Guest guest Posted August 29, 2004 Report Share Posted August 29, 2004 This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/8/22/nation/8727656 & sec=nation ________________________ Sunday August 22, 2004 Sultan: Act now to save the fireflies BY WONG CHUN WAI PETALING JAYA: The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah has ordered the state government to immediately take every possible step to protect the world-renowned firefly colony in Kuala Selangor. All other natural resources in the state like forest reserves, wetlands and green lungs should also be given such protection, he said. The Sultan, who expressed great concern over the dwindling firefly population and pollution affecting the insects' natural habitat along Sungai Selangor, said he was very unhappy with government officials who passed on the responsibility to others. “I am more interested in seeing government agencies take immediate action than having to know that they are passing the buck. “They shouldn't be in the dark over what to do to save the fireflies,'' said the Sultan in a telephone interview from London. The Sultan said that when he first visited the firefly habitat in Kampung Kuantan many years ago, he was very proud that a national treasure was found in his state. “Selangor should not lose this gift of nature because of our failure to protect and conserve it,'' said the Sultan, who also called on the state government to find out how to stop the pollution and repair the damage to the ecological system along the banks of Sungai Selangor. On the state government's immediate plans to plant berembang trees, where the fireflies mate, the Sultan commended the move and hoped there would be a more effective long-term solution to the problem. Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo said he had called for an immediate investigation into the matter so that steps could be taken to prevent the fireflies from dwindling further. “Our initial findings revealed that pesticides from the plantations and farms are being washed into the river and the salinity in the river also posed problems to the survival of the snails on which the firefly larvae feed on. ”One immediate step we are taking is to plant as many berembang trees as possible along the riverbanks to replace the dead trees,'' said Dr Khir, who pledged to do everything within his means to save the fireflies and their habitat. Dr Khir said he would heed the Sultan's directive and was equally concerned about the possible extinction of the fireflies, found in large numbers in Kuala Selangor. The Star reported on Saturday that the fireflies & #8211; a major tourist draw in the state & #8211; were in danger of becoming extinct and that authorities were shunning the responsibility of protecting the habitat. <b>Earlier report:</b> <a href= " http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/8/21/nation/8722736 & sec=na\ tion " target= " _blank " >Fireflies fading in Kuala Selangor</a> <b>Related Stories:</b> <a href= " http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/8/22/focus/8718684 & sec=foc\ us " >Efforts to keep the lights glowing <img src= " http://www.thestar.com.my/images/video.gif " border= " 0 " ></a> <a href= " http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2004/8/22/focus/8726018 & sec=foc\ us " >Researchers race to breed flashing fireflies in captivity</a> <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 1995-2003 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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