Guest guest Posted September 17, 2002 Report Share Posted September 17, 2002 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from thestar.com.my URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/9/15/focus/cmreachh & sec=focus ________________________ Sunday, September 15, 2002 Having the Reach for local action <b>Since it was set up a year ago, the Society of Regional Environmental Awareness of Cameron Highlands (Reach) has, more often than not, met with obstacles its quest to get a better deal for locals. But the members are pressing on, reports SUSAN TAM</b> IN the words of popular environmentalist David Bellamy, “a green renaissance” has taken place in most parts of the world. He once remarked that groups of people, from the poorest regions to the richest communities in the world, are beginning to realise that so much has disappeared from the planet and they are now willing to commit to proactive efforts to improve the environment. “They ask questions like why can’t we swim in the local rivers or why can’t we collect oysters from the sea. Ordinary people like farmers, fishermen and students are doing something good for the environment. Whether they are involved in NGOs or as part of educating their community, every bit of their efforts will help,” Bellamy is reported to have said. And while many of us are busy with our own lives, we tend take for granted the basic necessities of clean water, clean air and a clean environment. But that’s not the case for folks living in Cameron Highlands, though. Twelve months ago, some concerned residents set up the Society of Regional Environmental Awareness of Cameron Highlands (Reach) to protect their basic rights for clean water and healthy surroundings. Since then, says its president Ramakrishnan Ramasamy, they have been busy organising activities involving the residents and local authorities. “When we met the Science, Technology and Environment minister earlier this year, he was totally supportive of our role in the highlands, which is to act as a watchdog to monitor illegal hill-clearing activities and promote environmental awareness,” he says. With that encouragement, the society began their conservation work to educate the community and raise awareness about environmental problems. At the society’s modest office in Brinchang, where Ramakrishnan and his team run their daily operations, there is a large sheet of white paper with inspirational words printed on it: “The only real force with long-lasting effects are groups of people in their own communities, who have involved themselves in problems that effect their communities, and have pursued hard and diligently, and who then begin to see the power of persistent, well-informed local action. People only really become involved in problems that affect them close to home (By conservationist Joseph Sax, as quoted in the Conservation Foundation Letter).” Ramakrishnan, who is better known as Rama, says the words inspire the group, which comprises ordinary folk who are interested in “looking after their backyard” in order to preserve a clean and healthy life. It is important to raise the many issues that concern the residents in the highlands, ranging from problems of water shortage to illegal hill-cutting activities, Rama maintains. “We took part in the World Water Day exhibition in March held in Kuantan and highlighted the problems faced by residents. The response was surprising as many people do not know the real situation here,” he says. Reach has also conducted workshops, clean-up campaigns and biodiversity studies. Held gotong royong-style, the clean-up sessions were done in areas such as Parit Waterfalls, Robinson Waterfalls and Gunung Irau. “The workshops were part of the education and awareness component of our agenda. We needed to inform people living in the highlands and also outsiders of the importance of managing waste, preserving forest and the simple fact of looking after the environment,” Rama explains. “The workshops covered topics like recycling, the importance of conserving flora and fauna and water catchment areas.” The society has also embarked on a reforestation project with the help of the Forestry Department. In June, an outing was organised to collect about 116 seedlings for the project. At hand to assist them was Forestry Department officer Baharuddin Yaakob, who also helped them to identify sites of forest reserves during a survey conducted last month. The department will assist the society when they can in replanting trees and other projects, says Baharuddin. Another project was a study of the orchids and ferns in the highlands, which was undertaken with the help of experts from local universities. This was done to create awareness and appreciation of the diverse flora in the highland jungles. Since March, Reach Committee member Emby Abdullah has been actively going for nature walks to identify, photograph and compile wild orchid species and is now compiling a database of about 300 species of orchids. Emby, who has been working at the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute for more than 30 years, says they had also worked with some foreign experts who helped them to identify the orchid species. There is a vast resource pool here, he says, and the orchids are being sought by collectors and breeders. “These flowers have the potential to be commercialised as raw materials for breeding and agricultural purposes. More importantly, they are part of the ecosystem and they need to be preserved to keep the ecosystem in balance. If we continue to cut down our trees and destroy our jungles, we lose them all and our biodiversity.” N. Madi, another Reach member, has also embarked on a study to document the types of ferns located in the highlands. “With the help of a botanical expert, Tony Roberts, and photographer Ade Anna Elin Wang, we have successfully identified and compiled a database for 115 species,” he says. “There should be about 340 species in the jungle.” This self-educated expert says it took some time to put the information together but he persisted in the task because of his personal interest in plants. The enthusiasm shown by members of Reach has been impressive and helps to enhance environmental awareness and keep illegal activities in check, according to Science, Technology and Environment minister Datuk Seri Law Hieng Ding. “The society acts as a bridge between residents and the council and other relevant authorities. The council can therefore be informed on the issues that concern the highland residents,” he says. Cameron Highlands District Officer Haron Abdul Kader says the society can assist the council to monitor illegal activities by acting as a watchdog for it and other authorities. “This will help us to formulate action plans to address the issues,” Haron says. Last month, as a result of pressure from Reach, the council was instructed by Pahang Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob to conduct a detailed study of a condominium project in Tanah Rata. Rama says he often contacts Harun to update him on the latest developments in the area. “We also work with the Forestry Department, Department of Environment, Waterworks Department and NGOs.” But like any other issue that needs to be addressed, there are problems such as red tape and bureaucracy, he points out. As an example, he says, the society hopes authorities would be more transparent in implementing guidelines for highland development and conduct public reviews before granting such approvals. “Reach is constantly urging the authorities to conduct proper studies before allowing more development to take place. Some projects do not even benefit local residents,” he says. The residents, he adds, tend to face negative environmental consequences like climate change and water shortage. Despite what it has accomplished so far, has Reach really made a difference? ”The society has been both a watchdog and also a pressure group,” says World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWFM) senior scientific officer Sanath Kumaran, who assists Reach members by providing policy inputs and translating technical, legal and scientific matters for them. “This dual role can bring about greater awareness among both the local residents and the Malaysian public in general about the importance of proper planning and conservation in the highlands,” he says, adding that government is now more concerned and welcomes local community participation. “Right now, they may be fighting battles and what is needed is to be able to empower them at the local level to think local and act local. Strategic planning should be made for them to achieve their long-term planning.” More importantly, can Reach be a role model for other communities? Sanath gives a resounding “yes,” saying that the group should also communicate with other communities, youth and other social groups to learn and understand how each operates. Rama says the society is still in the midst of working out how to use funding, estimated to be about US$43,000 (RM163,400), which the society is expected to receive from the United Nations Development Programme. It received US$3,000 under the UNDP’s Small Grant Programme for community projects when it was set up last year. But, he says, Reach is more concerned with continuing its dialogues with the people who make decisions on development in the highlands. “Talk to us,” he says. “Communicate with us when planning development for the highlands. Together we can achieve better things for both community and environment.” <p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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