Concern over the fish bombing, cyanide and flotsam in Sabah

Daily Express 6 Nov 09;

Kota Kinabalu: A renowned expedition leader has expressed concern over the scale of flotsam and the fact that some people use dynamite to fish and even cyanide in Sabah waters.

"We found during our journey a lot of ocean debris. We want people to realise that this is harmful for the environment. All these things cannot be changed in one day but you can change it through education and by getting them involved. They can change it if they have a reason in the future to change it.

"But we don't want to rush in and tell people how to live. We want to come and learn of these people that live along the coastline," said Mike Horn of Pangaea Expedition's Young Explorers Programme.

Mike, from South Africa, is currently in the State conducting one of several expeditions he has planned for the third stage of his four-year expedition programme.

"We've had the most welcoming reception, the most smiling faces that we've ever had from around the world and that goes to show that if people have a smile on their face they're still pretty much happy with the circumstances they're living in.

"But as the ocean debris is growing and growing and growing, it becomes a concern for me and the young explorers. That's why it's important for us to have a Malaysian that can take ownership. It must become the job of the youth, and that is to tell everyone that we have to all take care of the planet together," Mike told a media conference at Sutera Harbour, Thursday.

Also present were Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister, Datuk Masidi Manjun and Sabah Tourism Board Chairman, Datuk Seri Tengku Zainal Adlin, among others.

The expedition takes Mike and his young explorers on a 35-metre yacht called Pangaea, which was named after the super continent that existed 250 million years ago, before it split into the parts we know today.

The expedition is trying to reunite the continents but only this time in the fight for nature.

Of crucial importance to the Pangaea Expedition's environmental goals is the participation of young adults.

Mike is arguably the most experienced explorer on the planet, and what he has seen so far points to a natural peril.

His aim is to pass down his experience of exploration and identify areas where people can focus to find solutions for a better world. Explore, learn, act will empower future generations to create sustainable solutions for nature and mankind.

This explains the objective of the Young Explorers Programme and what Mike wants is to have a representative from Malaysia to join the programme.

According to him, the Pangaea now is like a floating United Nations where the nine young explorers and crew represent South Africa, New Zealand, South Korea, Brazil, United States, Russia, Poland, France, Switzerland, Germany and the Czech Republic.

"We would be privileged to have a Malaysian youngster aboard on one of our future projects, so that he or she could come back and make a major contribution to conservation in Malaysia, and around the world," said Mike.

The Mike Horn Pangaea Expedition is a remarkable modern-day adventure over land and sea, which will visit all the continents as well as the North and South Poles.

Joining Mike on board in different locations is a select group of "Young Explorers" who conduct practical environmental projects wherever they go.

The expedition, which started in October 2008 at the Antarctic Peninsula, is now in Sabah where Mike and nine young individuals from all over the world are exploring the marine biodiversity and islands of Malaysian Borneo.

"Malaysian Borneo has infinite natural beauty. We are delighted to see that so much is being protected and we want to help with that so that our children see it in the same way we are now.

"We've received wonderful support from the Sabah Tourism Ministry who are helping us celebrate this beautiful region," said Mike.