Tree planting session

Pic: www.ppbgroup.com

Sandakan: Members of Sandakan District Tennis Association (SDTA) and Lions Club of Sandakan Selingan took part in a tree-planting session at the SDTA clubhouse compound.

Sandakan District Tennis Association Hon. Secretary Benno Ong said the Lions were led by their President Cyrina Au while SDTA President Taren Sunil Manoharan was present with his committee and fellow tennis players.

Also present were visiting Lions dignitaries including their District Governor Kung Kuok Yiew, his predecessor James Teo, Cabinet Secretary Lawrence Ting and Zone 16 Chairman Raymond Saw.

Cyrina said that when Lions Club of Sandakan Selingan initiated the project they decided to invite SDTA to join them because members of both organisations shared a similar desire to help protect and keep the environment green.

Meanwhile, SDTA President Taren Sunil pointed out that this is the second time that they are jointly planting trees to support the environment.

"With the unrelenting pace of urban development we are witnessing very fast growth of a 'concrete jungle' and we sorely need 'green lungs' amidst all the concrete, steel and glass buildings."

He said with the SDTA tennis complex located within Sandakan district, both Lions and SDTA felt that the place is ideal to serve as a little green lung for the town folk.

"We do have a large compound already planted with different species of trees and plants. With this planting campaign we have added another 46 new saplings to further 'green up' our place. We hope to make our SDTA tennis complex one of the green lungs for our town."

"This tree planting effort is in fact part of a worldwide project by the numerous international Lions Clubs to get 20 million trees planted around the globe this year and both Lions Club Sandakan Selingan and SDTA are proud to have played a small role towards achieving that goal," he elaborated, thanking Lions Club of Sandakan Selingan for choosing the SDTA premises as the venue for the project.

"We also wish to record our thanks to the Sabah Forestry Department for having donated trees and given advice on suitable species to plant in our compound," said Taren. - dailyexpress

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Japanese Students in Mangrove Planting Project

A group of secondary students from Japan has volunteered to come to Sabah for the first time to plant mangroves and even donated RM3,500 in support of the State’s project on rehabilitation of degraded mangroves.

State Forestry Department (SFD) Director Datuk Sam Mannan said the group of students from Ritsumeikan Uji High School in Kyoto was brought by Professor Shigeyuki Baba, Executive Director of the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystem (ISME).

He said the trip to Sabah was in conjunction with the third meeting of the Project Steering Committee on rehabilitation of degraded mangroves that was held in Sandakan yesterday.

It was part of the collaboration between SFD and ISME that was sealed on November 10, 2010 to implement the rehabilitation project.

Sam said the students, led by their teacher Saori Matsuoka, were all excited about the trip and took part in planting mangroves in Sungai Lalasun, Sandakan.

He added that from the funds raised for the trip, the students donated 10,000 Yen (more than RM3,500) to SFD in support of mangrove rehabilitation in the State.

Recognising the importance of cultural exchange and nature education, the students visited SMK Muhibbah Sandakan, the Orang Utan Rehabilitation Centre and the Labuk Bay Proboscis Monkey Centre.

Sam said the collaborative project between SFD and ISME is funded by Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance Co. Ltd, and the first phase of the project would be for three years (2011-2014 with an annual target of 50 hectares.

He said the ISME had remitted RM206,300 to SFD to support the expenditures of rehabilitation work for the first year and from October 2011 to March 2012, the project had planted 50 hectares of degraded mangroves in forest reserves of Sandakan and Beaufort.

The PSC was formed and chaired by the Director of SFD to monitor the progress of the project, and thus far, the committee had met three times in Sandakan.

ISME was established in 1990 to promote research, conservation, rational management and sustainable use of mangrove ecosystems. With its Secretariat located at the University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan, the society now has over 1000 members from 90 countries/regions.

During the Society’s 8th General Assembly and Mangrove Workshop in Sandakan in September last year, SFD was awarded an honorary institutional membership of ISME.

Sam said such collaboration presented a great opportunity for SFD to strengthen its capacity in mangrove rehabilitation.

“SFD is honoured to be chosen by the Society for the project implementation.

“Sabah is the first state in Malaysia to have such collaboration with ISME and this may herald the beginning of other collaborative efforts between institutions in Japan and Sabah in the future,” he added. 

Source: http://kepkas.sabah.gov.my/2012/03/20/japanese-students-plant-mangroves-to-support-rehabilitation/

Photo Source: http://www.borneotourstravel.com/sabah-history/kk-city-bird-sanctuary/

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Cleaning Up Rubbish Can Make Tanjung Aru Beach New Tourism Product

Sandakan: The long beach at Tanjung Aru can be a new tourist destination in Sukau near here if concrete measures are taken to clean up the heaps of rubbish littered along it and to prevent further waste materials being washed ashore.

"The sandy beach is beautiful if not for the rubbish from the Sandakan area that is being washed ashore during high tide and waves," Sukau Assemblyman Datuk Saddi Abdul Rahman said after touring the beach located about five minutes' ride by speedboat from here two days ago.

Villagers can benefit from the spinoff of the economy if the beach is turned into a tourist attraction.

Tanjung Aru can be a new tourism product in Sukau instead of being known only as a traditional fishing village, he pointed out.

Unfortunately at present, the rubbish that littered along the beach is an eyesore and necessary actions must be taken to address the problem, he said.

"Look at the surrounding area of the multipurpose hall near the beach.

It is littered with logs, pieces of wood and rubbish swept ashore during high tide and strong waves," he said.

"Because the coastal areas and Tanjung Aru are under the jurisdiction of Sandakan Municipal Council, I am requesting them to look into the matter," Saddi said.

Perhaps the Sandakan Municipal Council and Environment Protection Department can build some form of barriers along the seafront to prevent rubbish from being washed ashore on the beach, he added.

Saddi said as Sukau is under the administration of the Kinabatangan District Office, they could also play a role in the efforts.

"This problem has dragged on for quite a long time and it's high time for us to do something about it. The Sandakan Municipal Council can coordinate with the Kampung Tanjung Aru Village Security & Development Committee to temporarily clean up the rubbish," he continued.

Saddi said he would seek allocations from the State government to implement measures to stop the rubbish pollution at the Tanjung Aru shoreline.

"As the Assemblyman for Sukau, I am prepared to give my full support and cooperation to the local authorities and other quarters to keep the Tanjung Aru beach clean," he said.

Source: http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/New-Sabah-Times/cleaning-up-rubbish-can-make-tanjung-aru-beach-new-tourism-product.html

Green Sabah says: Clean up the shores to ensure that our beach are always clean so that the tourist will enjoy coming to our beaches more often.  

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