MERSING, JOHOR, 12 MAY 2024 – The final event of the prelude series for the SDG Summit 2024: Wilayah Timur with the theme “Climate Action in Reducing the Impact of Climate Change”, took place at Kampungstay@Teluk Buih, in Mersing, Johor organised by the East Coast Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) in collaboration with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supported by Global Environment Centre (GEC), Tengah Island Conservation (TIC), and Reef Check Malaysia.

The event aims to raise awareness on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) specifically on SDG 11, SDG 12, SDG 13, and SDG 14, focusing on reducing the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, encouraging sustainable consumption and production patterns, building knowledge and capacity to meet climate change targets as well as protecting and restoring ecosystems.

“ECERDC is committed to ensuring minimal urban environmental impact in implementing our projects, raising awareness for the communities on climate action strategies, as well as increasing the locals’ participation in achieving SDG targets in order to enhance quality of life,” said Dato’ Ragu Sampasivam, Chief Operating Officer of ECERDC in his opening remarks at the third SDG prelude programme, here, today.

The Kampungstay@Teluk Buih, a niche homestay project for instance, is an effort by ECERDC to leverage on Mersing’s unique attractions based on the ‘Rainforest to Reef’ (R2R) development strategy, which seamlessly links all assets from the Endau-Rompin National Park rainforest to the beaches, islands and reefs off the coast of Mersing. The spillover benefits from the growth of the tourism sector enables locals to partake in tourism ventures, supplementing their income and improving their livelihoods as stated in SDG 8, he added.

KampungStay@Air Papan which is nestled approximately 11 km north of Mersing town includes the construction of 10 chalet, a multi-purpose hall with surau, two restaurants, a reception building and a swimming pool. KampungStay@Air Papan has begun operation on May 1, 2023. The development of local tourism infrastructure and promotion of local tourism activities and attractions here is as per the target in SDG 9.

ECERDC had earlier collaborated with the Mersing District Office, the Mersing District Council and Kelab Sahabat Cakna Lembah Pantai to plant 200 mangrove trees along the barrier wall of the KampungStay project in 2021. This initiative aims, among others, to protect coastal areas from erosion as per SDG 15 target, transform a coastal habitat for various species of marine life (SDG 14), help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and fight climate change (SDG 13), as well as increasing environmental quality and aesthetic value as an attraction for tourists (SDG 8).

The third SDG prelude programme involved a briefing session by UNDP, TIC and GEC related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), practical activity, and tree planting for more than 30 participants consisting of students and guests from Mersing Polytechnic, various agencies and local authorities.

All of participants including guests from various agencies and local authorities were involved in mangrove tree planting at Kampungstay with Global Environment Centre (GEC) as a commitment to sustainability that includes protection of the oceans and wetlands. The overarching objective is to educate youths about safeguarding oceanic and island ecosystems, emphasizing on reef and marine biodiversity preservation.

The hands-on activities by TIC and GEC include trash segregation games and interactive quizzes while learning how to conserve and support sustainable management of forests and wetlands. The programme also exposed the students to the technology utilised to transform what used to be waste that is thrown into landfills or burnt into reusable products.

The programme was attended by Tn. Jamil Hasni bin Abdullah, Mersing District Officer; En. Azfaazam Kasbani, National SDG Centre Director; Pn. Sheela Inthiram, Assistant Director (Sustainable Development) Environmental and Resources Division, Ministry of Economy; En. Muhammad Lutfi bin Abbas, Segamat assistant district officer, environment officers from Johor State Economic Planning Division, representatives from the Ministry of Economy, Mersing District Office, Segamat District Office and other key stakeholders.

As the culmination of the 2024 Malaysian Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit: Wilayah Timur prelude series, this gathering paved the way for the Malaysia Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Summit 2024: Wilayah Timur to be held on May 19th, 2024, in Kuala Terengganu. Organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, this summit sets the stage for the nationwide Malaysia SDG Summit 2024 scheduled for July 2024.

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