Program to educate youths on biodiversity
KOTA KINABALU: The Friends of Borneensis (FOB) programme successfully taught Kota Kinabalu youths the importance of biodiversity and preservation of our land.
Program director Prof Dr Charles S. Vairappan said the three-day programme was aimed at educating the public on the importance of preserving the country’s natural heritage.
“The program encourages the use of biodiversity specimen. Thus, it can be a good platform for the young people to learn more on the whole concept of biodiversity, which includes ecosystem services, conservation of flora and fauna as well as its sustainability efforts,” said Charles.
The program was co-organized by Japan International Cooperation Agency-Sustainable Development Biodiversity Ecosystem (JICA-SDBEC) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
Chief advisor to JICA-SDBEC Hiroyuki Hatori said UMS had the potential to be a catalyst for higher learning institutions. This can be done through the sharing of knowledge and research results to the public.
Hiroyuki added that all the learning sessions during the program would be conducted by local UMS lecturers and invited speakers from Japan and the United Kingdom.
“We hope the students can appreciate the importance of biodiversity and that they will continue to preserve our biodiversity and thus, protect our beloved national treasure,” added Hiroyuki. Both Hiroyuki and Charles spoke to the media during the opening ceremony of FOB at UMS Institute for Tropical Biology and Conservation.
Among the high schools that were involved in the program were Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan( SMK) Tebobon, SM St. Michael, and SM All Saints.
Also present in the event was FOB program coordinator Petherine Jimbau.