SANDAKAN: The Sungai Gum Gum and Sungai Loboh Forest Reserves on Tuesday witnessed a noble effort in mangrove ecosystem restoration through the Smart Community Programme themed ‘Plant Mangroves, Plant Hope for the Future and SDGs’.
This program is a strategic collaboration between the Sabah Forestry Research Centre (FRC) Sandakan and the International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME), with the active participation of the Forestry Department representative, Dr. Joseph Tangah, Deputy Head (Administration & Development) of FRC who is also an ISME member.
The program saw the planting of 2,000 Bankita mangrove seedlings (Rhizophora apiculata) and was attended by 251 participants including accompanying officers and participants of the Festival Agromakanan dan Bioteknologi (FAMB) 2024 from Polytechnics and Community Colleges.
The program not only focuses on mangrove ecosystem conservation but also contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 14 which emphasizes the importance of marine and coastal governance. Mangrove restoration efforts are also in line with other SDGs including eradicating poverty and hunger (SDG 1 and 2), ensuring sustainable economic growth and livelihoods (SDG 8), and halting the loss of mangrove biodiversity.
The program has yielded various positive impacts, including training and exposing participants to the importance, planting techniques, and care of mangroves, fostering awareness about the importance of preserving mangrove ecosystems for the well-being of future generations, and strengthening relationships and cooperation between the government, educational institutions, and NGOs in mangrove restoration efforts and achieving the SDGs.
It is hoped that this Smart Community Programme will be a catalyst for more environmental conservation initiatives in the future.
Close cooperation between various parties is the key to success in ensuring the sustainability of mangrove ecosystems and achieving the country’s sustainable development goals.
