16Mar

Sabah to celebrate World Water Day here on March 21-22

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah will celebrate the World Water Day Conference and Exhibition 2018 on March 22 to bring attention to the importance of water, said programme chairman Dr Michael Tay. He said this year the world celebrates the World Water Day which is themed "Nature for Water", focusing on nature-based solution (NBS) to the challenges faced by the people nowadays. The campaign quote "The answer is in nature" will further raise awareness on NBS, he said. "It is with the core message that NBS, such as forest rehabilitation by replanting, reconnecting rivers for floodplains and restoring wetlands, is a sustainable and cost-effective way to rebalance the water cycle and mitigate the effects of climate change with the ultimate goal of improving quality of life. "NBS will help meet the water needs of an ever-growing population and the need of contributing to a circular economy. At the same time, it protects the environment and reduces pollution, securing sustainable management of water and sanitation. "Hence, this year, Sabah will echo United Nation's call by hosting World Water Day Conference & Exhibition in this region (March 21 - 22) which is expected to be officiated by Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman. Dr Michael said the conference will host four sessions as well as a site visit, with 20 invited speakers consisting four international speakers from three countries, policy/ implementers, and also featuring practitioners that specialised in the respective field. Altogether, he said the event is expected to be attended by 350 participants with the motive of bringing awareness the masses on exploring the possibility of using nature to overcome the water challenges of the 21st century. This event is co-organised by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage Sabah and the Institution of Engineers Malaysia Sabah Branch, supported by the State Public Works Department and the State Water Department For further details, contact IEM Sabah at 088-259122 Source: Daily Express
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23Feb

K’batangan riparian restoration event

Kota Kinabalu: A tree-planting activity, funded by the European Union-Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (EU-REDD+) Project, will be held in Kinabatangan today (Thursday). This is part of a continuous effort to further support the Kinabatangan Corridor of Life (K-COL) objectives of riparian restoration, covering upstream of Kinabatangan River. In conjunction with the launch of the tree planting activity, a handing-over ceremony of a patrol boat was also held. Datuk Sam Mannan, the Chief Conservator of Forests, Sabah Forestry Department, received the patrol boat from the Vice President of the Kinabatangan – Corridor of Life Tourism Operators Association (Kita), Johnny Lim. During the handing-over ceremony, Mannan expressed his gratitude to Kita for their continuous support, this time in the form of a patrol boat. Back in 2011, the Sabah Forestry Department had facilitated the implementation of the RiLeaf Project, opting to restore 2,400ha of degraded riparian within the K-COL. To date, about 2,310ha of Kinabatangan Riparian had been successfully restored by RiLeaf. The Department, having secured financial support from the Eu–REDD+ Project, is now working closely with Kopel Berhad and Sawit Kinabalu Group to carry out sustainable livelihood programme of riverine communities along the Kinabatangan River and riparian restoration activities. This is part of the six-year Eu–REDD+ Project that commenced in 2013, which aims at contributing to the sustainable and low carbon development of Sabah. The specific objective is to enhance Sabah's REDD+ readiness and implementation through REDD+ demonstration activities to strengthen communities' engagement in forest protection and pro-poor sustainable forest management. Source: Daily Express
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01Nov

Need to preserve beauty of Sabah to ensure tourism remains sustainable

PENAMPANG: Tourism players want Sabah’s tourism to remain sustainable with continuous conservation of its natural heritage and biodiversity in 33 years to come. Deputy Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said Sabah, being the second largest state in Malaysia, has a massive potential to contribute in bringing large arrival of tourists into the country by 2050. “We expect tourist arrival will grow but we have to ask ourselves how this tourism growth impacts the environment. “There is a need to have plans. Therefore the aspirations of Sabah people, especially those in tourism, are vital to ensure the industry stays sustainable and the environment remains preserved as the nation develops,” she said. Mas Ermieyati was speaking at the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) dialogue for Sabah tourism players at the Penampang Cultural Building here today. Speaking to reporters, she noted that the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has listed Malaysia among the top 12 countries that have the highest number of tourist arrival. “I see Sabah as a big potential (to boost arrival) and the UNWTO statistic needs to be taken into account to further propel arrival of tourists from abroad. “Can we become top 10 or 5 five in the world in years to come? The government needs the view and aspiration of Sabah people because the state has many interesting places and cultures with its diverse ethnic background.” Mas Ermieyati stressed all these needed to be shared so the people’s hopes and aspirations could be highlighted, which would assist in the implementation of 2050 national tourism policy. This will ensure the government will take into account the sustainable culture, heritage, and eco-tourism in the state, she added. In sharing her personal aspiration, Mas Ermieyati spoke of the beauty of Sabah and hoped to see the state’s attractive scenery stays the same in 2050. “I hope I can still enjoy the beautiful scenery and underwater with the same feeling I have today,” she said. Being an avid diver herself, Mas Ermieyati noted that the diving industry in Malaysia, especially in Sabah, was growing and developing well. She stressed conservation of the state marine biodiversity was vital to keep tourism booming by 2050. Among the aspirations shared by participants in the TN50 dialogue were preservation of ethnic languages, setting up of a cultural agency to provide financial assistance, and continuous environmental conservation, among others. Participants also expressed hope to see ethnic languages being promoted as tourism products and handicraft from the various ethnic groups were well documented for 2050 generation. Source : New Straits Times
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31Oct

3 Sabah islands to be gazetted as marine areas

KOTA KINABALU: The state government is in the process of gazetting Mantanani, Mengalum and Sipadan islands as total protected marine areas. State Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming said the initiative was in line with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recommendation to have at least 10 per cent of  protected marine areas by 2020. “It is difficult to have three marine areas to be gazetted by 2020 as the process will be long. “However, the state government has already prepared the documents (for the gazettement of those waters),” he said, adding that the gazetting of Mantanani waters would be tabled in the next cabinet meeting. Pang said the process for Mengalum would be discussed next year and status of Sipadan, renowned as one of the world’s top dive sites, to be discussed in 2019. Once the three sites are gazetted, marine areas will make up 13 per cent of Sabah, exceeding the IUCN recommendation. Sabah now has more than one million hectares, or 7.6 per cent, listed as total protected areas. The Tun Mustapha Park off Kudat waters, Malaysia’s largest marine park, was the most recent gazetted area. Pang added that his ministry was also encouraging hoteliers and seafood restaurants to sell sustainable seafood to their clients. He said they could buy from suppliers who adopted good practices, such as fish farming and fishing using the right nettings, among others. Buying sustainable seafood is not only good for branding but also helps to maintain seafood supply in the long term. “In Sabah, it has been our priority to market ourselves as an eco-destination and our marine system is one of the best in the world. “At the (high) rate of arrivals by Chinese, South Korean and other international tourists in Sabah, the situation is putting pressure on our precious resources,” he said, adding that high quality seafood was available at more affordable prices compared to Hong Kong and China. Meanwhile, Sabah Hotel Association past-president Christopher Chan said they were willing to comply with the ministry’s suggestions, provided the supply met the demand. “Operators like us will look into the availability of different varieties and sizes of sustainable seafood when buying. “If suppliers or relevant parties are able to meet our demands, it is not a problem to go with the government’s initiative.” Sabah Fisheries director Dr Ahemad Sade said since department’s establishment 50 years ago, they had been pushing to have sustainable seafood. “This is to ensure the fisheries source is sustainable and will be available for future generations.” Source : New Straits Times
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