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KUDAT: The State Government wants people in coastal areas to keep the shores clean so that turtles will always have a place to lay their eggs.
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun said it was still obvious that residents along the coast have not stopped throwing rubbish into the sea, particularly plastic bags, which are often seen strewn all over the beach.
He said the rubbish on the beach have been one main reason why turtles are reluctant to come ashore to lay their eggs because the sea creatures prefer a clean surrounding.
Masidi also lamented that there were less turtles found off Kudat waters, once renowned for the abundance of turtles, due to the sale and consumption of their eggs.
He urged communities to work together to overcome the problem and discouraged them from taking the eggs and especially to stop eating their eggs and meat.
He stressed that protecting the environment and wildlife was a collective responsibility that everybody needed to shoulder.
Masidi said this in his speech at the launch of the Beach Cleanliness Campaign in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup Day. Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Bolkiah Haji Ismail delivered the text.
The event was organised by the Environmental Action Committee (EAC) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) at Simpang Mengayau in Kudat.
Bolkiah, who is the assemblyman for Pitas, was pleased to note that the organisers managed to gather people from all walks of life to care for the area in Simpang Mengayau.
He said it was important to keep all areas clean and not just the beaches.
Also present at the event were Tanjung Kapor assemblyman, Datuk Teo Chee Kang, Kudat district officer, Sebastian Lim, chairperson of the Kudat Turtle Conservation Society (KTCS), Francesca Winfield, SabahEAC members, World Wildlife Fund representatives and heads of government departments as well as local communities.
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Masidi Manjun said it was still obvious that residents along the coast have not stopped throwing rubbish into the sea, particularly plastic bags, which are often seen strewn all over the beach.
He said the rubbish on the beach have been one main reason why turtles are reluctant to come ashore to lay their eggs because the sea creatures prefer a clean surrounding.
Masidi also lamented that there were less turtles found off Kudat waters, once renowned for the abundance of turtles, due to the sale and consumption of their eggs.
He urged communities to work together to overcome the problem and discouraged them from taking the eggs and especially to stop eating their eggs and meat.
He stressed that protecting the environment and wildlife was a collective responsibility that everybody needed to shoulder.
Masidi said this in his speech at the launch of the Beach Cleanliness Campaign in conjunction with International Coastal Cleanup Day. Assistant Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Bolkiah Haji Ismail delivered the text.
The event was organised by the Environmental Action Committee (EAC) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) at Simpang Mengayau in Kudat.
Bolkiah, who is the assemblyman for Pitas, was pleased to note that the organisers managed to gather people from all walks of life to care for the area in Simpang Mengayau.
He said it was important to keep all areas clean and not just the beaches.
Also present at the event were Tanjung Kapor assemblyman, Datuk Teo Chee Kang, Kudat district officer, Sebastian Lim, chairperson of the Kudat Turtle Conservation Society (KTCS), Francesca Winfield, SabahEAC members, World Wildlife Fund representatives and heads of government departments as well as local communities.
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Stop killing the endangered turtles.
Most turtles that spend most of their lives on land have their eyes looking down at objects in front of them.
The upper shell of the turtle is called the carapace. The lower shell that encases the belly is called the plastron.
The upper shell of the turtle is called the carapace. The lower shell that encases the belly is called the plastron.
The State's forest conservation efforts received a major boost with the Yayasan Sabah Group and Petronas entering into a collaboration on the Imbak Canyon Conservation Area.
It would entail conserving, promoting and protecting this priceless natural heritage in the heart of Sabah with a launching grant of RM6million over three years from 2010.
A portion would also be used to set up the Imbak Canyon Studies Centre which would be equipped with laboratory facilities. The centre is poised to become the central hub for research and studies on the environment and biodiversity in the area.
Petronas Senior General Manager (Group Corporate Affairs Division) Mohd Medan Abdullah, who represented the President/CEO, presented the grant to Yayasan Sabah Director Tan Sri Datu Khalil Datu Haji Jamalul at a four-in-one-event.
The four at Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa here involved the launch of the partnership, signing of MoU for Promotion of Research, Training and Education Programme, Opening of Imbak Canyon Stakeholders Workshop and launch of Yayasan Sabah Publications.
This was witnessed by Deputy Chief Minister-cum-Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who also officiated the event.
The presentation was followed by the signing of MoU between Yayasan Sabah, Petronas, Sabah Forestry Department, Sabah Wildlife Department, the Academy of Sciences of Malaysia and the Primate Research Institute of Kyoto University of Japan, for planning and organising various conservation efforts in the Imbak Canyon, including expeditions to study the various species there.
Musa, in his speech, welcomed Petronas' participation in the effort, saying it augurs well for the management of natural resources, scientific pursuit and even eco-tourism.
Hoping Petronas would consider funding the full construction of the studies centre in Imbak Canyon, the Chief Minister also urged the national oil and gas company to consider long-term support, especially in research.
"There is a need for all partners to support Yayasan Sabah's environmental education programmes that aims to promote greater understanding on our natural resources and ecosystemsÉI have no doubt our partners will continue to back us in years to come," he said.
Musa said the State Government, through the Sabah Forestry Department and Sabah Wildlife Department, would provide the necessary legal support and framework in carrying out related activities.
Yayasan Sabah's achievements in managing protected areas like Imbak Canyon is made possible through collaborations with some of the best local and foreign organisations, including the Academy of Sciences Malaysia, WWF-Malaysia, UKM, UMS, UPM, FRIM, Shell Malaysia, The Royal Society, IKEA of Sweden, FACE (now Sow-A-Seed) Foundation of The Netherlands, DANCED of Denmark and Kyoto University, Japan.
Musa also hoped that signatories of the sealed MoU would continue working together beyond the stipulated period and aim to create a thriving centre of excellence in Imbak and not to stop until that mission is accomplished.
"The sealed MoU will help us further probe secrets of our rainforest and in the process, build the capacities of scientists and researchers by developing long term collaborations that focused on various aspects, including protected area management," he said.
"Just as we have done well in Danum Valley with the help of partners like The Royal Society of the UK, I look forward to similar, if not greater, success in this new partnership."
He said it is not impossible that in future, Imbak Canyon would be known globally for its role in producing beneficial products including those crucial for the advancement of the medicinal and pharmaceutical fields.
Research done so far indicates that Imbak has the potential to offer a lot more than what we know at present, he said, while urging scientists to conduct further investigations on commercialising biodiversity resources that exist there.
"This will fit in with one of the objectives of the National Biotechnology Policy, which is to extract greater value from agriculture and natural resources by leveraging on Malaysia's unique biodiversity," he said.
As a Government that cares, Musa said he would like to see communities who live close to this protected area included so that they, too, could benefit from the research activities.
"Our indigenous people have a wealth of knowledge on medicinal and healing properties of plants, and would serve as important information providers on the values of what our rainforests hold," he said.
It is frequently reported that tropical rainforests are disappearing at an alarming rate in different parts of the world, he said, adding that in Sabah, there is still opportunity to fix things and to do what is right.
"Having gazetted the Imbak Canyon Conservation Area as a Class I (Protection) Forest Reserve, the challenge is now in the hands of the State Government and Yayasan Sabah, in particular, to live up to standards and responsibilities that fully protected areas require," he said.
Due to its remoteness, he said, the task of managing Imbak Canyon is far from easy and lessons could be taken from the way places like Maliau Basin and Danum Valley are run.
"It is a long term commitment, and one that the State Government has no intention of backing out from.
However, we will continue to need national and international support and relevant partnerships for the conservation and sustainable use of Imbak Canyon's biodiversity and other environmental services," he said.
The State Government is open to discussing with interested parties should they be keen in helping us protect this conservation area, he assured, saying that this would help a lot considering that managing and running the Imbak Canyon conservation area is costly.
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