Getting their hands dirty for Earth
Sungai Rambah Recreation Area, Pontian, Johor
30th December 2014
30th December 2014
AS a send-off to 2014, the MNS Paddle for Nature project assisted in the planting of Rhu (Casuarina equisetifolia) saplings in Sungai Rambah, Pontian, Johor. Present on planting day were MNS Head of Conservation Balu Perumal, Paddle for Nature project leader Faedzul Rahman and paddler Che Zahiruddin Che Othman, as well as officers and staff of the Johor Forestry Department, KPJ Pasir Gudang Specialist Hospital and Western Digital.
Together they planted some 200 saplings at the Sungai Rambah recreation area, bringing the total number of casuarina planted in the area to more than 2,000. This is the second tree-planting exercise for Paddle for Nature, following the one on 2nd October in Sungai Ular, Cherating, Pahang.
Together they planted some 200 saplings at the Sungai Rambah recreation area, bringing the total number of casuarina planted in the area to more than 2,000. This is the second tree-planting exercise for Paddle for Nature, following the one on 2nd October in Sungai Ular, Cherating, Pahang.
Johor Forestry Department’s Ahmad Aizuddin Hashim, Forest Rehabilitation Assistant in the Silviculture and Forest Protection division, said the department’s tree-planting programme started in 2005 in response to the devastating tsunami the previous year.
“A post-mortem of the tsunami’s effect on our shores showed that trees along the coast could mitigate damage caused by big waves or a tsunami,” he said. The answer is to plant more trees, and since then, he said, the department had planted Rhu, mangrove and other coastal trees in 25 areas totalling some 300 hectares. Today’s exercise was also part of the corporate social responsibility programmes of KPJ Pasir Gudang Specialist Hospital and Western Digital, which sent nearly 40 officers and staff to help with the planting. |
Planting for the coastline's future
Sungai Ular Beach, Cherating, Pahang
2nd October 2014 THE Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) through its Paddle for Nature project today assisted in the planting of Rhu (Casuarina equisetifolia) saplings in Kampung Sungai Ular, Cherating organised by the Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia under the purview of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
Solo kayaker Hari Raju had the honour of planting the first sapling in the department’s inaugural tree-planting conservation initiative in conjunction with Paddle for Nature, with four more sites identified around Peninsular Malaysia for the planting of coastal flora. Pahang Forestry Department’s Edevaldo J. Yapp, Deputy Director of the East Pahang Silviculture Division, said the Casuarina, or locally known as Rhu, helped mitigate damage to the coastline from strong winds and huge waves, protecting nearby residences and infrastructure and, in time, creating welcome spots for recreation. He said following the planting of the 130 eight-month-old saplings, the site will be monitored for the next three months. “We will come once a week to tend to the trees, and more often if the weather turns dry,” he said. The planting is also part of the Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia’s mission to plant 26 million trees, and Edevaldo said within the specified period, from April 2010 to date, the Pahang Forestry Department had planted more than two million trees, exceeding its 1.4 million target. Paddle for Nature is a project by MNS to create awareness about the country’s marine heritage and the need to protect it. It involves Hari paddling more than 2,000km around the coast of Peninsular Malaysia, in an estimated two-and-a-half months. The kayak is also outfitted with the Google Street View Trekker, a world’s first for this kind of transport, to capture images of the true condition of the coastline. The Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia will also be taking part in the Paddle for Nature event scheduled for Saturday, 4th October 2014, at Teluk Cempedak beach, Kuantan, where members of the public will be able to meet Hari and see for themselves the kayak with the Google Street View Trekker setup. |