Green Talk Series 2023 organised by UCSF

A talk on “Carbon: The New Resource of Sabah” was organised by University College Sabah Foundation (UCSF) at their campus in Sembulan on 1 March 2023. The talk was attended by 200 participants.

The Deputy Director of Yayasan Sabah and currently appointed as Adjunct Professor of the Faculty of Tropical Forestry of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Datuk Sam Mannan was invited to present his talk based on his experience on forest management connected to carbon trading that involved 80,000ha of forest land in northern Kuamut.

According to Datuk Sam, “Through proper forest management, Sabah could expand carbon sequestration in forests and the natural environment beyond current levels through an array of measures. These include protecting natural forests and mangroves; restoring degraded forests and mangroves that have been disturbed, and increasing the amount of carbon sequestered per hectare of land through better land management practices.”

The talk was to create awareness of the financial benefit of preserving the natural forest for future generations while getting paid for it through carbon sequestration. Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon dioxide. Thus reducing excessive carbon emission into the air that is harmful to the environment. Its main objective was to provide a space for dialogue, learning, and action around environmental issues, aiming to promote a more sustainable and resilient future for all.

For decades, developed countries have polluted the environment through heavy industry activities, such as iron and steel; oil and gas; coal, fertiliser and pesticides. Therefore, carbon trading means these polluters have to be held accountable by providing funds to countries that are preserving their natural forests and to finance the rehabilitation of degraded forests due to previous logging activities. As Datuk Sam aptly put it, “Polluters must pay.”

The talk benefits students at UCSF as well as educators, policymakers, professionals, and businesses. The talk also helps graduates by providing valuable knowledge, skills, networking opportunities, and inspiration to pursue careers and lifestyles that align with their environmental values and goals.

Participants that attended the talk were from Government agencies, Non-Governmental Organisations, as well as students and officers from UCSF and Yayasan Sabah College of Technology.

Rombongan daripada Pertubuhan Kadazan Dusun Murut Muslim SeMalaysia (KDMRS Muslim) yang diketuai oleh

Pengerusinya merangkap Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif, Tuan Haji Nicholas Sylvester telah membuat kunjungan hormat kepada Setiausaha Korporat Yayasan Sabah, Encik Hanafiah Diman pada 27 Februari 2023 di Menara Tun Mustapha, Kota Kinabalu.

Objektif lawatan tersebut adalah untuk memperkenalkan KDMRS dan aktiviti-aktiviti yang memberi fokus kepada program kemasyarakatan melalui kerja-kerja kebajikan dan pendidikan khususnya untuk masyarakat KDMRS.