All articles of environment in Sabah

06Jun

Memorial on mountain

KOTA KINABALU: Gone but never to be forgotten. A brass plaque, etched with names of the 18 who died when a magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck Mount Kinabalu on June 5 last year, has been unveiled. The simple monument was not only a memorial to those who died but also to remember the sacrifices made to save the 134 survivors, said State Tourism, Culture and Environ­ment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun. “It is a reflection of our shared grief for those who died on the mountain a year ago, many of whom were young school children,” he said after the unveiling ceremony at Kiau Gap viewing platform near the base of the mountain yesterday. The plaque was mounted on a rectangular granite slab taken from the mountain. Masidi said it would also serve as a reminder that while climbing the mountain should be a memorable experience, safety must always be paramount. The ceremony began with a minute of silence to remember those killed in the rock avalanches that happened after the earthquake hit at about 7.15am. Masidi then laid a wreath at the memorial, which was followed by the placing of 18 roses by state officials and representatives of the four mountain guides killed that fateful day – Robbi Sapinggi, Valerian James, Joseph Solungin and Ricky Masirin. Others named on the plaque included Malaysians Lim Choon Seong and Muhammad Loqman Abdul Karim as well as Singaporean students and teachers Ameer Ryyan Mohd Adeed Sanjay, Emilie Giovanna Ramu, Matahom Karyl Higuit, Terrence Sebastian Loo Jian Liang, Muhammad Ghazi Mohammed, Muhammad Daanish Amran, Navdeep Singh Jaryal Raj Kumar, Rachel Ho Yann Shiuan, Sonia Jhala and Peony Wee Ying Ping. The names of Masahiro Ozaki of Japan and China national Lu Qi were also listed. Following the ceremony, Masidi planted 18 native Agathis trees near the monument. He said he was touched to learn that Sonia’s family, as well as the families and friends of some of the Singaporean victims had climbed the mountain on the first anniversary of the disaster. The Singaporean families and friends also held a memorial ceremony at Laban Rata on the mountain yesterday. According to Masidi, a second summit route from Laban Rata, dubbed the Kota Belud trail, would be open in a month’s time. “This will be more for the adventurous climbers because it involves the use of ropes,” he said.   Source : The Star
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06Jun

WWF applauds establishment of M’sia’s largest marine park in Sabah

KOTA KINABALU: WWF-Malaysia applauds the Sabah State Government for establishing Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) off the coast of northern Borneo – protecting almost a million hectares of coral reef, mangrove, seagrass and productive fishing grounds, including more than 50 islands. TMP gazettement comes after more than 13 years of preparatory work led by Sabah Parks with government agencies, local communities, international partners, and with support from non-governmental organisations including WWF-Malaysia. TMP is a globally significant marine conservation site and WWF-Malaysia is thrilled with this monumental step! As an important marine area in the Coral Triangle, TMP has immensely rich marine biodiversity with more than 250 species of hard corals and around 360 species of fish, endangered green turtles and dugongs as well as significant primary rainforest, mangroves, and seagrass beds. However, TMP is threatened by overfishing, destructive fishing and pollution, and the declaration of its gazettement is timely and will allow for a concerted effort to address the pressures to its marine ecosystem. Executive Director/CEO of WWF-Malaysia, Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma, said he is deeply gratified by the declaration of TMP and congratulated the Sabah State Government, the Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment and Sabah Parks for taking the bold steps in the gazettement of TMP, paving and leading the way for the implementation of an innovative marine protected area management in Sabah and Malaysia. WWF-Malaysia also congratulates the local communities within and around TMP who can now be proud of being part of this initiative. “I feel proud of WWF-Malaysia’s role, together with other stakeholders, in supporting the Sabah State Government’s journey to gazettement of TMP. In particular, WWF-Malaysia is privileged to have been able to engage and work closely with various local community leaders and groups within TMP in building support for its establishment. Groups such as the Berungus Community, Maliangin Community, the Banggi Youth Club, Kudat Turtle Conservation Society, and the Persatuan Pemilik Kapal Nelayan Kudat (Kudat Fishing Boat Owners Association) have been strong partners in continuing to raise awareness and support for TMP,” he said. Dr Sharma acknowledged the enormity of the responsibilities that come with the management of an area as large as Tun Mustapha Park. WWF-Malaysia is committed to continue supporting the Sabah State Government in the coming years to operationalise TMP. WWF-Malaysia looks forward to continue offering technical support to Sabah Parks and working with other agencies, the private sector, local communities and other non-governmental organisations to ensure that a solid management plan is implemented to ensure the sustainable use of resources in the Park, he added. When WWF recognised the Sabah State Government with the Leaders for a Living Planet award in April 2015, Dr Marco Lambertini, Director General of WWF International said, “The gazettement of Tun Mustapha Park is a globally significant action that will boost the conservation and biodiversity of this uniquely rich natural environment. It will also do much to ensure the sustainable management of the significant marine resources in the area.” “Effective management of the Tun Mustapha Park will help ensure the viability of the area’s fisheries resources – and high quality ecotourism can provide hugely increased value, based on this natural treasure. The gazettement of this park should act as a model and an inspiration for marine conservation worldwide,” added Dr Lambertini. The establishment of TMP heralds a new way of park management in Sabah. It will be an IUCN – International Union for Conservation of Nature – Category VI Park where sustainable uses are still allowed and local communities living within it are able to continue their activities within designated zones. The productive fishing grounds in the area support more than 80,000 people in coastal and island communities, generating around 100 tonnes of fish catch each day. Tun Mustapha Park is evidence of Malaysia’s commitment to the Coral Triangle Initiative and contribution towards meeting the Aichi Biodiversity Target of at least 10% marine areas protected and managed. Source : The Borneo Post
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09May

Sabah hunts the hunters in fight against bushmeat trade

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Wildlife Department is going after hunters in its bid to curb illegal trade of bushmeat in the state. Its enforcement chief Augustine Tuuga said they arrested two groups of hunters last week as part of this effort. He declined to provide details of the arrests but said the hunters were found to be in possession of wild boar, barking deer, pangolin and civet cats. “We are going after the suppliers of bushmeat and we think this is the best approach in dealing with this problem,” he told The Star on Tuesday. He said they were of the view that going after people selling wildlife meat at "tamu" (farmers markets) in interior districts such as Nabawan can lead to dangerous situations for enforcement staff. “The worry is that the situation can suddenly turn awry when our staff seize the bushmeat. There are not only the vendors but also hundreds of people at the markets,” Augustine added. State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun had said that department personnel had been threatened when carrying out checks at the Nabawan tamu. It was also reported last November that a conservationist was threatened when he tried taking photos of bushmeat on sale at the market. On Tuesday, the media here received an anonymous e-mail questioning why the department had not taken action against the rampant sale of bushmeat in Nabawan. A group calling itself Wildlife Watchers of Sabah also sent to the media photos of bushmeat sale in Nabawan as recently as April 30. Source : The Star
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09May

Ensure tourist boats have valid permits: Kamarlin

Beaufort: Tourism operators offering marine services in the State need to ensure that their tourist boats have a valid permit from the Marine Department. Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Kamarlin Ombi said it was important as the approval can only be given if the boats fulfil the safety requirements established by the department. He said the regulations were a main condition to ensure the safety of tourists in the boats is assured, especially in the open sea. "If the terms are not met, then our ministry will not be responsible for any incident as it is clear that the tourism operator did not want to follow the regulations. "We take a serious view on such matters as the safety of tourists is our priority and stern action will be taken on those who fail to comply," he said after officiating the closing of the community integration programme in conjunction with Kaamatan 2016, here, Wednesday. Kamarlin said each boat driver needs to have a boat licence from the department and skilled in aspects of compass navigation and knowledge of the open sea. He said the skill is among the criteria required of tourism operators before taking anyone as a worker to ensure the safety of tourists. "We do not want an incident where boats are lost or adrift due to untrained boat drivers as strong winds or waves can happen suddenly at sea which are challenging even to experienced boat drivers. "Not only that, they also need to possess life-saving skills in case of any emergency involving tourists under their care when conducting activities at sea." During the event, Kamarlin also presented certificates of appreciation to 80 neighbourhood watch personnel from the peninsula, Sarawak and Labuan that participated in the programme co- organised by the National Unity and Integration Department.   Source: Daily Express
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29Apr

Mabul World Turtle Day on May 3-8

Kota Kinabalu: The fourth edition of Mabul World Turtle Day will be held from May 3-8 at the Borneo Divers Mabul Resort.The programme is jointly organised by the Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Semporna District Office, Borneo Connections, Raintree Beach and Golf Resort and The Flying Dusun. "The event aims to create public awareness, while enhancing education, research and conservation of the resident sea turtle population in the waters of Mabul Island in Semporna. "In order to have a successful programme, we are calling for the participation of various agencies, including media organisations. "We are also opening the event to resort guests in Mabul as well as the students from SK Mabul and the School of Hope Mabul to allow them to get hands-on experiences with sea turtle research," the organisers said in a statement. During the course of the programme, Dr Pushpa Palaniappan and her team from UMS' Borneo Marine Research Institute will photograph, measure and tag all the resident green and hawksbill turtles caught in their natural habitat in Mabul by the expert dive team. "The team caught 74 turtles – 65 greens and nine hawksbills, during the celebration of Mabul Turtle Day 2015, and we hope to match this total during the programme this year." For more information, visit www.facebook.com/BorneoDiversMabulResort.
Source : Daily Express
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