Tag - Environment

Kota Kinabalu: The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Kota Kinabalu is seeking the public's assistance over the construction of its new shelter on a 4.5 acre site in Kg. Gana, Papar. The new SPCA Kota Kinabalu Rehabilitation and Adoption Centre is expected to give the 210 dogs and cats currently sheltered by SPCA Kota Kinabalu more space to move around freely. SPCA Kota Kinabalu spokesperson Jenny Chung said they were previously located in Kg. Ketiau in Putatan before relocating to Kg. Lomunu in Kibabaig, Penampang. She said the shelter in Kg. Lomunu was then shifted to Inanam in October 2014 before moving to their current temporary shelter in Lok Kawi on December 2014. "We hope to get the new shelter completed by end of this year, as the current space is too crowded and expensive," she said. Meanwhile SPCA Kota Kinabalu President Dr Stuart Chin said the first phase of construction started on Aug 11 this year and since then site preparation has been done. He explained that the first phase is the construction of eight units of dog run, each measuring 35 feet by 70 feet in size. "Approximately three acres of the original ground level had to be elevated by five feet to avoid flooding in the future and the earthwork for this was completed in January this year," he added. He said electricity and water supplies have been connected, and all piling work and footings have been completed and work on the ground beams and floor slabs are now in progress. "We hope to be able to raise the outstanding funds and complete the building of this phase by November 2016. "This will allow us to move our two hundred cats and dogs from our present makeshift shelter into better conditions," he said. He said they are also raising funds to complete the rest of our new shelter which will consist of a cattery, clinic for sterilisation (Trap-Neuter-Return unit), quarantine unit for newly rescued cats and dogs, kitchen or a food preparation area, staff quarters, a volunteers' canteen, and an administrative unit. "The completion of this new shelter will enable us to provide a better environment to rehabilitate and rehome rescued cats and dogs. "This will also enable us to be more effective in our effort to control the large population of strays here by providing a trap, neuter and release service," he said. Approximately three acres of the original ground level had to be elevated by five feet to avoid flooding in the future. The earthwork for this was completed in January 2016. The SPCA Kota Kinabalu has had several challenging moments over the past year, among them was in 2014 when animals sheltered at their then shelter in Kg. Lomunu, Penampang, was hit by floods which hit the district. It took three days and the best display of human spirit to bring all the animals to safety. The new shelter in Kg. Gana, Papar will provide sheltered animals a space in a safe environment instead of being kept in cages. Those wanting more information may contact Jenny at 016-880 5400 or visit their Facebook at SPCAKK or www.spcakk.org. Source: Daily Express

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Shark Protection Association (SSPA) is fully behind Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun’s recent statement on overfishing, particularly by foreign vessels encroaching on Sabah waters. SSPA chairman Aderick Chong said sharks, rays and turtles are at an increasingly high risk of being wiped out by these foreign boats. “While encroachment by foreign fishing vessels is a major concern in Sabah waters, overfishing is also affecting our fisheries caused by overcapacity, use of non-selective fishing gear and, of course, the high demand of seafood as compared to other sources of protein,” he said in a press statement yesterday. The statement said the current state of fisheries in Malaysia is unhealthy, with steadily increasing fishing vessels chasing the same limited marine resources and marine fish stocks, which are already overexploited. According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), 69 per cent of the ocean’s commercially targeted fish stocks are mostly heavily exploited, some being overexploited, with a handful either completely depleted or recovering at a slow pace from previous overfishing. The statement said unsustainable fishing practices and gear such as the use of trawlers and long driftnets make a significant negative impact on fish stocks in Sabah; not only killing marine life but also destroying their habitat. Chong stressed the need for better management of fisheries. “We need to manage our fisheries better through the adoption of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries Management (EAFM) and support sustainable seafood farming (aquaculture) as a promising solution in satisfying the demands of seafood without relying exclusively on wild fish stocks, which will eventually take a toll on oceans and marine life,” he said. The statement said illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is a worldwide destructive threat to the ocean and very damaging to fish populations, adding the extent of IUU fishing can include fishing without an appropriate licence, keeping undersized and protected fishes, and using banned fishing gear. The SSPA said it applauds any effort by the Sabah government to tackle issues of IUU fishing as sharks, rays, turtles and other marine resources are constantly under pressure, and even more so with foreign vessels sweeping through the state’s waters. The SSPA also supports all government agencies to further its goals in protecting the ocean and marine life. It will seek the guidance of and support from the Department of FisheriesSabah. SSPA is a civil society collaboration that aims to save and protect sharks and rays in Sabah. Source: Borneo Post

TAWAU: SMR Aquaculture Sdn Bhd (SMRA), a Sabah-based company, has achieved the first for the state in the field of integrated farming to produce large scale organic food supply, adopting a three-prong business model in aquaculture, hydroponic farming and solar energy production. SMRA’s Solar PV and Aquaphonic Farm located at Kampung Sungai Kalumpang Tawau, near its own resort — the Sipadan Mangrove Resort, was partly financed by Unit Peneraju Agenda Bumiputera’s (Teraju) RM 2.64 million facilitation fund. In addition to creating revenue through aquaculture, hydroponic farming and solar energy production, this project which is valued at RM48.35 million will also boost Sabah’s tourism industry, create job opportunities for the local community in Tawau and at the same time fulfil its social responsibility in environmental protection. Datuk Haji Abdul Rahman Dahlan, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and chairman of Teraju made a visit to SMRA’s solar PV and aquaphonic farm accompanied by Datuk Haji Tawfiq Datuk Haji Abu Bakar Titingan, Minister of Youth and Sports and Teraju chief executive officer Dato Husni Salleh. The Minister then participated in a dialogue session on ‘Business Opportunities in Sabah’ involving 500 representatives of Bumiputera companies at the resort, yesterday. According to Husni: “SMRA is one of the 432 Bumiputera projects approved for the Facilitation Fund. As at the end of August this year, a total of RM 1.5 billion in have been approved for these projects, creating 41,601 jobs. This fund was established as a tipping point for private sector Bumiputera investments and acts as a catalyst for infrastructure and equipment components of Bumiputera projects, particularly in high-impact NKEA sectors. For Sabah, a total of RM 99.35 million fund for 41 Bumiputera projects have been approved, providing support for Sabah business community to participate in a more self-sufficient and sustainable economic activities. The total investment value for these projects in Sabah stood at RM 879.45 million. With this fund and various other programmes and initiatives made available by Teraju and other government agencies, we urge Bumiputera companies to participate in projects that will create job opportunities, build infrastructure and boost local economic growth.” Other on-going support to build and grow local businesses to spur Sabah’s economic growth include the Dana Pembangunan Usahawan Sabah, TeraS programme, TeraS Fund and Skim Usahawan Permulaan Bumiputera (SUPERB). Funds under the Dana Pembangunan Usahawan Sabah have been used to facilitate entrepreneurial capacity and infrastructure efforts aimed to assist local entrepreneurs and SMEs. At present, 45 Bumiputera companies from Sabah have been identified as ‘high performing’ under the TeraS programme and 10 of these companies have been given approval for TeraS Fund totalling RM9.91 million, added Husni. John Nip shared: “The Solar PV Farm Project is one of the company’s initiatives to compliment the conventional electricity grid connection with solar as a source of energy into our organic farming system. Our aim is for the business to contribute in saving the environment by reducing carbon emission. We have also gone one step further in coral preservation by offering alternative jobs and providing training to local fishermen to be boatmen and divers, in helping to restore damaged corals. This initiative is in collaboration with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) and the local authorities, to enforce policy to local fishermen. The alternative solar energy portion of the project is part of the Feed-in-Tariff (FiT) programme under the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) Malaysia, where SMRA also earns income from Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd., through SMRA’s PV generated energy. The average monthly income earned from this part of the business is between RM140,000 to RM170,000. To further boost the farm’s business activities, SMRA has established relationship with investors from China to cultivate fish, oysters and prawns for a potential deal of over USD5 million. For the solar energy business, the company is also in talks with Biomass energy investors. John added: “The revenue generated from the integrated business model through the supply of fresh produce such as ginger, farm-bred hybrid groupers and shrimps is also able to support SMRA’s Solar PV and Aquaphonic Farm. We are also making plans to invite local villages to set up 15 stores nearby the resort to sell fruits, food and handicraft to tourists, with projection of at least RM8,000 in revenue monthly for each store. We are also in the midst of setting up an Education Centre to educate the public on the importance of sustainable and organic farming and general health knowledge — all these, with the hope of creating more knowledgeable community who can contribute in this business that we have ventured into.” SMRA’s integrated business has also managed to lure tourists to the company’s Resort and to Tawau through health and wellness tourism. Towards this end, the company plans to build a large jetty to provide ferry services as an alternative, shorter gateway to Mabul, Semporna and Sipadan. At the event, a dialogue session between Abdul Rahman and TeraS companies on ‘Business Opportunities in Sabah’ was held for Bumiputera companies to gain insights on viable business opportunities and government’s development initiatives in Sabah. The dialogue session is in line with Teraju’s TeraS Networking Session initiative aimed to establish platforms for meaningful dialogues as well as business collaborations and marketing opportunities. In the dialogue session Abdul Rahman also shared insights on the Sabah Pan Borneo Highway project and highlighted the multiplier impact on connectivity and mobility to be created via the enhanced road networks. This project will enable accessibility to quality healthcare and education for the rakyat and boost Sabah tourism and agriculture sectors. The project would help to accelerate the state’s development agenda in the areas concerned and elevate Sabah’s socio economic development to the next level. Under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11th MP), tourism, agriculture and logistics infrastructure development sectors have been identified as the key initiatives for the Sabah Development Corridor. In this regard, the minister welcomed private and industry involvement for close collaboration and partnership. Commenting on SMRA’s business, Husni Salleh shared: “The initiatives by SMRA falls squarely in one of the strategic approaches of the 11th MP — delivering high-impact projects in sustainable farming and eco-tourism industry while at the same time, carrying a social inclusion aspect through creation of job opportunities, small businesses, tourism opportunities as well as protection of the environment. With the continued support of Teraju and other government agencies through our various programmes and initiatives for Bumiputera businesses we hope that more companies in Sabah will emulate the effort of SMRA to help spur Sabah’s economic growth.” Source: Borneo Post

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah can become a world centre for mangroves and one advantage in realising this is the recent discovery of an extremely rare mangrove tree species – Bruguiera hainesii – in one of the islands in Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, off the State Capital. "Having the tree here is equivalent to China having pandas," Singaporean plant scientist Prof Dr Jean Yong said. "The tree species can become another exciting tourism attraction for Sabah." He said he came to learn about the tree from one Wong Yun Yun, a Malaysia from Penang. "I provided the scientific confirmation," he said. The tree grows up to 35 metres, he said, adding that there is another rare species in the peninsula. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the Bruguiera hainesii is very rare and has a limited and patchy distribution. There are approximately 200 known mature individuals remaining in Singapore, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea, and there has been at least 27pc loss of mangrove area in this species range over a 25-year period (less than one generation length) due to extensive coastal development. The international body has listed it as Critically Endangered. Hence, he suggested that Sabah take the initiative to set up the world's first centre for mangrove tree species as there are 61 mangrove species in the world of which 53 are in Malaysia. Dr Yong suggested that information about the existence of the tree in the State be promoted widely within the industry. Dr Yong announced the discovery to participants in the Second International Symposium on Conservation and Management of Wetlands, Tuesday. The two-day symposium's theme is "Wetlands: Connectivity, Corridors & Catchments that aims to identify new and innovative ways to conserve wetlands as well as to understand the scientific basis and importance of local stakeholders' involvement in conservation and management of wetlands. According to Dr Yong, a former associate professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, a holistic approach must be applied in Wetlands conservation and management. "Key to protecting wetlands is that you need integrated solutions, meaning you have to go from the terrestrial forests down to agriculture lands and coming through urban areas and going down to river. "To keep mangroves you need to have the whole drainage pattern. That's fundamental," he said. He also stressed that it is important for people to be aware that mangroves are not limited to the sea areas. "There are three major types including fresh water mangroves," he said, adding Sabah has all three types. The symposium was officiated by Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun who announced that the Kota Kinabalu Wetlands may attain its RAMSAR status sometime next month, after a long wait. Also present at the symposium's opening were Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society president Datuk Zainie Abdul Aucasa and organising chairperson Dr Rahimatsah Amat. Various topics are covered in plenary sessions by local and international experts throughout the two-day symposium. Source: Daily Express