The Canadians hold mangrove seedlings ready for replanting.
KUCHING: Eighty Canadian and Malaysian scouts planted 300 mangrove seedlings at Kuching Wetlands National Park yesterday.
Not only did the Canadians plant the seedlings, they, through the 180th Pacific Coast Scout Group and Scouts Canada, also pledged C$5,000 (approximately RM15,000) for more seedlings to be planted at the park spanning 400ha.
Head advisor to the 180th Pacific Coast Scout Group and a Board of Governor member of Scouts Canada, John Chow, said they believed in environmental stewardship and the effort yesterday marked the first step toward more conservation initiatives.
“Today is the start for you to do it in a small way – to plant the seedlings. We appreciate the opportunity that allows us to help in a small way.
“Scout is about service. We came here to make friends and exchange our knowledge, friendship and culture,” he said when leading a 29-member delegation to take part in the mangrove seedling-planting project in the presence of assistant director of Forest Department Hamden Mohamad.
Earlier, Sarawak Chief Commissioner of Scouts, Sudaryo Osman, said that human beings grew so used to having trees around that they sometimes did not realise the importance of having such trees.
He said a mature leafy tree produced as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year.
“It abates major noises from freeways besides absorbing pollutants like carbon monoxide, sulpher dioxide and nitrogen dioxide.”
Sudaryo added that planting of trees on the banks of rivers helped maintain water quality and protect aquatic species.
“Like coral reefs, mangrove forests are extremely productive ecosystems that provide numerous benefits and services to both the marine environment and people.”
He said no engineering and technological solution could work better than mangrove forests, known as protectors of shore-lines and stabilising areas like Kuching Wetlands National Park.
While mangroves serve as buffers between land and sea, he said coastlines across the globe were facing serious erosion and the threat of rising sea levels due to global warming.
“Mangroves not only help prevent soil erosion but also act as a catalyst in reclaiming land from seas. Besides, mangrove forests and estuaries are the breeding and nursery grounds for marine organisms such as shrimp, crab and many fish species.
“Hence, loss of mangrove forests not only affects us indirectly but there are direct economic repercussions through loss of fishing industry. So let’s plant a tree and save this world.”
Meanwhile, Hamden said the rehabilitation effort began in 2012 and about 50 hectares of Kuching Wetlands National Park were now planted with mangroves.
“This area was sacrificed when the state government had to deepen and widen the river for the first phase of the flood mitigation project. Now that more than 23,000 seedlings have been planted or 50ha covered, there is still a lot more to go.
“While we need assistance from all agencies and NGOs to plant mangroves in this entire area, we also thank Chow for the contribution.”
Hamden appealed to the Canadians to come again in five years to visit their trees.