Program Penghayatan Taman Laut Malaysia Zon Timur Siri 1 2008

Program Penghayatan Taman Laut Malaysia 2008

‘Program Penghayatan Taman Laut’ is a programme established in the year 2006 to promote conservation of the marine park ecosystem through joint responsibility for sustaining mutual benefits derived from such efforts. The activities prepared in this programme seeks to attract the participants’ cooperation and their willingness-to-learn more about the valuable but vulnerable marine ecosystem. The programme had been divided into 3 zones, the Northern Zone (Pulau Payar Marine Park), the Southern Zone (Pulau Tioman Marine Park) and the Eastern Zone (Pulau Redang Marine Park).

As a continuation to the previous years outreach and awareness raising activities, the ‘Program Penghayatan Taman Laut Zon Timur Siri 1 2008’ was being held at Pusat Kokurikulum Negeri Terengganu Cawangan Pulau Redang from 20 to 23 April 2008. The programme was participated by 100  students from various secondary schools around Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Kelantan and Terengganu. Together with them were 10 teachers and more than 22 trainers and co-curricular centre officers from those states.

This programme was co-organized by the Ministry of Education (MoE) through the Terengganu and Selangor State Departments of Education and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment through its Department of Marine Park (Pulau Redang Marine Park Unit). There were also several organizations that involved in this programme such as the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Sea Turtle and Terrapin Rehabilitation Group of University Malaysia Terengganu and Sekolah Kebangsaan Pulau Redang.

The programme aimed to enhance awareness of the importance of marine ecosystem and its flora and fauna conservation amongst the form 4 students as well as the teachers themselves. This year programme also created a history by the launching of the programme theme song entitled ‘Laut Kita’, composed by Mr. Legacy and lyrics by En. Asmadi Abdullah and Puan Hayati Othman.

With guidance from Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Terengganu State Education Coordinator and four trainers cum speakers, and with the help of well-trained trainers and teachers, the programme combined talks on the history and purpose of the marine park; the unique Pulau Redang ecosystems which consist of mangrove forest, coral reef, land and hill ecosystem, flora and fauna as well as outdoor games and other hands-on activities that aimed to deepen the participants’ understanding of the characteristics and functions of the park ecosystems, issues of development and challenges to the marine ecosystem conservation.

The outdoor activities included water confident activity, jungle trekking, mangrove forest exploring, mangrove replanting, snorkeling, and sea turtle sanctuary site visit. For some activities, the students were divided into 10 groups to work together to do the task given to them from the first day till the end of the programme. Such activities were group identity flag and song creation, rubbish and dead leaves and twigs fashion show (these item had been collected during the jungle trekking), mangrove species identification, mangrove replanting, coral identification and coral fish identification.

This 4 days three nights programme had been officially closed by the Selangor Director of the Department of Education, YBhg Datin Hamidah Binti Nordin.

The biggest moth is here..........

 

An Atlas moth (the biggest moth of the world), or Attacus atlas,  had been sighted at my school compound on 30 March 2008 around 1.40 pm.

I was very amazed to see such creature, that has wings like snake-head shape (no wonder it is sometime called as snake-head moth). Without any delay, I took my digital camera and the result was several photos of this insect.

I then surfed the internet to gain the information about the moth. Below are short briefing about it:-

    - The Atlas moth (Attacus atlas) is a large saturniid moth found in the tropical and subtropical        forests of Southeast Asia, southern China, common across the Malay archipelago, Thailand to        Indonesia.  
    - Atlas moths are considered to be the largest moths in the world in terms of total wing surface        area (upwards of c. 400 square cm or 65 square inches).    
    - Their wingspans are also amongst the largest, from 25-30 cm (10-12 inches).   
    - Atlas moths are said to be named after either the Titan of Greek mythology, or their map-        like wing patterns.
 
Hashimi, I. (2008). Attacus atlas of Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Jengal. 30 March 1.40 p.m.

Conserve the sea turtles.....my commitment

Hashimi, I. (2006). Sea turtle awareness. Era Hijau - ke arah generasi lestari Vol. 3. 2006, pg 14-15.

Terbitan Jabatan Alam Sekitar Malaysia.



SEA TURTLE AWARENESS

Concurrent with "2006: the International Year of Sea Turtles" and to enhance KPA teachers and members awareness of an endangered marine species of the world, the Education Coordinator of MNS Terengganu (ECoT) held a series of sea turtle awareness programmes between July to September 2006 at Ma'Daerah Turtle Sanctuary Centre, Kerteh, Kemaman, Terengganu.

The Ma' Daerah Turtle Sanctuary Centre in Rantau Abang near Dungun*, is managed by the Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Centre (Tumec)**, Department of Fisheries Malaysia. It is located at Ma' Daerah, a 1.7 km sandy beach which serves as a nesting site for the green turtles (Chelonia mydas / Penyu Agar). This species is one of the four species of sea turtles that roam in Malaysian waters. The other species are:

> Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea / Penyu Belimbing)
> Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata / Penyu Karah@Sisik)
> Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea / Penyu Lipas)

ECot has taken the initiative to educate school children especially MNS School Nature Club members or more popularly known as Kelab Pencinta Alam (KPA), through a series of programmes known as "Sea Turtle and Marine Ecosystem Camp". Each programme consists of several sessions; ice-breaking, environmental and sea turtle related games, talks and discussion, hands-on or practical session and a colouring session. The programmes are conducted over two days and a night (Wednesday to Thursday or From Thursday to Friday). The main talk and discussion session is conducted by TUMEC officers or by the ECot himself, who is also the Head of Education and Public Awareness Bureau under the Persatuan Khazanah Rakyat Ma' Daerah (MEKAR), a community-based sea turtles conservation society within the Paka-Kerteh-Kemasek area.

These educational outreach programmes focus on the impact of human activities on the green turtles's nesting behaviour as well as the turtles' struggle for survival in the wild. The impacts of a declining population of green turtles, as well as relevant historical background about Ma' Daerah Turtle Sanctuary Centre were highlighted.

Most importantly, the focus is on how the participants, as environmentalists and concerned citizens of Malaysia,

can assist the green and other sea turtles to survive in this area.


The THREATS to the green turtles of Ma'Daerah water:

~ by catch from illegal use of prohibited 'pukat pari', a special drift net used to catch the stingrays at Paka- Kerteh- Kemasek water.

~ Human interference and illegal egg collecting at the Paka-Kerteh_kemasek nesting grounds.

~ Coastal development and beach lighting, especially from the nearby petrochemical industrial zone, are disturbing the green turtles. (However, as Bukit Labohan is located between Ma' Daerah and the industrial zone, the Ma' Daerah nesting beach is being protected from bright light).


This year, 50 KPA teachers and 120 KPA members from secondary and upper primary schools from Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu joined the programmes.

It is hoped that as the school children become more aware of their role in green turtle conservation,

we will be able to more effectively protect and conserve them within Malaysian waters. We do not want to frighten these magnificent animals from returning to our shores. As for the teachers, we hope that they impart the knowledge to further educate the future generations about the importance of conserving the green sea turtles.


Source : Hashimi Ismail                              Email: sbt_paka@yahoo.com



Note: * Rantau Abang near Dungun ~ should be written as Kampung Labohan near Kerteh.

** The sanctuary now is under the management of State Fisheries Department.