Here’s toast to 18 future world leaders, for they will inherit the environment that we leave for them.

There is an ancient Malay proverb which goes “melentur buluh biarlah dari rebungnya” which literally translates “when bending a bamboo plant, do it as its shoots” simply meaning that learning is beat done when at a young age. Arguably understood that learning is a lifetime experience, but it is when you are young and learning that it makes the biggest difference to change your course in life. Based on this belief, BEST Society in Sukau took up the challenge to initiate an educational outreach aimed at providing awareness on the importance of preserving the environment, to students from a nearby school. On 26th June 2010, at 7.00am, 18 students under 12years of age and four teachers from Sekolah Kebangsaan Sukau (Sukau National Primary School) participated in the one-day Environmental Education Program (Program Pendidikan Alam Sekitar) organized by members of BEST Society at the Sukau Rainforest Lodge. The simple program that was laid out for them will entire learning through exposure and interactivity and the eagerness was apparent from their bright smiles.

The group of school children that were chosen is from within the area of Sukau. And because of this, BEST Society seized opportunity to install a sense of ownership and appreciation for the beautiful asset that they have surrounding them, and to exemplify a conscious livelihood that could benefit their lives and the environment that they live in, and for many generations to come. From slide show, to leaf litter collection, to planting their own rainforest trees, to guided nature tour on Hornbill Boardwalk, it was apparent that learning is fun as the students diligently participated in every program which was lined out. Sealing the experience with personalized certificates, we hope that the lucky 18 would grow up to make a difference in themselves, the community, the country and finally to the world.

It was an important day for 100 participants comprising village folks from Kampung Kimihang Kudat, volunteers from the Borneo Ecotourism Solutions & Technologies Society (BEST) and LDP Youth & Wanita Kudat when they joined forces to clean Kimihang Beach, marking BEST’s Environmental Awareness Campaign which honors an early kick-start to the World Environment Day (which falls on 5th June) and the United Nation’s 2010 International Year of Biodiversity. Led by BEST’s Deputy Chairman, Mr. Baton Bijamin and staff of Borneo Eco Tours, Tanjung Kapor Assemblyman, YB Teo Chee Kang made a noteworthy presence when he joined in the gotong-royong, after delivering his message to all participants.

The beach cleaning program is aimed at creating awareness among the local communities on the importance of preserving a pristine environment, especially the benefits it brings to health and social life of the villagers. Kimihang Beach was chosen by BEST as the site for this year’s Environmental Awareness Campaign as it recently received international recognition by virtue of the Global Environment Facility Small Grant Program (GEF SGP) to develop a sustainable ecotourism-based community, due to the beautiful natural surrounding it has, and the uniqueness of the culture that bloomed within the area. The project will run for two years, to encompass strategies for community capacity building through various means of training and setting up of locally initiated enterprises that are based on globally accepted guidelines which will benefit the community and the environment.

BEST Society, a non-profit organization funded by the Borneo Eco Tours and Sukau Rainforest Lodge has been actively advocating the conservation of environment and capacity building of local communities in Sabah since the year 2000. Among similar projects undertaken before this was in 2008, when BEST Society, along with the Environmental Action Committee Sabah (EAC) and Matunggong District office jointly organized the Terongkongan Environmental Care Campaign in Matunggong District, Kudat. Other successful projects worth noting are KWICORP (Kinabatangan Wildlife Corridor Regeneration Program), medical and water tank projects in Sukau.

It is hoped that through this campaign, a good example is set for the community to instill within themselves a sense of place and ownership for the local surrounding and to continually educate the younger generation on the importance of preserving one’s natural environment.

Kimihang Beach, Kudat – What would normally be a quiet day at Kimihang Beach, turned festive when the Environmental Conservation and Community Capacity Building Project, a strategic collaboration between BEST Society and GEF SGP, was launched by YB Datuk Masidi Manjun, Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, at 11.15am, Thursday.

Village folks in their colorful traditional Rungus garb and prominent community figures from Kudat and as far as Kota Kinabalu came to celebrate the launch which marks the start of the afore said project which will run based on a funding of USD 48,000.00 from Global Environment Facility Small Grants Program (GEF-SGP), financing various community building projects and strategies over a span of 2 years (2010-2012). The plan includes :

• Beach Cleaning and Environmental Awareness Education
• Tree Planting
• Herbal and Medicineal Garden
• Virgin Coconut Oil Workshop
• Motivational and Life Skills Seminars
• Setting up of a community based ecotour involving mangrove river and firefly cruise
• Setting up of a Code of Practice and training of ecotourism guides
• Conservation and sustainable use of offshore coral reefs and mangrove forest fringing the Loro River
• Setting up of micro enterprises

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) acts by forging international cooperation an financing ations to address six critical threats to the global environment: biodiversity loss, climate change, degradation of international waters, ozone depletion, land degradation, and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The underlying rationale for support of all GEF projects is that some global environmental benefit is at stake, and the project seeks to address the threats or needs to ensure that the global environmental benefit is conserved , or sustainably used and managed. Funded by the GEF as a corporate program, the SGP or Small Grants Program is implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on behalf of the GEF partnership, executed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

In his launching speech, Datuk Masidi urged people from Kimihang to cooperate and grow together, in line with the current global trends, and to support each other so that a synergistic approach is achieved. Datuk Masidi also advised the local community to steer towards progress and set aside petty feeling of jealousy and resentment which has been the ‘sticking factor’ for most rural communities in Sabah.

“When unity in the community is achieved, only then can growth take place”, he added. Also present at the site were N.2 Tanjong Kapor Assemblymen, YB Teo Chee Kang, Sabah Tourism Board’s Chairman, Tengku Datuk Dr. Zainal Adlin. Malaysia GEF SGP National Coordinator, Mr. Muthusamy Suppiah and BEST Society Chairman, Mr. Albert Teo. A mock cheque from Muthusamy Suppiah, the National Coordinator of Malaysia GEF SGP to Albert Teo of BEST Society for USD 48,000.00 was presented on stage, followed by an unveiling of the Kimihang Project Road Sign. The entourage then proceeded to plant 5 Ketapang seedlings, before moving onto a tour of the Kimihang Herb Garden and the Loro River Cruise after that, to showcasing several of the many natural attractions in Kimihang. The launch was also in conjunction with United Nation’s International Day for Biological Diversity which is celebrated on May 22nd every year.