New Straits Times 17 Jul 10;
Take care of nature and she will take care of you, goes the adage which rings true especially when it comes to eco-tourism, write SEAN AUGUSTIN and EVANGELINE MAJAWAT.
A WIN-WIN situation for the environment and the economy can be found in eco-tourism.
Which is why industry players are urging parties to be careful when developing areas close to such sites, as in the case of sand mining on the periphery of the Paya Indah Wetlands.
Sand mining is currently being carried out on a 33ha plot of land and what worries environmentalist is that it is just 20m from the southern boundary of the wetlands.
Ping Anchorage managing director, Alex Lee, said he had experienced first-hand revenue loss when sand mining was conducted along Sungai Berang, Terengganu, a rainforest river in 2008.
Lee, a tour operator, who ran a river cruise at the site, said wildlife "disappeared" when works began, adding that the boatmen, most of whom were villagers, suffered when the number of tourists dwindled.
"I am not against development, but such plans must be located far away from tourism products. We must not kill the goose that lays the golden egg.
"Once such places are destroyed, it could take more than two decades to rehabilitate," he said, adding that eco-tourism provided far more jobs in the long run compared with activities like sand mining.
Kalao Voyages Sdn Bhd managing director, Ooi Chin Hock, another tour operator, said that rehabilitating a sand mine costs three times more than mining itself
"It does not make economic sense and it can harm the environment. With eco-tourism, the value can only go up."
He added that eco-tourism provided more than monetary gains, including a cultural exchange, as some sites were located deep in the interiors.
A United Nations Environment Programme's report in 2005 "Investing in Environmental Wealth for Poverty Reduction" found investments in the environment alleviates poverty and was more economical in the long run.
The report revealed that conservation is also more cost-effective when compared with short-term profits from environmentally-damaging activities, such as mining and dynamite fishing.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Research Centre for Tropical Climate Change System head Professor Dr Fredolin Tangang said it was not only about the dollars and sen.
"The various ecosystems provide services to mankind. When the services are disrupted, it would directly affect us," he said.
For example, he added, the fisheries industry would collapse if the marine and wetland ecosystems were destroyed.
"In the long run, it would benefit us more -- economically, socially and health-wise -- to preserve the environment."
Fredolin's colleague from the Institute for Environment and Development Associate Professor Dr Ahmad Fariz said sustainable development was the way forward.
"It's all about balancing the environment and development," he said.
MNS: Wetlands ‘exposed and vulnerable’
Serean Lau The Star 17 Jul 10;
PETALING JAYA: There is no proper buffer to protect the Paya Indah Wetlands from sand mining activities nearby, leaving the wetlands “exposed and vulnerable,” according to the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).
Its head of communications Andrew Sebastian, who inspected the sand mining site on Wednesday, said he found dredging work there “to be too close” to the wetlands with no buffer zone.
“The water from the site can actually get into the wetlands easily. And things get worse when it rains,” he added.
“The wetlands, which is also a Ramsar site (Wetland of International Importance), has been polluted due to sand mining.
“The immediate effect of this is on human water consumption.
“It is disturbing and unacceptable as the mining also poses a threat to the wetlands’ ecology,” he said, adding that lines of mangroves along the wetlands had been removed.
“There is no reason to cut down these trees as they can be used as a natural buffer zone,” Sebastian said, adding that the ecosytem of the wetlands could be saved if environmental experts helped to find a suitable solution.
He also said an inspection of another site showed human faeces, toothpaste and detergent being washed into the site which subsequently flowed into the wetlands.
Sebastian said the Selangor government had approved an MNS review of the Environment Management Plan on sand mining near the wetlands.
Yesterday, Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd executive director Ramli Abd Majed said the sand mining was conducted 27m from the waterline and 40m from the wetlands boundary.
MNS wants Govt to stop sand mining
The Star 18 Jul 10;
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysia Nature Society wants federal authorities to intervene and stop rampant over-mining of sand in Selangor.
Its chairman Gary Phong said federal agencies should step in if the state government failed to effectively address over-mining of sand, which had far reaching implications on the environment.
“It is good that someone has brought up the issue, because it looks like the situation is out of control at the moment,” he said, advising the state government to impose a stop-work order on such activities.The state’s sole sand mining concessionaire Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd will brief non-governmental organisations and the media next week on Environmental Management Planning and detailed Environmental Impact Assessment reports.
Former Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo also hit out at his successor Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim for allowing rampant sand-mining on state land.
