http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/28/sarawak/6533988&sec=sarawak
Monday June 28, 2010
Joint project to expand Pulong Tau National Park by 24,000ha
By VANES DEVINDRAN
vanes@thestar.com.my Photo courtesy of ITTO
A NURSERY is being set up at Pulong Tau National Park as part of a rehabilitation project for the park’s expansion.
Dr Paul Chai, a project manager with International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), said a joint rehabilitation project between ITTO, the Forest Department and Samling Timber was being initiated to rehabilitate a degraded area for the park’s expansion.
“The area had been cleared by the timber company for road construction, log landings and other purposes, so our intention is to replant the area.
“We are building a nursery and two field camps for our people to use. Once this is ready, they can move in to collect seedlings,” he said.
Dr Chai said his team would need to consult the timber company and locals to identify the species suitable for planting on the degraded area and have economic value, like fruit trees.
“The soil at degraded sites is compact due to constant use by lorries and tractors, and most of the top soil has been washed away, so we cannot just dig and plant,” he said.
The expansion was a pilot project as joint activities involving timber companies had never been attempted, he added.
The first phase would see the 60,000ha national park being increased by 24,000ha and encompass a prominent feature of the highlands, the twin peaks of Batu Lawi, he said.
The expansion was part of the state efforts in sustainable preservation of its flora and fauna, he added.
Dr Chai said, from the conservation point of view, the bigger the national park, the better, and in this case, Batu Lawi was said to be rich in flora and fauna.
Batu Lawi had social significance for the Lun Bawang and Kelabit people, given its unique landscape, he added.
“At one time, when the Alliance fought the Japanese army, the twin peaks were used as a landmark,” he said.
The area contained endemic species of orchids, pitcher plants and the oriolus hosei bird species, he said.
“It is the third location in Sarawak where this bird has been sighted. It is rare and endemic to the state,” he said.
In addition, he said a zoologist attached to a local university had identified three new species of frogs on Mount Murud.
ITTO research had shown that the dominant trees in the area were oaks, laurals, cinnamon and myrtles.
There are 16 species of mammals from 10 families, five of which are endemic to Borneo.
There are also 69 species birds from 29 families, nine of which are endemic.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Bario to host five days indigenous food festival
http://sarawakupdate.com/home/local-news/bario-to-host-five-days-indigenous-food-festival/
Bario to host five days indigenous food festival
By Hazel Lee
Visitors to the Bario will be given a taste of indigenous food at a five day festival from June 30 – July 4.
It is the first overseas joint venture with The Alde Valley Food Adventures and the first community based indigenous food festival in East Malaysia.
Organising spokesperson, Counsillor John Tarawe today said the festival not only showcased the indigenous food of the community but also their cultural performances, handicrafts, sports and heritage.
The festival is organised by the local community in Bario with support from the Miri Resident’s Office, Sarawak Tourism Board, Ministry of Tourism and Herritage.
Held for the fifth time in the highlands, the festival is aims to attract more tourists to the Bario.
John said they were expecting at least 21 stalls with the proceeds to be channelled to the Kelabit-Bario community fund and e-Bario project community.
He said the main objective of the festival was to liberate the knowledge and activities of highlanders as economic potential, through skills and forest protection by serving as a beacon to the highland areas.
“Pesta Nukenen Bario celebrates the remarkable farming, forest and cultural heritage of the Kelabit Highlands with a growing programme of events and activities,” he said.
Activities to take place include a village harvest homecoming for a family experience, highland food tasting at the Balai community hall and longhouses, forest talks and highland food fare and community feast.
Besides food, other activities such as blowpipe, jumping and tests of strength will take place under the Highlands games activity
For information on accommodation and tour guide services, refer to the Bario Food Festival flyer and visit e-Bario online website at www.ebario.com or contact John Tarawe at 019-438-1777 or 085-791056.
Bario to host five days indigenous food festival
By Hazel Lee
Visitors to the Bario will be given a taste of indigenous food at a five day festival from June 30 – July 4.
It is the first overseas joint venture with The Alde Valley Food Adventures and the first community based indigenous food festival in East Malaysia.
Organising spokesperson, Counsillor John Tarawe today said the festival not only showcased the indigenous food of the community but also their cultural performances, handicrafts, sports and heritage.
The festival is organised by the local community in Bario with support from the Miri Resident’s Office, Sarawak Tourism Board, Ministry of Tourism and Herritage.
Held for the fifth time in the highlands, the festival is aims to attract more tourists to the Bario.
John said they were expecting at least 21 stalls with the proceeds to be channelled to the Kelabit-Bario community fund and e-Bario project community.
He said the main objective of the festival was to liberate the knowledge and activities of highlanders as economic potential, through skills and forest protection by serving as a beacon to the highland areas.
“Pesta Nukenen Bario celebrates the remarkable farming, forest and cultural heritage of the Kelabit Highlands with a growing programme of events and activities,” he said.
Activities to take place include a village harvest homecoming for a family experience, highland food tasting at the Balai community hall and longhouses, forest talks and highland food fare and community feast.
Besides food, other activities such as blowpipe, jumping and tests of strength will take place under the Highlands games activity
For information on accommodation and tour guide services, refer to the Bario Food Festival flyer and visit e-Bario online website at www.ebario.com or contact John Tarawe at 019-438-1777 or 085-791056.
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Bario and Japanese children to communicate via webcam
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/6/5/sarawak/6405472&sec=sarawak
Saturday June 5, 2010
Bario and Japanese children to communicate via webcam
By SHARON LING
sharon@thestar.com.my
SCHOOLCHILDREN from Bario in Sarawak’s interior will communicate with children from Japan for the first time via webcam at the end of June.
This will be made possible under a programme, to be jointly implemented by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and a Japanese non-profit organisation as part of a universal playground programme.
Dubbed Pangaea, the programme will enable children around the globe to become friends by overcoming language and cultural barriers through information and communication technology (ICT).
It consists of local and webcam activities. During local activities, children use PangaeaNet to communicate with counterparts in different countries. They can share artwork such as pictures and animations through PangaeaNet besides exchanging feedback.
In webcam sessions, children from various Pangaea sites experience face-to-face communication via webcams and can even play online games with one another.
The Pangaea programme has been implemented in various sites in Japan, Korea, Austria and Kenya. Last year Unimas was selected to run the first Pangaea programme in Malaysia. The programme is now being carried out as a collaborative project between the university’s Centre of Excellence for Rural Informatics (COERI) and Pangaea Japan.
Unimas piloted the programme in Kota Samarahan last year with schoolchildren aged nine to 14.
This year, the university introduced Pangaea to schoolchildren in Bario, a remote village in the Kelabit Highlands accessible by Twin Otter plane from Miri.
The first Pangaea activity in Bario was conducted in January with 20 children aged nine to 13, facilitated by school teachers, parents and relatives of the participants, while a second activity was held in April.
On June 26, the children will participate in their first webcam day. The COERI-Pangaea team will set up an Internet connection at the Bario community hall to enable live-feed interaction via satellite with children in Japan.
A machine translation tool developed by researchers at Kyoto University will also be used during the interaction between both groups of children.
This is the first of future plans by COERI to connect children from remote communities with others in different locations.
COERI believes the project is not only about bridging the digital divide but providing innovative ways for children to use ICT to learn about other cultures, languages and traditions.
Saturday June 5, 2010
Bario and Japanese children to communicate via webcam
By SHARON LING
sharon@thestar.com.my
SCHOOLCHILDREN from Bario in Sarawak’s interior will communicate with children from Japan for the first time via webcam at the end of June.
This will be made possible under a programme, to be jointly implemented by Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and a Japanese non-profit organisation as part of a universal playground programme.
Dubbed Pangaea, the programme will enable children around the globe to become friends by overcoming language and cultural barriers through information and communication technology (ICT).
It consists of local and webcam activities. During local activities, children use PangaeaNet to communicate with counterparts in different countries. They can share artwork such as pictures and animations through PangaeaNet besides exchanging feedback.
In webcam sessions, children from various Pangaea sites experience face-to-face communication via webcams and can even play online games with one another.
The Pangaea programme has been implemented in various sites in Japan, Korea, Austria and Kenya. Last year Unimas was selected to run the first Pangaea programme in Malaysia. The programme is now being carried out as a collaborative project between the university’s Centre of Excellence for Rural Informatics (COERI) and Pangaea Japan.
Unimas piloted the programme in Kota Samarahan last year with schoolchildren aged nine to 14.
This year, the university introduced Pangaea to schoolchildren in Bario, a remote village in the Kelabit Highlands accessible by Twin Otter plane from Miri.
The first Pangaea activity in Bario was conducted in January with 20 children aged nine to 13, facilitated by school teachers, parents and relatives of the participants, while a second activity was held in April.
On June 26, the children will participate in their first webcam day. The COERI-Pangaea team will set up an Internet connection at the Bario community hall to enable live-feed interaction via satellite with children in Japan.
A machine translation tool developed by researchers at Kyoto University will also be used during the interaction between both groups of children.
This is the first of future plans by COERI to connect children from remote communities with others in different locations.
COERI believes the project is not only about bridging the digital divide but providing innovative ways for children to use ICT to learn about other cultures, languages and traditions.
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