16 HK students join JCI Luyang's coral planting project
Published on: Tuesday, October 11, 2016
Kota Kinabalu: Junior Chamber of Commerce (JCI) Luyang has once again embarked on a coral planting project in the Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park off here, on Monday. The last was held in August involving three non-governmental organisations, while this time, JCI Luyang was joined by 16 students, aged between 13 and 21, from Hong Kong.The students, who are here for the first time not only to enjoy what Sabah has to offer but also to learn about eco-marine conservation, were accompanied by seven adults comprising teachers as well as members from the JCI Harbour (Hong Kong) and Tai Po Youth Association.
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"This is the first time for our students to not only see real corals but also experience underwater coral planting," said JCI Harbour (Hong Kong) President Kenneth Yu. He explained that they knew about the project through a JCI Asian Pacific Conference last year where JCI Luyang talked about marine conservation and coral planting projects. "This is indeed an interesting experience, and instead of just coral planting, we also get to visit agricultural parks in Sabah and experience the local culture," he said. The project was co-ordinated by Borneo Reef World under its Managing Director Theresa Tham and supported by Sabah Parks.
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The event was held in the Borneo Reef World pontoon area located between Sapi Island and Gaya Island.Meanwhile, JCI Luyang Vice President Gordon Pan said coral planting was part of their many marine conservation projects which they started five years ago.
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"We have a lot of ocean conservation activity like anti-shark fin, gotong royong at the beach, but our signature activity is coral planting which many people know about because it is quite rare," he said."At first we started coral planting by placing baby corals on cement blocks which are placed in the seabed, but it was not workable because just like humans, corals need sunshine and if the corals are covered in sand, it will die. "In the end we found out about the coral frame method, which allows us to tie the corals onto the frames with cables to avoid it from getting covered by sand and it not only allows the corals to absorb enough sunshine but is also very stable under water. "Theresa came up with the idea of building a platform for sea-walking which gives non divers and non-swimmers the opportunity to go underwater and experience coral planting," he said, adding that they have planted more than 5,000 corals since they embarked on the project five years ago. Meanwhile, Sabah Parks Marine Research Officer Nasrulkim Maidin said they support the initiative by JCI Luyang and Borneo Reef World. "It would be more meaningful if we also have support from locals, we want more involvement from locals, particularly city residents. "We have a lot of gotong royong projects not only along the coastal areas, we called local volunteers to help in conservation, but most of the calls are only supported by those from other countries and not locals," he said. "We in Sabah Parks also have many environmental educational programmes where we bring in school children to enjoy the beauty of our marine life and to encourage local involvement in conservation. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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