Green Hopes: March 2009

Monday, March 23, 2009

Program Pendidikan Biodiversiti 2009

Cuti persekolah penggal pertama saya yang baru-baru ini tidak lah seperti hari-hari cuti persekolahan yang sebelum ini. Pada 19 hingga 22 hari bulan Mac 2009, rakan-rakan saya, Jeffry, Tan, Kheswin dan juga saya telah menyertai program pendidikan biodiversiti bersama Jabatan Perlindungan Hidupan Liar dan Taman Negara (PERHILITAN) anjuran Jabatan Pelajaran Negeri Selangor sebagai wakil Kelab Pencinta Alam, Sek. Men. Keb. Seksyen 9, Shah Alam.

Perkhemahan 4 hari 3 malam ini bertempat di sebuah tasik yang termasyhur di Malaysia yang terletak di Pahang, iaitu Tapak RAMSAR Tasek Bera. Tasek Bera merupakan sistem tasik air tawar semula jadi yang terletak di barat daya Pahang, Malaysia. Tasik ini terletak di pelana banjaran gunung utama dan timur di Semenanjung Malaysia dan merupakan sumber Sungai Pahang.

Semasa di sana, ami berasa sungguh seronok. Harus saya akui bahawa inilah pengalaman perkhemahan saya yang terbaik setakat ini. Antara aktiviti-aktiviti menarik yang telah kami jalankan ialah pemerhatian burung, rintis hutan, permainan rimba dan kami juga berpeluang berkayak di tasik yang indah itu.

Kami juga telah ditayangkan dengan tayangan video jabatan yang menerangkan tentang apa itu Tapak RAMSAR dan kepentingannya. "RAMSAR" bermaksud Senarai Tanah Lembap Ramsar yang dipersetujui melalui ‘Konvensyen Tanah Lembap’ yang diadakan di Ramsar, Iran pada tahun 1971. Terdapatnya 147 ahli konvensyen dengan 1524 tapak tanah lembap yang berjumlah 129.2 juta hektar dalam senarai Ramsar. Tasek Bera merupakan tapak Ramsar yang pertama di Malaysia.

Di sini, ingin saya kongsikan bersama anda kepentingan paya gambut (peat swamp). Hutan paya gambut boleh bertindak sebagai :

Sumber bekalan air
Takungan air di bawah tanah
Kawalan banjir
Penghalang ribut
Kawalan hakisan pantai
Penambat sendimen dan nutrien
Penyerap karbon
Penjanaan hidro elektrik
Pemuliharaan
Penyelidikan dan pendidikan
Rekreasi dan pelancongan
Budaya

Tasik Bera merupakan sebidang tapak Ramsar yang mustahak kerana persekitaran gambut air tawarnya yang mengandungi pelbagai flora dan fauna. Kami juga telah berpeluang untuk melawat Kampung Pathir di mana tinggalnya orang asli kaum Semelai. Orang asli Semelai tinggal di kawasan ini dan meneruskan cara kehidupan tradisionalnya melalui pemburuan, penangkapan ikan dan penggunaan sumber persekitaran semula jadi.

Penghargaan:
Teacher Ernice (SMK Taman SEA), En. Muhamad Rizal Abdul Rahim (Penolong Pengarah Unit Pengurusan Tapak Ramsar, Tasek Bera), Cik Norensai Mat, En. Bahari Ahmad, En. Nizam Jantan, En. Fairus Izwan a.k.a. En. Syukrie, En. Azlan Mohd Zain, En. Muzzamir Salin, dan juga Mr. Stem.

♥ Salam rimba,
-Siti Hani Ahmad Zuraidi-

Saturday, March 21, 2009

World Forestry Day 2009

It was a day filled with hopes and great spirit, all with one objective....to plant more trees and make earth a better place for everyone and all living things.

On the unveiled signboard, we have on the photo our youngest tree planter, Alya Husna Ahmad Zuraidi, who is seven years old. She has sacrificed her weekends and preferred to join her sisters....Siti Hani and Siti Hajar and parents, planting trees and a great job she did! This is her third time planting trees at the Hutan Simpan Raja Musa in Batang Berjuntai. Hutan Simpan Raja Musa is a peat forest (hutan paya gambut) which stores large amounts of carbon. If destroyed and dries up, large amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide will escape into our air, thus the rise in air temperature leading to global warming. We need oxygen, not more carbon dioxide.

Alya Husna, the youngest tree planter so happy with Matthias Gelber, the greenest person on the planet.

Alya Husna understands the importance of trees....do you?

Introduction

This is my first time on the blog. I am Rossiti Aishah Rashidi, a mother of five wonderful children. Siti Hani is my third child and she is just amazingly loving and caring towards animals. My other children are also animal lovers.

This blog is created in order to understand what “Green Hopes” is about and what does “being green” means.

“Green Hopes” as the word itself translates, an optimistic outlook for the future. Only if we desire enough and work hard enough to care for Mother Earth and all its creatures, only then we can make sure that Mother Earth can provide for her creatures now and forever. We need fresh water, good food and a clean environment to flourish. Our animal friends need their habitats protected so they can have a good home, plenty of water and good food.

Everything we do has an impact on the Earth whether it is the food we eat, how we live and play, the toys we play with, or the clothes we wear. All these come from planet Earth. How they are made and how much of them we use is very important to our environment.

So every day, please act green and continue to make “Green Hopes” alive and well. Let’s take the green steps to lessen our impact on Earth. To take green steps is as simple as following the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. By taking these steps we can protect our planet and all her creatures.

If we love our family, care for our friends, treasure our children and continue to admire nature, we must be guardians of our environment instead of being agents of destruction.

-Rossiti Aishah Rashidi-