPORNA: THE year-long “End in Sipadan” campaign organised by the Tourism and Culture Ministry will not only promote Sabah’s diving trails, but also its local dive operators, said the ministry’s state director, Ag Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar. “The ‘End in Sipadan’ campaign, held in collaboration with Sabah Backpackers Association, began in April and has reached its pinnacle here in Sipadan. “Throughout the journey, we saw our local dive operators doing a great job not just for the tourism industry, but also for the conservation of our reefs,” he said during a press conference in conjunction with the closing of the campaign here recently. He said dive operators in Mari Mari Sepanggar island here and Bum Bum Island in Semporna engaged with avid divers to build artificial reefs within respective house reefs. “Before the campaign, the heaps of rubbish in Sepanggar island could reach an average man’s shoulder. But, dive operators have cleared the garbage and transformed the island into a diving centre.” Ag Ahmad said dive operator Blue Fin Dive and Surf from Kudat built a community-based homestay, while ND Divers from Bum Bum island provided jobs opportunities to the locals. As for Kudat-based Pirate Divers, its founder, Glen Hapirullah, sketched several hundred underwater maps in Malaysia, including 44 diving sites in Lahad Datu. Ag Ahmad said diver Abdul Razak Ismail, 33, from Semporna, took underwater videos to promote the campaign, adding that one of his videos gained 14,000 views in three months. The campaign, he said, had also helped 15 media personnel obtain diving licences to better promote the state’s diving trails. Present at the press conference were the ministry’s Pahang director, Datuk Idrus Yahya, and Sabah Backpackers Association president Richie Lee. “The ‘End in Sipadan’ pro-gramme is the continuation of the ministry’s ‘Start in Tioman’ campaign in Pahang, which began in 2010 and offered diving course to media personnel,” said Idrus. He said the programme in Tioman aimed to encourage people to take up diving. “People will not only spend money on diving, but also on activities that we have created for them before they board a plane home. “Besides that, the programme made people appreciate nature more because once the marine ecosystem is destroyed, divers will not be able to enjoy underwater activities anymore.” Volunteer Datin Chan Goek Kooi, from Johor, said she fully supported the campaign in Bum Bum island and in Sipadan. “As a dive operator, it is important for me to explore dive sites before promoting them to my clients.   Source: New Straits Times
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07Nov

Rejuvenating Kiulu nature trekking

KIULU: THE Kiulu district has come up with what is believed to be the first dedicated trekking trails spanning 45km from Tamparuli, here, to the hilly Pekan Nabalu. It offers the “Riverside Lung Washing Trekking Trails”, which live up to its reputation as a destination for adventure enthusiasts. The term “lung washing” has a scientific explanation associated with the act of taking a break in nature. Such an experience, away from city life distractions, is said to boost the immune system and help rejuvenate the body. Kiulu assemblyman Datuk Joniston Bangkuai, who is the Sabah Tourism Board (STB) chairman, launched the trails at Kampung Lubok, here, recently. He said the trails passed through several villages. Trekkers were recommended to spend three to four days there. They could start their journey from either Pekan Nabalu or the Tamparuli town, which is about an hour’s drive from Kota Ki- nabalu. Guides will be assigned to help them and they can spend their nights in community-managed base camps or village homestays. The routes were categorised from “easy” to “challenging” and trekkers could follow well-marked trails over undulating, small uphill sections. “Trekkers would be able to explore the Borneo lowland forest, learn basic jungle survival skills from the natives, identify wild indigenous medicinal plants as well as edible plants, and they can experience the culture and hospitality of the local people and see unique species of flora and fauna in the Kiulu forest. “Kiulu offers you an experience of a lifetime by taking you through one of the loveliest and untouched parts of Sabah,” said Joniston. Kiulu Tourism Association (KTA) president Dr Edmon Guntis added that trekkers could also expect to cross numerous suspension bridges, rivers and tri-butaries. “You can have local expert guides who can share their knowledge of the jungle, and at the same time, show you how to use the natural resources from the forest to your advantage in order to survive,” said Dr Edmon. The Tourism and Culture Ministry (Motac) Sabah office director Awang Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar said the move to introduce the trekking trails was timely as the Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz had described Kiulu as a model for rural tourism development in Ma-laysia. A few years ago, Nazri visited Kiulu’s tourist attractions and had a first-hand experience of white-water rafting along the Kiulu river, as well as trying out Sabah’s longest zip line at Kampung Rangalau Lama. Ahmad Zaki said locals would also benefit from this by giving the services required by trek-kers. “Besides offering services as guides, villagers along the trekking trails could also offer homestay services or open up stalls offering authenic local delicacies and handicrafts, among others,” he said.   Source: New Straits Times
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27Oct

KK Court group intensifies tree planting effort

KOTA KINABALU: The Kota Kinabalu Court Working Group on Environment is continuing their reforestation campaign with more trees to be planted in Lahad Datu. The group is hoping to have new tree saplings planted in 134.56 hectares in the Bukit Piton Class I Forest Reserve in Lahad Datu. The effort is supported by The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia. Its chief executive officer and executive director of WWF Malaysia, Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma said the effort in Bukit Piton is a collaboration between Sabah Forestry Department (SFD), WWF-Malaysia and WWF Singapore, and funded by Binkaitree, Holywell Foundation, The Silent Foundation and Foord Asset Management Singapore. “We will plant 156 trees per hectare in this plot, which translates to 20,990 trees in total. The planting has just commenced this month and by end of December this year, we estimate that 30 hectares will be planted with 4,680 trees,” he said on the amount of trees that still needs to be planted for the ‘One Heart One Tree’ programme at the Kota Kinabalu Court yesterday. According to him, WWF Malaysia has been reforesting the formerly degraded Bukit Piton since 2007 for the survival of tree-dependant orangutans which are thriving in the area. “To date we have planted almost one million trees in Bukit Piton and we have observed orangutans using them as food, shelter and for travel, five years after the planting, “Planting trees is a long-term investment, but the benefits are priceless, we get clean air, clean water, food, medicine and many more from the trees that we have around us. “Our children and their children can enjoy these benefits from the trees that we have planted, even long after are gone from this earth,” he added. He hoped the ‘One Heart One Tree’ movement will continue to grow and achieve its target of one million trees to be planted in Sabah by the end of the year. In the same event, Dionysius also disclosed that they are currently raising funds for another reforestation project in Trusan Sugut Class I Forest Reserve, Beluran, in collaboration with SFD. The aim is to restore a degraded area of 150 hectares with trees. The reforestation project will cost RM1.8 million. Meanwhile, High Court Judge, Datuk Nurchaya Arshad said that there is no denying the fact that the environment has to be protected and conserved to make future life possible, among other things. “Indeed, man’s needs are increasing and accordingly the environment is also being altered. What is required is the sustenance, conservation and improvement of the changing and fragile environment hence this campaign today,” she said. The campaign launched in Feb 3, this year, was inspired by Sabah and Sarawak Chief Justice Tan Sri Richard Malanjum who got the ball rolling. The final event will be held in Kundasang, Ranau on Dec16. Also present were Conservation director of WWF-Malaysia Dr Sundari Ramakrishna, High Court Judge Ravinthran Paramaguru, Judicial Commissioner Ismail Brahim, Bexter Agas Michael, SLA President Brenndon Keith Soh, Sessions Court Judges namely Azreena Aziz, Elsie Primus, Noorhafizah Mohd Salim, Indra Ayub, Magistrates Cindy Mc Juce Balitus and Jessica Ombou Kakayun. Source : New Sabah Times
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05Oct

Sabah gets kudos for protecting forests

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has earned kudos from being the best state in preserving and protecting the forests. Academy Science Malaysia (ASM) Senior Fellow, Tan Sri Salleh Mohd Noor said the Sabah government has done the right thing to protect the state’s forests. “The continuous protection of the forests in Sabah shows the strong commitment given by the government. “With its rich biodiversity, Sabah is a unique state that has set examples to others on the aspect of forest conservation and protection,” he said at a lecture on ‘Forestry in Global Climate Change’ at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) here yesterday. Salleh said that the strong cooperation among the parties concerned has seen the protection and conservation of Maliau Basin, Imbak Canyon and Danum Valley. According to him, the environmental and global changes would occur if population increase and climate change with the loss of biodiversity along the way. “When natural disaster strikes, destruction will occur and mostly it is the doing of mankind, as the environment has been compromised,” he said adding that it was mankind who will suffer in the end. On a larger scale of environment destruction, many people would be displaced. Other factors that will affect the environment is the rise in the use of fossil fuel unless it is changed, he said. In the end, mankind has to strike a balance between protecting and conserving the environment, and yet can go about in their daily activities. Salleh said that it would be a constant challenge between human development and environment protection. “We must look into development that is needed and important without jeopardising the environment that will have long-lasting effects on the future generation,” he added. The lecture was organised by the Science and Natural Resources Faculty and Human Resource, Arts and Heritage Faculty. Source: New Sabah Times
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28Sep

300 divers clean up sea bed around Sepanggar Navy base

KOTA KINABALU: About 5,000 sea urchins were picked up from the sea bed surrounding the Sepanggar Navy base here during a Mega Dive programme this morning. Organised by the navy’s eastern fleet command, the programme is aimed at creating a healthy marine ecosystem and clean underwater environment. The event saw 300 participants from Kampung Gentisan, Kota Kinabalu City Hall, University Malaysia Sabah, the Sabah Environment Protection Department, the Marine Department, and the navy working together to clean the area of debris and sea urchins. Navy eastern logistics commander First Admiral Ow Kiat Bin said there had been too many sea urchins on the sea bed, and their presence could have destroyed the coral reef in the area. “The collected sea urchins were handed over to fishermen from Kampung Gentisan for consumption. This will further strengthen the relationship between the navy and the local community,” he said. Ow added that the involvement of villagers in the clean-up programme was in line with the navy’s efforts to enhance awareness among the fishing community of the importance of keeping their water village clean. He said navy divers had also placed three artificial reefs in waters near the navy’s Yacht Excellent Centre to create a thriving marine habitat. Source: New Straits Times
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