RM30,000 in support of symposium on wetlands
KOTA KINABALU: Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Christina Liew has approved an allocation of RM30,000 in support of the Third International Symposium On The Conservation And Management of Wetlands (ISCMW 2018).
She gave the approval during a courtesy call on her by a fivemember delegation from the Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society (SWCS) which is organising the symposium on September 25 and 26 at Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort and Spa here.
The delegation comprised the president Datuk Hj Zainie Abdul Aucasa, honorary secretary Omar Abdul Kadir, honorary treasurer George Ngui, executive secretary Rita Ignatius and Conservation & Science officer Mohd Nurazmeel Mokhtar.
Liew, who is also Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, has been invited to officiate at the event.
“The Society deserves support for its commendable work in saving wetlands in Sabah and getting civil society to be involved in planting mangrove saplings in designated areas such as the KK Wetlands, in Sulaman, Tuaran, and Darau, Manggatal,” she said.
The minister noted that it was not easy to get the KK Wetlands (within 10km of the City) in an urban setting declared as a second Ramsar site for Sabah last year (after the Lower Kinabatangan in Segama), and only the second in the world after Tokyo.
“I was informed that it took the Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society eight years to make its ‘dream' a reality,” she said.
Meanwhile, Zainie said the symposium with the theme “Integrated Conservation And Management Of Urban Wetlands” would act as a platform for discussion, information sharing and creating awareness among the various stakeholders in building the resilience of urban wetlands.
“There will be resolutions on the way forward for wetlands conservation,” he added.
Target participants are conservationists, nongovernmental organisations, government officials, researchers, academics, students and teachers as well as the general public.
Zainie also briefed Liew on the Society's plans to rehabilitate the Sungai Kawang area by roping in the local community to plant mangrove saplings on the riparian reserve.