|
1st June, 2010
KOTA KINABALU: Saturday 5th June is World Environment Day and across the globe people will be coming together to celebrate our environment and take part in conservation activities designed to heighten awareness and preserve the planet.
Here in KK, The Green Connection Aquarium is hosting a family fun day and replanting a bird reserve.
The theme for World Environment Day 2010 is Many Species, One Planet, One Future and that is why projects like The Green Connection’s Bird Reserve are so valuable.
An undisturbed area of mixed woodland, however small, reduces carbon dioxide, increases oxygen, removes pollutants from the atmosphere, intercepts rainfall, reduces flooding, prevents erosion and sedimentation, provides homes and food for birds, animals and insects that in turn pollinate our flowers and eat the mosquitoes.
The urban storm drain along Jalan Matahari (Km 2.5 Jalan Tuaran) has recently been improved and it was necessary for the surrounding Acacia woodland to be removed. This displaced hundreds of birds, reptiles and amphibians, along with a dozen bee colonies that have moved into the residential surroundings.
The Green Connection is spearheading a community project to replant the area with native Sabahan forest and restore the bird reserve in honour of World Environment Day.
The Forestry Department and Yayasan Sabah’s Biotechnology Division have generously donated over 1000 saplings of native Sabahan trees to replace the Acacia woodland with natural habitat.
The staff of The Green Connection, the cadets from St John Ambulance and the Red Crescent will be replanting the trees under guidance from the Department of Irrigation and Drainage and DBKK Landscape Division.
Mixed woodland is particularly valuable because the more variety there is the more biodiversity the area will support. Areas such as road reserve, grass verges and central reservations should not be overlooked simply because they are diminutive. A single fig tree can be a host to over 20 bird species and there could be one on every roundabout.
Additionally, The Green Connection is generously throwing open the gates of their nursery and if you bring a plant for the bird reserve you may take one from their collection for free!
The birds and bees need trees and shrubs that fruit or flower but variety is also important to provide plenty of nesting habitat and if it’s a native species, so much the better.
Alongside the restoration work there will be endangered animal face painting, free games and activities all with an environmental theme.
The Green Connection is committed to Sabahan biodiversity, science, conservation and the environment.
Their novel approach is unique, not just in Sabah but in the world, there is nowhere else that blends a zoo, an aquarium, a discovery centre, a place for environmental education with passion for biodiversity only 10 minutes from the city centre.
So come along, bring your family, trade an old plant for a new one, have your face painted, plant a tree and help The Green Connection return this small corner of KK to the birds and bees.
|
