05/07/2025

SATURDAY | JULY 5, 2025

COMMUNITY 7

Scientific workshop for conservation area in Sabah

Perak exchange students benefit from programme in Medan The group had the opportunity to interact with peers during their time in Indonesia. IPOH: A group of nine students from six schools and colleges in Perak recently returned home from an excursion to Indonesia with heightened understanding about the people and culture of the neighbouring country. The students from SMK Pengkalan, Kolej Vokasional Lebuh Cator, Kolej Vokasional Gerik, Kolej Islam Antarabangsa, Sekolah Seni Perak and Sekolah Berasrama Penuh Integrasi Gopeng participated in the student exchange programme. The programme, a collaboration between the Ipoh City Council (MBI) and the Medan City Mayor’s Office, was held from June 23 to 29. Ipoh and Medan have been“Friendship Cities”since 2009. The Malaysian students were placed at Sekolah Menengah Agama Al Azhar in Medan and stayed with their adopted families who arranged activities for them to learn local cultures with greater depth. The students not only followed the lessons at the school but also participated in various social activities. The visitors also went on a study tour of the city of Medan, which is in northern Sumatra. The students, seven boys and two girls, expressed their gratitude that they had an opportunity to experience the life of the community while practising communication in a new environment and enhancing their friendship network with their peers. The visit also moulded them to respect others and raised their confidence in interacting at a foreign land. MBI Urban Community director Romzi Zamri said, “The success of the programme proved the commitment of the twin cities in the field of education and cultural exchange. “It achieved the objective of producing junior ambassadors which will enhance relationship with the two cities.“ Ű P. CHANDRA SAGARAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

o Roadmap formulated for certification of Sungai Pin by IUCN world body

the department’s Chief Conservator Datuk Frederick Kugan, alongside Sawit Kinabalu Group chief sustainability officer Nazlan Mohamad. The day’s agenda included nine cutting edge research presentations across three thematic sessions and interactive workshops generating actionable conservation strategies. Plenary discussions were also held, focusing on biodiversity monitoring protocols, threat reduction measures and multi-stakeholder collaboration models “This workshop marks a transformative approach to conservation in agricultural landscapes,“ said Indra Sunjoto. “By aligning scientific rigour with community engagement, we’re setting new benchmarks for sustainable land management.” The outcomes will support SPnCA’s application for IUCN Green List status, making Malaysia’s first oil palm company led conservation area while meeting global standards for a protected area.

elevate conservation standards in oil palm managed landscapes. Over 100 stakeholders, including community representatives, NGOs and government agencies, collaboratively addressed key environmental challenges. One of the objectives was to formulate a roadmap for Green List certification under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) by 2028, a first for oil palm associated conservation areas. The workshop also undertook a comparative analysis of the 2024 scientific findings against baseline data from 2019, revealing measurable ecological trends. It also integrated community perspectives from local stakeholders and conservation-linked NGOs, while developing a unified framework for biodiversity conservation and landscape management. The event was graced by Deputy Chief Conservator of Forests (Planning and Management) Indra Sunjoto, representing

Ű BY JOSHUA CHANG newsdesk@thesundaily.com

KOTA KINABALU : In a significant step towards sustainable conservation, the Forest Research Centre of the Sabah Forestry Department, in partnership with Sawit Kinabalu Group’s Conservation and Biodiversity Unit, convened the second scientific expedition workshop for the Sungai Pin Conservation Area (SPnCA). Held at the Rainforest Discovery Centre in Sandakan, the gathering perused findings from the expedition to Sungai Pin in September last year. The workshop was also a pioneering public-private initiative to

Officials including Indra Sunjoto (4th right) and Nazlan Mohamad (3rd right) at the workshop opening.

Century-old cemetery to be revamped into memorial park KUCHING: To change a perception that cemeteries are eerie and scary, the Kuching Hokkien Association and Fairy Park Group signed a memorandum of understanding on Wednesday to revamp a century-old cemetery based on the group’s “heritage city” concept. He disclosed that apart from a columbarium, the project will include a swimming pool, basketball court, cafeteria and a recreation hall, turning the cemetery located in the city into a go-to place for recreation.

“We aim to have a beautified (memorial) park, to give people an additional space for recreation, a place where they can stroll or jog.” Fairy Park Group managing director Koh Ko Tong said the project marks the group’s first “heritage city” in East Malaysia. The group will establish more such parks at suitable locations to spread the “heritage city” concept throughout the country, he said. “We hope that in the future, every city will have a place that fosters Chinese unity. We also hope to provide a platform to contribute to education.”

Association president Datuk Richard Wee Liang Chiat said one of its four cemeteries in Kuching is a hundred years old and needs to be beautified to make it easier for people to pay homage to the departed on Ching Ming, the traditional tomb-cleaning day. After some deliberation the association decided to work with Fairy Park Group to enhance the place into a memorial park. Works to transform the 15-acre cemetery are scheduled to begin next month, and are estimated to take five years, said Wee.

Wee (fifth left) and Koh (eighth left) with representatives of the association and the group at the MoU signing ceremony.