Study tour to Maliau Basin Conservation Area by caretakers of Mt Kinabalu
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Environmental Trust (SET) in partnership with HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad recently organised a Building Resources and Capacity for Environmental Awareness study tour to Maliau Basin Conservation Area (MBCA) for the mountain guides and porters of Mount Kinabalu, also known as the Kinabalu caretakers.
MBCA, also known as Sabah's Lost World is one of the few relatively untouched wilderness in the world. Eighteen participants from HSBC Bank Malaysia, Kinabalu Park Mountain Guide Association (KPMGA), Kinabalu Park Porters Association (KPPA) and Kinabalu Park took part in various activities during the four-day long study tour from November 27-30.
The programme was focused on educating the participants in the areas of biodiversity, conservation efforts and environmental issues.
The participants were also introduced to a green living by the guest speaker, Ms Maya Karin.
Dr Rahimatsah Amat of SET said that the caretakers understood the importance of their role as a “nature interpreter” and the need to educate the community, the public and their peers about the topics covered in this programme.
Hence it is important that we continue this great initiative with support from the stakeholders to ensure that the caretakers are fully equipped with the relevant knowledge and skills.
“We are also hoping that the scope of this programme can be expanded and improved to ensure its sustainability”, he added.
“The MBCA study tour is an eye-opening experience for me as I learned how much different things were between Kinabalu Park and MBCA. During our hike, the rangers were able to provide information on various endemic plants found in MBCA.
“Their passion for conservation and plants inspired me, as a mountain guide to be more knowledgeable in order to provide better services and to educate the tourists,” said chairperson of KPMGA, Junaydie Sihan.
Another participant, M Adli Somihin from KPPA echoed a similar sentiment. “Following my participation in an earlier workshop as well as the MBCA study tour, I have a better understanding of environmental conservation.”
“In my opinion, this initiative by HSBC is important as it taught us the importance of conservation by highlighting the significance of symbiotic relationships between animals and plants.”
The study tour was part of an environmental awareness programme in Sabah.
It was sponsored by HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad as part of the company's corporate sustainability efforts to enhance and strengthen the capacity and capability of the Kinabalu Park's caretakers.
The 18 selected participants from the KPMGA, KPPA and Kinabalu Park had previously completed over 23 hours of lectures, practical and presentation sessions at workshops held at the Celyn Resort, Kundasang.
The first workshop was held on May 2-4, followed by a second workshop on July 24-26, and the final workshop was organised on September 21-23.
All three workshops were sponsored by HSBC, ran by SET with the assistance from NEPCon (Nature Economy and People Connected) have benefitted more than 96 mountain guides, porters and rangers of Kinabalu Park.