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-

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?

Check list for being GREEN.

The more you do, the more you can help the Earth and its creatures.

♣ I explore nature.
» I hiked
» I visited park
♣ I planted some flowers for hummingbirds.
♣ I turned off the lights when I didn’t need them.
♣ I didn’t squish a spider.
♣ I’ve been eating more vegetables.
♣ I planted an “eating tree or bush” in my yard or a pot.
♣ I’m being careful about what I put down the drains.
♣ I’m trying to eat things that are grown locally.
♣ I take my own bags to the store and use them.
♣ I put a bird feeder or bird bath in my yard or on my porch.
♣ I planted some flowers that bees love.
♣ I learned more about the rainforest and why we need to protect them.
♣ I try to wear clothes that are grown organically.
♣ I made a compost pile.
♣ Instead of using the car, I
» walked
» ran
» biked
♣ I don’t litter.
♣ I helped save a bug.
♣ I’ve been kind to all creatures.
♣ I sniped a plastic can holder can holders so an animal won’t get stuck in it.
♣ I followed the three R’s:
» REDUCE – I turned off the water when I brushed my teeth.
» REUSE – I gave some of the stuff I don’t use to someone else.
» RECYCLE – I collected glass, newspaper and plastic and put it in a recycle bin.
♣ I’ve told my friends what I have learned and how they can help.


Share what you’ve learned from this check list.
The more your friends know, the more you can help!
Helping animals helps us all!

Manja the Orangutan

Support Manja the orangutan in Zoo Negara. She has never lived in the forest. Let us help Manja create more awareness on orangutans and the importance of conservation of our forests through a children’s book titled “MANJA the Orangutan” written by Rossiti Aishah Rashidi (my mom) and beautifully illustrated in water colour by Farrah Ashiela Samsuri. You can buy this book at Zoo Negara Malaysia. This book is sponsored by HSBC Malaysia and published by The Malaysian Zoological Society. All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Zoo Negara’s Conservation and Education Fund. 13 000 copies of this story book have already been distributed to schools throughout Malaysia for free as part of Zoo Negara's programme to create awarness on Malaysian wildlife and the importance of conservation.

P/S: Raise awareness! Tell everyone you know about orangutans and show them list of things that they can do to help.

-Siti Hani Ahmad Zuraidi-

The Last Time I Cried

Sunday, January 22, 2006
Love at first sight.

Yesterday was the happiest moment for me because I met my favourite orangutan, Chokey. I sponsored Chokey, a male orangutan with my own pocket money. Chokey is one of the 13 orangutans in Zoo Negara. He is a handsome, 7 year old male orangutan. Anyone who visits Zoo Negara and sees Chokey at the ape centre would definitely fall in love with his cute face and mischievous antics.

During the first 6 months of 2006, I visited him every week. I would bring his favourite fruits, among which are durians and grapes. In the zoo, most of the time he is fed with bananas and he had enough of it. My meeting with Chokey was like love at first sight.

Whenever we met, he would cling on me and would refuse to let me go. So the zookeepers had a tough time persuading him to get back into his cage. According to the keepers, he has grown possessive of me. So my mom advised me not to see him too often because after all, he is a wild animal. So I did not see him for 6 months.

However, yesterday, I decided to see how he was because I miss him so much. I brought him his favourite fruits, durians and grapes. When we met, we held one another tightly. He remembers me…… He gave me a kiss and we both cried. It was one of the greatest moments in my life. Tears were flowing down my cheeks and that was the last time I cried.

Hani ♥ Chokey

-Siti Hani Ahmad Zuraidi-