By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, March 18: A total of 26 Japanese students have planted 5,000 trees in the Gunung Apeng National Park in Serian so far as part of the ‘Orangutan Forest Restoration Project’.
Initiated by the Nippon Foundation Volunteer Centre and Japan Malaysia Association (JMA), the project aims to plant 100,000 new trees in the national park over the course of 10 years, starting this year.
According to a press release, the students who came in two batches stayed in Sarawak from February 6 to 17 and March 6 to 16.
They worked together with the Bidayuh people in Gunung Apeng National Park to prepare, transport, and plant saplings, resulting in 5,000 trees planted.
“In addition to planting trees, the students also learned about the history and culture of Borneo by visiting the Semenggoh Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, Tong Nibong village and taking a Kuching city tour.
“The Nippon Foundation Volunteer Center aims to continue sending volunteers over the next ten years to plant 100,000 trees,” it said.
Takimoto Chitan, one of the participating students, stated that at the beginning of the trip, he was only thinking about achieving his goal of planting 2,500 trees.
“However, through this project, I realised that there are various processes involved in tree planting activities and that many people are involved in each sapling.
“After learning about this, I became conscious of not just planting trees but carefully planting trees while thinking of the people involved and wishing for the growth of the seedlings.
“Additionally, by planting trees together with people from the Bidayuh, we were able to build relationships of trust. I would like to use this experience in the future and come back to see the forest that we have planted,” he said.
The Orangutan Forest Restoration Project aims to protect tropical rainforests, which are decreasing due to the expansion of oil palm plantations that are the raw material for palm oil, and to give Japanese students a first-hand experience of issues surrounding tropical rainforests, such as the preservation and enrichment of biodiversity. — DayakDaily
