April 2016 - Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society

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SWC
APRIL 2016
Sabah Wetlands
Conservation Society
(SWCS)
A Non-Government
Organization working on
Conservation of Wetlands in
Sabah
What’s inside?
Page #1: Staff Capacity Building - Workshop
Page #2: Environment Education Programme; Outreach
Page #3: Environmental Voluntary Work
Page #4: Mangrove Restoration - Tree Planting; Internship
Page #5: Voluntary GuardianProgramme
Established on
22 August 2005
Page #6: April Guest Comments
Page #7: Upcoming Event in April
OBJECTIVES
 To promote the
conservation of
wetlands in Sabah and the
variety of plants, birds and
other kinds of organisms
found in them.
 To raise public awareness
and appreciation of
wetlands and public
involvement in
protecting wetlands.
 To manage Kota
Kinabalu Wetlands
(KKW) as a model
wetlands centre for the
purpose of conservation,
education,
recreation,
tourism and research.
STAFF CAPACITY BUILDING — WORKSHOP
26th—28th April 2016: Honorary Wildlife Warden Workshop
SWCS would like to express their gratitude towards WWF and Sabah Wildlife Department for giving us
the opportunity to join the 3 days training Honorary Wildlife Warden at our very own place in KK
Wetlands. The Honorary Wildlife Warden is an authorised officer by the Minister by notification
published in Gazzete. The director of SWD may appoint suitable persons to be Honorary Wildlife
Warden to assist in carrying into effect of the provisions of the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997.
Among the other participants came from Lembah Danun, Maliau Basin Conservation Area, Pulau
Mantanani to name a few. A total of 3 staffs from SWCS participated the training; Abraham Sadikun
(Ground Staff), Davisthon Soitoh (Conservation & Education Assistant) and Rita Ignatius (Manager of
KK Wetlands).
Group photo with
participants , facilitators and
speakers of the workshop.
The workshop was officiated
by Augustine Tuuga, Deputy
Director 1 Sabah Wildlife
Department (front, middle).
Contact us:
Tel:+6088-246 955
Fax: +6088-247 955
or
[email protected]
Like us on Facebook:
(https://www.facebook.com/
SabahWetlandsConservation
Society)
Visit our Website:
www.sabahwetlands.org
Visit us today : Tue-Sun
(including PH)
8.00am—6.00pm
SWCS
representativesholding
certificate after the three days
workshop. From left: Rita,
Abraham and Davisthon.
All donations made to the Society are exempted from tax under Subsection 44(6) of Income Tax Act 1967.
APRIL 2016
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ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PROGRAMME
4th Kinabalu Boys’ Brigade Company – 2nd April 2016
It was a fun day. We had learned a lot of things such as the history of wetlands, the species of crabs, birds, snakes and plants. We also
learned about different types of leaves, bark, flowers and seedlings of the mangrove trees. During the visit to the observatory tower, the
scenery was very beautiful. After the interpretative walk, we took a boat ride to cross the waterway, and then we arrived there at an area
to clean the rubbish for one hour. ~ Lewwis Liew Yu Chen
During the walk within the wetlands, we learned about the characteristics of the mangrove plants, their heights, shape of leaves and also
their economic value. During the visit to the observatory tower, we were able to see the whole canopy of mangrove trees from above and
the scenery was beautiful. The bird watching activity inspires me to know more about birds’ characteristics and uniqueness. During the
cleaning up activity, we found that some area in the mangrove swamp was polluted with rubbish especially water bottles but after our
team cleaned it up the mangrove swamp was more clean. Therefore, this trip is a good place to increase knowledge about wetlands and at
the same time help this place to become a clean and a better place for the birds and other fauna to live in. ~ Irvine Wong Yue Hoo
Outreach
This month’s outreach programme supports the World Earth Day celebration to demonstrate support for environmental protection. World
Earth Day is celebrated worldwide on the 22 nd April every year. Three outreach programmes were conducted focusing on to increase the
public’s awareness in protecting the wetlands as one of Earth’s important ecosystems.
KK Wetlands’ exhibited plenty of environmental information at Environmental exhibition with fun quizzes at SMK Sri Nangka,
SMK Datuk Peter Mojuntin, Penampang on the 21st April 2016 Tuaran on the 28th April 2016 in conjunction with the school’s
in conjunction with the school’s Hari Ekspo Lestari.
Karnival Kokurikulum & Pameran Kerjaya.
KK Wetlands information
booth during the outreach
Students visiting the
booth: answering quizzes
Environmental talk on ‘Mangrove Conservation through Education
and Restoration’ at Desa Cargill Sdn Bhd on the 25th April 2016
as their celebration of the World Earth Day.
The audience during the talk
are Desa Cargill staffs.
Group photo with the speaker,
Jane (front, 6th from right)
KK Wetlands exhibition booth during the
outreach.
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Environmental voluntary work
Cosmopoint College Kota Kinabalu – 1st April 2016
“Cleaning up the mangrove is seriously hard but we managed to finish it in time. Even though we did not reach our target to collect
50kg of rubbish (we only managed to collect 38.8kg), but at least we were able to give our hands to contribute in the conservation works
and we are happy to see the environment that we helped to clean.” ~ Hana Rozie
“Both of the activities (exhibition hall and mangrove cleaning) were really fun. The activities had given us the opportunity to experience
the conservation works. I am very happy to be able to cooperate with my fellow friends. I am also very satisfied with the end results of
the cleaning tasks.” ~ Jalimah Sa’at
Mangrove cleanup group
General cleaning at the office
building
Group photo and certificate
presentation.
SM All Saints Kota Kinabalu – 29th April 2016
“My friends and I participated in transferring mangrove seedlings from the nursery to
the parking area. We are very happy to help KK Wetlands despite our small numbers of
man power. This activity allows us to spend our time wisely by helping others even
though it is just a little contribution.” ~ Participants representative
SMK Likas – 30th April 2016
We have participated in transferring the mangrove seedlings from the nursery to the parking
lot. The seedlings then will be transported by lorry to the planting site in Tuaran. From this
activity, I gained the knowledge on how to select and choose suitable seedlings to be planted. I
had a lot of fun with my friends during this activity. I hope I can join another activity in the
future.” ~ Nur Hidayah
“Today we helped to transfer the mangrove seedlings. We managed to complete the activity in a
short period of time because of the great cooperation amongst us!”~ Amber Shermanie Lonuis
Taking out the seedlings from the nursery
to the boat.
Everything become lighter when
teamwork applied.
Rearranging the nursery after
transferring the seedling
(afternoon).
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MANGROVE RESTORATION –TREE PLANTING
Tree Planting By ANBATAR
Mangrove swamp, being one of many different types of wetlands, plays vital role in ecosystem balance as well as for human life.
Despite their biodiversity and economic value, many mangroves ecosystems are severely degraded due to human activities. SWCS, as
an NGO working for the conservation of wetlands, put great efforts on the restoration of mangrove forest. On 20 April 2016, 2 young
mans from Anak Belia Kampung Taritipan, (ANBATAR), Kota Marudu together with 5 staff and KK Wetlands trainees went to
Sulaman Lake Forest Reserve to plant more trees, hoping that this small effort can bring huge impact to future generation. Within the
half-day programme, we manage to plant 106 mangrove trees.
The planting site is surrounded by other trees which
previously planted few years ago.
From left: Zolkifli (intern), Sabarudin (ANBATAR),
Nurhidayah (intern), Fadhil (ANBATAR), Recheal (intern),
Guslia and Abraham (staff). Photo © Davisthon.
More Saplings to the Planting Site
On 30th April 2016, with help of volunteers (students) from SM All Saints and SMK Likas (Read
in Page# 3), another 1200 mangrove saplings were taken out from KK Wetlands nursery to be
transferred to the mini nursery in Sulaman Lake Forest Reserve to supply for the continuous
mangrove restoration on the degraded area is the site.
1200 sapling transferred, leaving 1200 empty space in KK Wetlands nursery. We need to
have constant supply for mangrove sapling in future. You are welcomed to contribute as
volunteer, individually or in group, to do fill soil in polybags and plant new mangrove seedling in
the nursery. If you are interested, please contact us via email at [email protected] or call
us at 088 247 955.
The mangrove sapling loaded in a
truck to be transferred on 5th May.
INTERNSHIP
Every hello ends with goodbye. This month, another trainee finish
her training at KK Wetlands. Nurhidayah Sharmera Binti Mohd
Shukri, a student from Polytechnic Marang student finished her 4
months industrial training, started from 13 th January 2016 until
29th April 2016. On behalf of SWCS, we wish her will find a
good career path in the future.
In KK Wetlands, we welcome all students from different
background of studies to undergo their industrial training. If you
are interested to be one of our trainee, please email your
application to [email protected].
From right: Mr. Khairulnizam
(lecturer from Polytechnic
Marang), Nurhidayah and
Guslia (staff at KK Wetlands)
Certificate presentation as an
appreciation to Nurhidayah for
completing her industrial training
at KK Wetlands.
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VOLUNTARY GUARDIAN PROGRAMME
The 1 Workshop of Voluntary Guardian Programme was conducted on the 23 rd and 24th April 2016 with different groups on each day.
By joining the Voluntary Guardian Programme, the public can participate in the management of KK Wetlands such as in the
conservation effort, fundraising and environmental education. The workshop aimed to introduce the volunteers to KK Wetlands and an
opportunity for them to understand the importance of continuing the wetlands conservation efforts.
Group 1 (23th April 2016)
Welcoming remarks by Mr. Ting Hua Seng,
Chairman of Voluntary Guardian
Programme
Session 2: Introduction to Voluntary
Guardian Programme
Ice breaking session
Session 1: Introduction to KK Wetlands &
Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society
Session 3: Communication, Capacity Building,
Education, Participation and Awareness
(CEPA) kit training by Ms. Alessandra Markos
and Ms.Akemi Yoda (JICA-SDBEC)
End of workshop: Group photo
Group 2 (24th April 2016)
Getting to know old and new friends
Educational walk in the mangrove area
Communication, Capacity Building,
Education, Participation and Awareness
(CEPA) kit training by JICA-SDBEC
As a continuation of the 1st Workshop, the 2nd Workshop will be conducted on the 5th June 2016, focusing on two topics: Bird
Watching and Water Quality Monitoring. It is hoped that through these workshops, the Voluntary Guardians will gain experience and
enhance their knowledge which will be useful for their upcoming voluntary activity in KK Wetlands.
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Guest comment
Anne Taylor, New Zealand —
9th April 2016
Torida Kash, Australia
— 14th April 2016
“Excellent work. Well
access park. Great to see
young people group
involved.”
“Wonderful sanctuary in the
heart of the city. This is a great
place to relax and enjoy the
wildlife (the signs are very
helpful in identifying birds and
crabs.”
Peter Lopeman, United Kingdom
— 23rd April 2016
Kyle Kaizan, Malaysia —
10th April 2016
“Excellent to see that mangrove
forest is being conserved like the
primary forest in the south.”
“Very relaxing environment,
peaceful, and very friendly,
helpful staffs.”
ded!
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You A
Volunteering for KK Wetlands can be a great fun! If
you have passion for the environment or just want to
gain more outdoor experience, this is the place you
look for! Do not miss the chance! Lets care for our
wetlands.
All you need to do is to sign up as volunteer.
Please contact us for further information.
Lets Clean up the wetlands
If you have an old
laptop or PC (in
working condition)
which you no longer
need, please donate
to us.
Contact us at
Email us at [email protected]
Other voluntary activities: Nursery work and tree planting
APRIL 2016
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UPCOMING EVENT in MAY!
5th - 6th May 2016: EEP—Camp Borneo/UK Camp
21st May 2016: EEP and Tree Planting—IM4U
8th May 2016: EVW by Seventh-Day Adventist Church
24th May 2016: EEP—SMK Labuan
13th May 2016: Courtesy Call DBKK
25th May 2016: EVW by SMK Tansau
14th May 2016: Tree Planting by Liberty Insurance
26th May 2016: SWCS Site Visit to Bengkoka, Pitas
18th May 2016: EEP—Home Schooled Children
28th May 2016: EEP with SJK © Yick Nam, Kota Kinabalu
19th May 2016: EEP—SMK Kinarut
20th May 2016: Outreach to Institute Tropical Biology and
Conservation, UMS
SUPPORT OUR EFFORT! BE A MEMBER today!
Contributors:
Rita Ignatius
(Manager / Executive Secretary)
Jane Joimin
(Environmental Education Officer)
Guslia Binti Lahasing
(Conservation & Science Officer)
Davisthon Soitoh
(Conservation & Education Assist.)
Compiled by :
Davisthon Soitoh
SUPPORT US BY JOINING OUR
PROGRAMMES:
Environmental Educational
Programmes:
 KK Wetlands Mangrove
Experience Programme
Mangrove Conservation
Experience Programme (includes
tree planting in Tuaran)
Handcrafting from Mangrove
Environmental Voluntary Work
(*Contact us for activity booking form )
Tel No: 088-246955
Email: [email protected]
All donations made to the Society are exempted from tax under Subsection 44(6) of Income Tax Act 1967.