KUCHING: Petronas Sarawak and Sarawak Forest Department, together with over 250 students from seven nearby schools, spent yesterday morning planting 1,000 bakau seedlings at Kuching Wetland National Park.

The five-hectare plot of land along Sungai Lemidin, Samariang, was allocated to Petronas making them the only corporate body so far to participate in rehabilitating the national park.

Petronas kick started the ecoBako project last year by planting 100 saplings.

The bakau tree planting under the ecoBako project is a joint initiative between Petronas and Sarawak Forestry, which hopes to see more than 3,000 seedlings planted over the next two years.

Petronas Sarawak Regional Office general manager Shamsur Taha said they are committed to sustainable development.

“This is evident by the company’s active efforts to responsibly manage all its plants all over the world in line with global standards to reduce its environmental footprint,” he said during his speech.

The involvement of school students hopes to raise awareness of the mangrove trees’ role in the sustainability of wetland eco-system.

“These children will go home and tell their parents and friends on the significance of the mangrove forest to the environment as a whole.”

Sarawak Forestry Department deputy director Wan Shardini Wan Salleh said they want to change the perception that his department is only responsible for the issuance of timber licences and managing logging activities.

“Our commitment now is the conservation and preservation of our forest resources. Our strategy now is to proceed towards establishing total protected areas (TPAs), such as national parks, nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries.”

The KWNP was listed as a Ramsar Site in November 2005 after being deemed to be of international importance under the Ramsar convention – an international treaty on conservation and sustainable utilisation of wetlands signed in the city of Ramsar, Iran, in 1971.

(Source : Borneo Post Online , 12 May 2013)