Imbak wows the students
Published on: Sunday, November 17, 2019
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This is the consensus of students from SM All Saints, Likas, Kota Kinabalu, who were on an excursion, recently. Joel Ezekiel was fascinated by the beauty of the nature and facilities available.
“The conservation efforts by Yayasan Sabah Group at ICCA need to be maintained and continued as the forest is one of the most important treasures in our world. We as humans are responsible for its preservation,” said Joel.
SM All Saints Likas was one of the schools selected to participate in the Nature Orientation Course (NOC) organised by Sabah Nature Club (SNC) under the purview of Yayasan Sabah Group.
The SNC programme is a great way to spread awareness among the younger generation on the importance of conserving our forests for the good of mankind, Joel added.
“Encik Gordian Chrispen, Officer-in-Charge of SNC, Encik Andreas Boital, Assistant Officer, SNC of Yayasan Sabah Group and their team made this course a success and leave us unforgettable memories and useful knowledge.”
SNC was established in 1988 by Yayasan Sabah Group with the collaboration of the Education Department. Membership of SNC is open to students and teachers of secondary schools throughout the State. As of November 2019, registered membership reached 44,308 students including teachers involving 198 schools.
According to the Director of Yayasan Sabah, Datuk Haji Jamalul Kiram bin Datuk Haji Mohd Zakaria, the club is dedicated to the students as they are the next generation to look after the future of Sabah’s heritage.
“This is the first step for them to be more exposed and aware of the importance of caring for the environment,” Jamalul said.
“The main objective of SNC is to promote interest and knowledge about wildlife and forest among the youths in Sabah so that they can cultivate a love of the environment, protect the flora and fauna of Sabah’s natural heritage.”
“Besides, the club also aims to provide youths with the opportunity to learn the skills of protecting and preserving nature through practical club activities.
“In this way, the younger generation will better understand the importance of maintaining environmental balance and well-being and the dangers of environmental pollution,” he added.
The highlight of SNC’s activities is the series of Nature Orientation Courses (NOC). Every year SNC will organise environmental education programme for selected schools to conservation areas under the purview of Yayasan Sabah Group such as the Danum Valley, Maliau Basin, Imbak Canyon, Silam Coast and Taliwas River.
NOC covers indoor and outdoor activities. Indoor activities include forest interpretation and brainstorming debates to produce a variety of spontaneous ideas, simulations, and talks by scientists and SNC staff about nature. This activity enriches their knowledge of the ecosystem.
Outdoor recreational activities namely camping, hiking, soil science experiment to teach students about density, mountaineering, trekking, trail interpretation, nature journals, explore with your senses and games help participants understand the ecological importance of forests, wildlife and nature.
Besides outdoor recreational activities, there are also other challenging activities such as bird watching, orienteering, guided walks and blinds men walk involving the study of forest ecology and other habitats.
Recently, a total of 23 students accompanied by four teachers joined the NOC at Imbak Canyon Studies Centre (ICSC), Tongod on Nov 4-8. These students were chosen from the Sabah Nature Clubs in several secondary schools around Sabah namely SM Advent Goshen, Kota Marudu, SM All Saints, Likas Kota Kinabalu, Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Jalan Apas Tawau, SMK Kalabakan, Tawau, and SMK Beluran, Beluran besides SMK Telupid and SMK Matupang Jaya, Ranau.
All the students who participated at the NOC were very pleased with the knowledge they acquired and experiences they obtained from the course. Such course educated the young generation the importance of conserving nature.
Alan Irfan bin Hamzah, a Form Three student from SM All Saints Likas said:
“These orientation activities are very helpful and instil the importance of preserving nature for myself,” he reacted on the first day of the orientation.
“Participating in the NOC is an experience I will never forget especially when trekking along the Big Belian trail, named after the Borneo ironwood, belian tree.
“It is a very huge belian tree, with a circumference that can be hugged by at least six adult humans,” he added.
“I am deeply touched by the opportunity provided by SNC to involve us to the bird watching activities and learn about the different species of birds that live in Imbak Canyon,” he said.
Bird watching is one of the activities held at the orientation where students and teachers were brought in to enjoy and see the bird species found in the Imbak Canyon.
“I wish I had the opportunity to participate in other NOC in other conservation areas managed by Yayasan Sabah Group such as Danum Valley and Maliau Basin,” he added. He also hoped that this orientation course would continue in future to enable more students to enjoy the fun and learning of nature activities organised by SNC.
Meanwhile, Bradley Azmar bin John shared his thoughts and said that he saw huge positive development at ICSC since his last visit in 2015. “We used to carry out SNC activities around Tampoi Research Centre, one of Imbak Canyon Conservation Area’s research station. During those days, there were only some basic facilities at the research station.
This time around, we were able to carry out activities at ICSC that are fully equipped with complete facilities,” Bradley said. The Form Four student of SMK Matupang Jaya Ranau also commended Yayasan Sabah Group’s conservation efforts in Sabah. He admired the physical and mental strength of its rangers as they led them to explore the forests around the ICCA.
“Through SNC activities, I can get a closer look at the unique flora and fauna available at the ICCA,” Bradley said.
“I hope that Yayasan Sabah Group will organise more SNC activities because through these activities we can get a deeper understanding of the forests in Sabah,” Bradley said, adding that SNC membership should be open to others.
Angela Mae Justine, a Form Four student from SMK Telupid said:
“Imbak Canyon is one of the unique conservation areas and its existence has a positive impact on environmental awareness for all communities, regardless of their background. This area is also one of the places that generate the State’s income, especially in the eco-tourism sector. In fact, the existence of Imbak Canyon Conservation Area (ICCA) protects nature’s treasures from logging, hunting and burning activities by individuals who pursue profit without considering the negative effects of their activities.”
According to her, this SNC programme not only instil a sense of love and appreciation towards the beauty of the environment but also teaches her to persevere in conserving and protecting nature from individuals who threaten to destroy the beauty of the forest ecosystem.
“I was able to meet new friends from various places such as Kota Kinabalu, Ranau, Telupid, Sandakan and Tawau. In addition, I noticed that the presence of unique varieties of flora and fauna in the area such as leopards, civet cats, trees and various herbs.
“I also gained knowledge in observing and identifying birds and how to use a compass,” she said, adding that she was able to get closer to the environment and add to her picture collection of plants, animals, insects, mushrooms, trees and landscapes in this area.
“I will share my experience and knowledge of the environment I have acquired in this course to other SNC members in my school and everyone in my community.”
Amira Syafiyah binti Syahril Azam, a Form Three student from Sekolah Menengah Jalan Apas Tawau said the existence of the ICCA is essential to protect the ecosystem and, thus, gives awareness on the importance of flora and fauna to the community, especially the young generations. “This can inspire the community to instil a sense of love for the environment,” she said.
SNC programmes help young people to understand the real world in the forest through its various interesting activities.
“Students will also be able to identify the various species of flora and fauna and how to conserve our forests, which will indirectly bring students closer to our forest,” she added.
Life without the internet here assures her that not all problems can be solved at the fingertips. “We can broaden our minds by asking people who are more experienced and knowledgeable,” she said.
Amira also said activities organised via SNC can provide opportunities for students to get to know each other through group activities. “They also taught us about flora and fauna that have been decreasing, through a number of activities including jungle trekking and bird watching,” she said.
It is clear here that these programmes help students to be closer to the environment and thus develop a first-class society who are aware of their surrounding environment and environmentally conscious.
“During the course, I got to know many different birds and plants and learned more about the important roles of flora, fauna and fungi in our ecosystem. A visit to the Imbak Waterfall has also made me appreciate nature more due to the waterfall’s beauty. I am sure that someday, more and more people will aware of the need to protect our environment, thanks to the SNC’s nature programmes,” Amira said.
The awareness of preservation and environmental protection must begin from within us. Sabah has invaluable biodiversity. People need to be aware of how their attitudes, values and actions affect the environment, whether they are good or not. Therefore, efforts should be made to ensure that the individual’s involvement in environmental sustainability is maintained.
Let us continue to play our role and function as citizens responsible for the preservation of the environment. Start with the first step today by keeping a clean environment around us and hopefully be the catalyst for more effective regional and global conservation efforts.
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