In April, a cohort of seventeen tourism and hospitality students from the University of Edith Cowan (ECU) in Perth, led by the foundation professor of Tourism School of Marketing ECU, Professor Ross K Dowling, embarked on a journey through the land of Sabah, Malaysia to discover and learn first-hand for themselves ecotourism at work.Mr. Albert Teo who is also an adjunct lecturer in the School of Marketing, Tourism and Leisure at ECU as well as the BEST Society CEO accompanied them for much of their journey through Sabah so he could impart to the group his 34 years of experience and knowledge of working in ecotourism in Sabah.

The trip began with a two-day visit to Kudat, which is on the northern tip of Sabah, where the group had the opportunity to be involved with the “Living Water project”. A total sum of A$2000 was donated by the ECU group and used to purchase PVC water pipes which the students helped to install in the village of TerongkonganDarat in Kudat.

The “Living Water project” which is a joint project between the Rotary Club of Kota Kinabalu and BEST Society ultimately aims to provide a sustainable source of groundwater to three separate villages in the Kudat District through the construction of two drilled bore wells equipped with pumps to draw water from the aquifer and three water tank towers to store and reticulate water to the surrounding area by gravity.

Aside from the “Living Water project”, the ECU Group also visited a virgin coconut oil processing centre in Kimihang Village which is part of a community project through social entrepreneurship by BEST Society. Here, the students were treated to a demonstration of the extraction process involved in producing virgin coconut oil and supported the project by purchasing the virgin coconut oil product.

Following this, the ECU group visited a traditional long house on Tindakon Dazang Beach which is an eco-tourism project developed by a local entrepreneur at Kampung Terongkongan, Kudat. That night, the ECU group paid a visit to Emmanuel Home which houses orphans and poor children from the surrounding area. Here the ECU group donated books to the children and got to learn and see how a community project literally changes lives.

After completing the community projects in Kudat, the ECU group travelled overland through Sabah. The group experienced the changing landscapes along the way, passing through the mountainous Kinabalu Park, the hot springs of Poring in Ranau and the winding banks of the Kinabatangan River to finally arrive at Sukau Rainforest Lodge (SRL) which is situated on the Lower Kinabatangan River close to Kampung Sukau.

At SRL, the ECU group participated in the “Tree Planting project” which is an ongoing project by BEST Society to replant and restore deforested areas. During their time at SRL, the ECU group experienced the joys of viewing wildlife such asthe proboscis monkeys and Orang Utans (Pongo Pygmaeus) in their natural habitats and sighted countless species of birds.

Prof. Ross sums up the whole tour with a vocalic comment, “The trip was a good learning exposure for the students, as they immersed themselves in local cultures and worked alongside the local communities in the heart of Sabah. Such experiences that cover cultural understanding, heritage, eco aspects, wildlife and even “Voluntourism”, all from an eco-tourism perspective; this tour is not just an eye opener for them but also a lifetime experience in appreciating the local preservation of untouched nature”.

A total of 19 participants from Matunggong District and BEST Society attended the two day course. This is the second sequential program held after the first VCO processing workshop in Oct. 2010. The VCO workshops are part of the Kimihang Community Development project funded under the USD50,000 GEF-SGP grant received by BEST Society in 2010.Mr. Ronnie Onginjan, the pioneer of Kimihang VCO manufacturing welcomed everyone with a short speech, expressing hope that this course will not only motivate the current VCO manufacturers but also further extend the values of VCO. Nilus started the course by giving a through explanation on the usage of VCO ingredients and the precautions on over-dosage of concoctions for each end product. The participants learned to make VCO soaps on day one while lip balm and face lotion techniques were taught on day two.

The VCO downstream products processing course concluded at 2:00pm on 8th July 2011. Participants were elated with the new skills that they acquired through this program. The products manufactured during training were put on sale at the Coconut Festival from 16th until 17th July 2011. In total RM5132.00 were spent for the workshop including purchase of ingredients, food and logistic arrangement.

Borneo Ecotourism Solution & Technologies (BEST) Society (www.bestsociety.org) is a non-profit organization funded by Borneo Eco Tours and Sukau Rainforest Lodge. Over the decade, BEST Society has been focusing on environmental conservation programs and capacity building of local communities in rural areas of Sabah, north Borneo. BEST Society’s main objectives include promoting a sustainable tourism concept which creates employment and nurtures social entrepreneurship skills for the local community.