TOURISM COMPLEMENTS CONSERVATION IN RANAU ‘FISH SPA’ VILLAGE

Tourism complements conservation in Ranau ‘fish spa’ village

The fishy masseurs in Moroli River at Kampung Luanti.

16/12/2012 - SUSTAINABLE environmental management and tourism complement each other at Kampung Luanti Baru, a village in Ranau.

The Fish Spa Experience, promoted as a tourism product through the Tagal system, ensures that while the environment and marine life are kept intact, the villagers are benefiting from promoting the environment through tourism.

Sited 130km — about two and half hours’ drive — from Kota Kinabalu, this village is tranquil, peaceful and rather sleepy just like any other hamlets in Sabah with a river winding through it.

ORANGUTAN POPULATIONS AFFECTED BY DEMOGRAPHIC EVENTS – STUDY

Orangutan populations affected by demographic events – study

Wild female orangutan and her offspring in the Lower Kinabatangan floodplain. (Photo credit: Rudi Delvaux)

KOTA KINABALU 24/11/2012: Bornean orangutans experienced a major demographic decline and local extirpation during the Pleistocene (2,558,000 to 12,000 years ago) and Holocene (from 12,000 years to the present) due to climate change, the arrival of modern humans, of farmers and recent commercially-driven habitat loss and fragmentation.

RED TAPE BLOW TO THREE POTENTIAL HERITAGE SITES

Red tape blow to three potential heritage sites

Kota Kinabalu 8/11/2012: Red tape is hampering efforts to get World Heritage Site status for Maliau Basin, Imbak Canyon and Danum Valley, said State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.

"We are facing slight procedural challenges (in this effort) É please cut the red tape,"

RESIDENTS WANT TO SEE APPROVED DEVELOPMENT PLAN FOR CONDOMINIUM PROJECT

Residents want to see approved development plan for condominium project

KOTA KINABALU 3/11/2012: A group of residents of Signal Hill here are up in arms over the failure of Kota Kinabalu City Hall to show to them the approved development plan of the ongoing 13-storey condominium project next to their houses.

RANAU TOPS THE LIST OF TAGAL RIVERS: YAHYA

Ranau tops the list of Tagal rivers: Yahya

23/10/2012: VILLAGERS in the State are now more aware of the need to preserve rivers in their respective villages by practising the Tagal system, which has increased from a mere 10 in 2000 to 193 rivers this year.

Agriculture and Food Industry Minister Datuk Yahya Hussin said there were only 10 Tagal rivers in three districts in 2000 involving 30 villages, but the number has increased to 193 rivers in 17 districts this year involving 477 villages.

"Ranau tops the list for having the highest number of Tagal rivers with 95, followed by Tambunan (78 rivers), Tuaran (75) and Kota Belud (46).

THE LARGEST MARINE PARK IN SEA WILL BE IN SABAH

Largest marine park in SEA soon

CONSERVATION: 1.02m-hectare Tun Mustapha Park may be gazetted by 2016

A group of scientists on their way to a 19-day expedition to Tun Mustapha Park in Kudat, Sabah, recently. Pic courtesy of WWF-Malaysia

KUDAT 19/10/2012: FOLLOWING an expedition and survey, a team of scientists has approved the idea of gazetting a 1.02 million hectare marine park, which covers the waters here to Pulau Banggi.

The 19-day expedition at Tun Mustapha Park last month yielded positive results.

They will propose that the Sabah government gazette the park by 2016, to ensure the conservation of marine life. The park also has the potential to become the largest marine park in Southeast Asia.

YOUTHS URGED TO CONSIDER CAREER IN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT

Youths urged to consider career in wildlife management

KOTA KINABALU 6/10/2012: The Sabah Wildlife Department is encouraging youths to explore and consider career opportunities in wildlife management as well as conservation.

Its director, Laurentius Ambu, said the state needed to start building a team of local ‘warriors’ to continue protecting and caring for the wildlife in Sabah.

160 SPESIES BARU DITEMUI DI GUNUNG KINABALU

160 spesies baru ditemui di Gunung Kinabalu

Katak tanduk juga ditemui pasukan penyelidik di kawasan Gunung Kinabalu. - Foto ihsan Naturalis Biodiversity Center

Rama-rama Atlas dipercayai paling terbesar di dunia. - Foto ihsan Naturalis Biodiversity Center

KOTA KINABALU 5/10/2012- Penyelidik Malaysia dan Belanda menemui kira-kira 160 spesies baru di kawasan pergunungan Borneo baru-baru ini – penemuan yang menakjubkan dunia sains.

BLACK SMOKE EMISSION IN RANAU UNDER LEGAL LIMIT – SESB

Black smoke emission in Ranau under legal limit – SESB

KOTA KINABALU 5/10/2012: Sabah Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) has refuted claims that its diesel-fuelled power stations in Ranau were emitting heavy black smoke and a threat to the health of surrounding communities.

Managing director Ir Abd Razak Salim said SESB had always emphasised on running only generators with emission under the legal limit, rejecting recent online reports as an excessive exaggeration and highly inaccurate.

“Technically, there has to be some smoke from the generators but not nearly as bad as claimed in the reports. If you browse through Sabahkini, the picture they used is not of our power station, and in fact we managed to trace the source of the picture to be from the Philippines,” he said this to reporters yesterday.

FOCUS ON EDUCATION AND RESEARCH ON BIOFUELS, CM URGES UMS

Focus on education and research on biofuels, CM urges UMS

KOTA KINABALU 27/09/2012: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman wants Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to give special focus on education and research on biofuels, to help the State improve its power security and utilisation.

“We need to invest in technologies to improve the production and use of biofuels, and I wish to call on UMS to place a high priority on education and research in these areas,”

BIODIVERSITY RICH IMBAK CANYON LARGELY UNEXPLORED – YAYASAN SABAH

Biodiversity rich Imbak Canyon largely unexplored – Yayasan Sabah

KOTA KINABALU September 22, 2012: Only a small part of Imbak Canyon has been explored since it was gazetted by the government into a Class I (Protection) Forest Reserve in 2009.

Yayasan Sabah Group group manager (Conservation and Environmental Management Division) Dr Waidi Sinun said in his welcoming remarks during the forum on the findings of Imbak Canyon 2012 Wildlife Survey held at a resort near here yesterday that it would probably take several more scientific expeditions to unveil what Imbak Canyon holds.

PRINCESS DIANA HAD WANTED TO VISIT DANUM VALLEY – YAYASAN SABAH

Princess Diana had wanted to visit Danum Valley – Yayasan Sabah

LAHAD DATU September 17, 2012: Fifteen years ago, there was another British Royal who had intended to visit Danum Valley in Lahad Datu, Malaysia’s well-reserved rainforest.

Arrangements were made to accommodate the royal visit, and the date was tentatively set.

Scores of discussions were organised to ensure everything was fit for a princess.

Yayasan Sabah Conservation and Environmental Management Division group manager Dr Waidi Sinun said they made sure everything was in order, especially when the guest was one of the world’s most influential women, Princess of Wales, Diana.

WILLIAM AND KATE VISIT DANUM VALLEY

William and Kate visit Danum Valley

REYNOLDS (third left) briefing William and Kate on their research during the Royal Highnesses visit to the Danum Valley Field Centre Laboratory, yesterday.

LAHAD DATU September 16, 2012: Britain’s Prince William and his wife Catherine Middleton, or fondly known as Kate, did not mind the sun, at all.

MASIDI URGES PLANTATION OWNERS TO FULFILL PROMISES

Masidi urges plantation owners to fulfill promises

KOTA KINABALU August 21, 2012: Oil palm plantation owners in Kinabatangan have been urged to fulfill their promises to ensure that river pollution problems caused by factory discharge are solved immediately.

“They have given me their word and I expect them to fulfill their promises, not just to the government, but also to the people, fast,” said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun yesterday.

DAP SHOCKED TO LEARN ONLY RM13M ALLOCATED FOR MAMUT REHAB WORK

DAP shocked to learn only RM13m allocated for Mamut rehab work

Kota Kinabalu August 22, 2012: DAP National Adviser Lim Kit Siang who is on a four-day visit to Sabah, visited the former Mamut Copper Mine to see the damage inflicted on the land.

In a statement, DAP Sabah Secretary Dr Edwin Bosi said the mining activity from 1975 to 1994 had produced about RM3.4 billion worth of copper, gold and silver with royalty earned to a tune of only RM200 million.

Lim, he said, was shocked to learn that only RM13 million was allocated for rehabilitation work.

FIRST PRAWN TAGAL HARVEST IN COUNTRY

First prawn tagal harvest in country

BEAUFORT August 13, 2012: Villagers at Kampung Suasa here were overjoyed with their bountiful catch of giant fresh water prawns, popularly known by locals as ¡’udang galah’ at a harvest here on August 9 under the Tagal System, the first not only for the state of Sabah, but for Malaysia as a whole.

Deputy director of the Fisheries Department, Jephrin Z Wong, who witnessed the event, said this is the first udang galah harvest in the country since the tagal approach in conservation of fish products along rivers took off in three districts in Sabah in 2000.

BUSINESSMEN HARNESS THE SUN AND SELL POWER TO TNB

Businessmen harness the sun and sell power to TNB

PETALING JAYA August 6, 2012: It pays to go green and a group of Malaysians will attest to this.

Businessmen Steven Ho and Suyani Hijjas together with physician Dr George Anthony Taye Wei Chun decided to harness the sun's energy and sell it to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).

They signed up for the Feed-in Tariff (FiT) mechanism, where they were given approval by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (Seda) to sell their renewable energy to TNB.

By generating electricity between 3.6kWp and 20.79kWp on their solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, each of them receive RM500 to RM3,500 from TNB monthly.

KK MADE ‘RUBBISH DUMP’ – SENATOR

KK made ‘rubbish dump’ – senator

KOTA KINABALU July 23, 2012: Senator Datuk Paul Kong has called for the setting up of a special task force looking into the relocation of those living in water villages in the city and its surrounding areas.

According to Kong, the relocation of these residents must be done within 10 years so that a massive and concerted clean-up effort can be carried out in the state capital.

Kong was debating the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Bill 2012 which was presented by Tan Sri Joseph Kurup in the Dewan Negara last week.

Kong was of the opinion that the problems and damage to the sea and environment in the state capital were caused by the inhabitants of water villages which have mushroomed in Pulau Gaya, Sembulan, Tanjung Aru, Likas, Putatan and Kinarut over the past 40 years or so.

“They have turned our sea within the ‘nature city’ Kota Kinabalu into rubbish dump, toilets and bathrooms. These water villagers are also an eyesore to people visiting the state.

SAND MINING ACTIVITIES SUSPENDED – MASIDI

Sand mining activities suspended – Masidi

KOTA KINABALU July 13, 2012: The sand mining activities at Kampung Kogopon in Papar have been suspended, Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said.

“I have instructed that the company suspend operations which they have done immediately,” he said after officiating the stakeholder consultation workshop on Sabah Policy on the Environment here yesterday.

The company Masidi was referring to was said to have encroached into the Kampung Kogopon’s ‘tagal’ area with its sand mining activities.

BABI HUTAN MASUK BANDAR

Babi hutan masuk bandar

Babi seberat 50 kilogram yang mengalami kecederaan selepas merempuh kedai cuba menyembunyikan diri dalam premis tersebut.

KUANTAN - Peniaga dan beberapa pelanggan deretan kedai di Jalan Mahkota di sini gempar berikutan kemunculan seekor babi hutan yang tersesat masuk ke kawasan itu sebelum merempuh sebuah kedai, tengah hari kelmarin.

Babi yang dianggarkan seberat 50 kilogram itu turut merosakkan kaunter pameran sebuah kedai selepas merempuh masuk premis tersebut dipercayai akibat terkejut dengan kehadiran kenderaan dan orang ramai.