SUNSHINE STORIES

The NCEAS Group at Lotus Land, Santa Barbara Posted by: R. Jumin I was lucky to be able to participate in the recent Society for Conservation Biology’s 2 nd International Marine Conservation Congress in Victoria , Canada . I was invited to present a paper at a symposium entitled Science and Policy in the Coral Triangle where I presented a paper on the use of local knowledge in conservation planning in the proposed Tun Mustapha Park (TMP). The on-going zoning process in the proposed TMP under the zoning group (See post on establishment of ISC in TMP) will benefit from the information provided by the local communities of TMP compiled through a rapid community survey in 2006 to 2007. The Coral Triangle Symposium at the 2 nd IMCC was organized by Carissa Klein as part of the the Hugh Possingham/Carrissa Klein’s NCEAS working group that work on supporting decision making in the Coral Triangle. A special newsletter edition on Coral Triangle prepared as part of the sympos...

Posted by: Hui Ling From left, HSBC Area Director East Malaysia, Mr Ong Eng Mun; New Sabah Times reporter, Shirley Poilis; WWF Kudat Team leader, Irwanshah Mustafa; and Raleigh Borneo Recruitment, Support and Media Coordinator, Yolanda Graham © WWF-Malaysia / Angela Lim Remember previous update for Pulau Maliangin with a question whether communities can manage their own resources ? Since 8 October 2010, the community at Pulau Maliangin has been managing its resources through with the help of traditional handicrafts as an alternative source of income and to reduce dependency on fishing. The Pulau Maliangin community is delighted when HSBC sponsored Raleigh Borneo youths in building 9 units of self-composting toilets, repairing broken gravity water feed system and constructing a camp area for potential visitors to the island. This boost of facilities is part of the plan for collaborative management of the proposed TMP, which a...

Posted by: Hui Ling We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children. This quote reminds us not to take the earth for granted because if we do, our children and grandchildren may not be able to enjoy the beauty of nature like we can now. Banggi Youth Club a.k.a BYC came up with a Green Lifestyle Campaign that will run for a year starting July 2011, with supervision from WWF Kudat Team members. It will cover Kg Karakit, Kg Singgamata, Kg Perpaduan and Perumahan Felcra, and SMK Banggi (secondary school) and SK Karakit (primary school) in Pulau Banggi, within the proposed Tun Mustapha Park. Anti-plastic use and recycling modules’ combined discussion led by WWF Kudat Team Leader, Irwanshah Mustapa ©WWF-Malaysia / El Said Abdel Aziz A workshop to develop a Green Lifestyle Campaign using the social marketing approach was held on 20 February 2010. Five Green Lifestyle Modules were proposed at the workshop: Anti-fish bombing and cyanide fish...

Posted by: Hui Ling Climate change as much as it is feared, is unfortunately a long term threat that has the potential to affect every part of our planet. Climate change will exacerbate impacts such as droughts, floods, extreme weather events and sea level rise which will not only affect humans but also animals and plants, all of which rely on the natural environment. How can we adapt to climate changes? How is our Kudat-Banggi PCA Team going to manage the probable impact of climate change on the marine ecosystem of the proposed Tun Mustapha Park (TMP)? The Kudat-Banggi PCA Team and others in WWF-Malaysia attended a week’s training on Climate Change Adaptation, conducted by WWF-US trainers in January 2011. They learned the difference between climate change adaptation and climate change mitigation strategies, and are now familiar with adaptation concepts presented through role-playing and group exercises! SSME Manager Robecca Jumin and WWF-US Trainer Alfonso Lombana presenti...

Group photo of the first meeting of the Interim Steering Committee for TMP on 1 February 2011. © Irwanshah Mustapa An important milestone was achieved towards the gazettement of the proposed Tun Mustapha Park (TMP), when Sabah Parks with funding support from the USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership organized the first meeting of Interim Steering Committee for TMP at the Le Meridien Hotel on 1st February 2011. In the next three years, the Interim Steering Committee and its working groups will work towards an Integrated Management Plan that will achieve the 3 objectives of the proposed TMP and outlining the implementation of a multiple use park that is managed through a collaborative management approach. The main objectives for the establishment of the proposed TMP are: (i) to conserve biodiversity, (ii) to ensure sustainable development, and (iii) to alleviate poverty in the proposed TMP. Once fully gazetted, the proposed TMP will be the first collaborative...

Posted by: Lee Yoke Lee The Kudat-Banggi Priority Conservation Area (KBPCA) is where two tumultuous seas meet: the Sulu Sea to the east and the South China Sea to the west. KBPCA seems plain-looking compared to her glamorous sisters Sipadan and Langkayan that are already the mainstays of marine tourism in Sabah. But underneath those grey skies, whipping winds and choppy waters that make it less than picture perfect, KBPCA disguises her riches: productive fishing grounds that feed thousands; diverse and mostly intact marine and coastal habitats; as well as the resilient fishing communities dotting the coastline. It was these riches that the US Ambassador to Malaysia Paul W. Jones came to see on 11 March 2011 . The Ambassador is witnessing a large-scale Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the making; a grand experiment in collaborative management of coastal and marine resources. Almost twice the size of Delaware, the proposed Tun Mustapha Park is already building strong foundations for su...

The SSME Team visiting Padang Kemunting Turtle Management Centre in Melaka, hosted by the Peninsular Malaysia Seas Team © WWF-Malaysia/Angela Lim. Posted by: Hui Ling It has been a while since this blog has been updated by our Kudat-Banggi PCA Team. Our biggest thanks to all our readers for staying with us after a year’s break. Blog silence does not imply that we were missing in action, readers! We have been organizing and been involved in a series of activities throughout the year. For a start, here are some notable activities we have done up to May 2011! An important milestone for the gazettement of the proposed Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) was reached when the Interim Steering Committee for TMP was formalized through its first meeting on 1 February 2011 WWF-Malaysia's Kudat-Banggi PCA Team and other TMP stakeholders attended a Climate Change Adaptation Training which redefined the way we look at climate adaptation and climate mitigation. The Green Lifestyle Ca...