THE State Government is committed to planting 36 million trees by 2025 as part of the nationwide Greening Malaysia programme.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said so far Sabah has planted approximately 4.5 million trees and hoped to go forward with more sustainable and green initiatives.
He said this during the launch of the inaugural Environment Conference 2022 held at the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Ramsar Site, in conjunction with the World Environmental Day celebration in Kota Kinabalu on June 3. His speech was read by his Assistant Minister Datuk Joniston Bangkuai.
Themed “Replanting Our Future”, Jafry said the conference becomes a necessary platform to engage in environmental discussions, increasing awareness and highlighting current issues.
“Many of our Sabah attractions and destinations are also showing signs of damage due to global warming and climate change.
“As such, it is crucial that we establish platforms such as this conference that will help us to produce sustainable solutions to mitigate the impacts of climate change and restore the natural beauty of our flora and fauna,” said Jafry.
Informing and educating the younger generation on the conference objective is important as it will help us to produce compassionate individuals to become the agents of change for a better future, he said.
“We must also help our future generations to make informed decisions to decrease environmental harm and to find creative, effective and sustainable solutions to repair environmental damage,” he said.
With topics of discussion ranging from air pollution, water security, mangrove and coral reef restoration, Jafry said the conference programme is in line with the State Government’s agenda on climate change, conservation and restoration of the environment.
Malaysia Nature Society President Prof Dr Ahmad Ismail stressed the need to preserve and conserve the biodiversity as Malaysia is ranked among the top 12 mega-biodiversity countries in the world.
“Together, these countries accommodate 60-70 per cent of the world’s recorded biodiversity,” he said.
The conference was jointly organised by the Rotary Clubs of Luyang and Kuching. The next one will be held in Kuching in 2024.
Among others, the objective is to have Rotarians lead by example through environmental discourse, awareness and action as well as to identify key projects in the locality to be completed alongside every conference.
The public is invited to submit any suggestions for environmental projects that could be organised by Rotary.
Also present were Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry’s Deputy Permanent Secretary Mary Malangking, Rotary International District 3310 Governor Dolly Yeap and both Rotary Clubs of Luyang and Kuching Presidents Halim Egoh and Garett Sim.
