Tuesday, May 22, 2012

How Eco-tourism Can Help Save Endangered Wildlife in Sabah, Borneo

Sabah, land of 'eco treasures' Sabah, part of the Malaysian Federation of states and of the island of Borneo, attracts thousands of tourists every year. Marketed as a land of 'eco treasures', it is a place where tropical rainforest and rare species of plant and animals survive. Largely commercially unexploited until the nineteenth century, Sabah (and Borneo in general) still contains primary...

Hope for Borneo's Threatened Biodiversity

ScienceDaily (Nov. 10, 2010) — To tackle species loss representatives of the Rhino and Forest Fund (RFF) and of the Forestry Department of Sabah / Malaysia launched a long-term reforestation project to restore forest in Borneo. Borneo's unique biodiversity is threatened by deforestation and habitat fragmentation. To save endangered species like the Sabah rhino, the clouded leopard,...

Monday, May 21, 2012

3 factors why investors love Sabah

RAPID ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Right leadership, stability and sound policies drawing investors to the state.  Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman welcoming Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia president Tan Sri William Cheng Heng Jem at Sri Gaya in Kota Kinabalu yesterday. KOTA KINABALU: SABAH'S political stability, sound policies and focused economic...

Friday, May 18, 2012

Kemp's Ridley Sea Turtle

  The Kemp’s ridley turtle is the world’s most endangered sea turtle, and with a worldwide female nesting population roughly estimated at just 1,000 individuals, its survival truly hangs in the balance. Their perilous situation is attributed primarily to the over-harvesting of their eggs during the last century. And though their nesting grounds are protected and many commercial fishing...

Hawksbill sea turtle

Hawksbill turtles are found throughout the tropical waters of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They avoid deep waters, preferring coastlines where sponges are abundant and sandy nesting sites are within reach. Not particularly large compared with other sea turtles, hawksbills grow up to about 45 inches (114 centimeters) in shell length and 150 pounds (68 kilograms) in weight. While...

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Sabahans will be affected if sharks extinct – Masidi

KOTA KINABALU: Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun has called on Sabahans to support and protect the population of sharks that are heading towards extinction to ensure the tourism industry would not be affected badly. He said the tourism industry, particularly diving activity, is depending on the sharks as most of the divers want to see them in the natural habitat. Therefore,...

Have agricultural expos in all districts in Sabah – Musa

PUTATAN: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman wants agricultural expos to be held in all districts in Sabah as a platform to expose local farmers to the latest development in the sector. Such events, he said, could help in disseminating information on new findings that could be applied by the agriculture communities to improve their income and help retain the sector as one of the major...

Hunt for croc in drain

KOTA KINABALU: A crocodile was recently spotted in the monsoon drain near the Rainforest Park at Jalan Penampang. State Wildlife Department chief veterinarian Dr Sen Nathan said wildlife rangers conducted a search at the area and spotted the crocodile, believed to be about three-meter long on Monday. “We searched the area with a spotlight and saw the crocodile. Once it is caught, we will...

RM419 mln Tawau Geothermal Power Plant ready by 2015

TAWAU: The phase one of Tawau Green Energy Geothermal Power Plant involving generating capacity of 36MW is expected to be completed in 2015. The power plant at Apas Kiri, which is the first renewable and sustainable project of its kind in Malaysia, will supply 30MW to the Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) grid. Sustainable Energy Development Authority of Malaysia (SEDA Malaysia) chairman Tan...

Monday, May 14, 2012

Turtle watching in Sabah

David Bowden gets the rare opportunity of observing a wild turtle lay its eggs on the shores of Selingan Island THE call came two hours after sunset and eagerly we filed into the darkness behind the ranger’s solitary torchlight to experience one of nature’s great spectacles. The wait had been long. But in the end, it was well worth the opportunity to see firsthand a female Green sea turtle...

Teaching the young to love and respect Mother Earth

Earth is alive. It bleeds, sweats and cries. The trees are its lungs, the rivers are its veins, the sea is its flesh and its inhabitants – the flora and fauna – are its tissue. These inhabitants flourish the ecosystem and nourish the Earth to keep it alive. Humans are of a different kind of beings. We are new. While the Earth depends on its inhabitants to live, we depend on the Earth. We...

Selangor records highest number of dengue cases

KUALA LUMPUR: Selangor recorded the highest number of dengue cases so far this year with 3,615 and nine deaths up until yesterday, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin said today.   Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya recorded 868 cases with three deaths, while Perak registered 563 cases with one death, she said this when replying to a supplementary question from...

Why shark numbers off Sabah down almost 100pc

Kota Kinabalu: Reef shark populations have fallen by 98 per cent in 15 years and Technical Advisor of The Green Connection (Aquarium and Science Discovery Centre), Prof Steve Oakley, attributed this to the Government having allowed shark fishing for many years. "Unfortunately, due to the increase in demand, the shark populations cannot support the fishery any longer. Most shark species...

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Miss Earth Sabah gives green talk

KOTA KINABALU: Miss Earth Sabah 2011 Olivia Vun Kai Li made a special appearance during the Sabah Pharmaceutical Society Health Expo in Suria Mall Sabah on Sunday. The reigning queen gave her green talk on the impact of environment to one’s health. In her talk, Olivia reminded the crowd to always be mindful of the amount of rubbish they produce and she emphasized that doing things out of convenience...

Farm Project at SK St Francis Convent, KK

Sustainable Farming at SK Convent St. Francis, Kota Kinabalu President of SEPA Wong Tack, Secretary Paul Chang and Consultant of the project Shum went to SK St Francis Convent to witness the corn harvest of the sustainable farming that was started few months ago The farm project yield a good quality corn harvest. Headmistress Sim Cho Kein, teachers and students join together to harvest the...

Emerging disease threat to proboscis monkey

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and EcoHealth Alliance (EHA) recently organised a one-day training workshop on zoonotic diseases, or diseases transmitted between wildlife and humans, at Lok Kawi Wildlife Park.Staff from SWD Wildlife Rescue Unit (WRU), DGFC, WWF and the Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, attended...

TRAVERSING THROUGH SABAH’S IMBAK CANYON

KINABATANGAN : ‘A valuable piece of natural heritage’ – this epithet best describes the Imbak Canyon conservation area located in Ulu Kinabatangan, right in the heart of Sabah. The 30,000-hectare virgin dipterocarp forest lies between two other conservation areas – the Danum Valley and the Maliau Basin. One may wonder, however, whether the landscape here resembles the Grand Canyon in...

Friday, May 11, 2012

What Good Are Mosquitoes?

There isn't much love lost between people and mosquitoes. At the very least, these bloodthirsty insects are major annoyances, biting us with a persistence that can be maddening. If insects can be credited with evil intent, mosquitoes seem determined to wipe the human race out. As carriers of deadly diseases, mosquitoes are the deadliest insect on Earth. Each year, millions of people die...

Collared elephant provide hope in finding vital corridors in fragmented habitat

A female Borneo pygmy elephant recently fitted with a satellite collar is expected to become her herd’s ambassador in determining important migration corridors between forested areas currently cut off by development, including the Sandakan-Lahad Datu road. The collar on the 1.9-metre tall elephant captured in the Segaliud Lokan Forest Reserve is expected to transmit data on possible further...