15 January 2013 | last updated at 12:08AM
KOTA KINABALU: Fishermen in Paitan, about 240km from here, have adopted new sustainable fishing method which they unveiled during the Kinabatangan Orang Utan Conservation Programme recently.
While the traditional bubu trap is made with the bark of certain tree species, the new method uses plastic wire mesh.
Programme manager Datu Ahbam Abulani said plastic lasted much longer than tree bark.
In using the new plastic trap, fishermen would help towards conserving nature.
"The bubu trap needs to be replaced every six months.
"However, these modified traps made from plastic materials prevent fishermen from damaging or sometimes cutting down whole trees just to make a few bubu traps.
Ahbam added that the plastic traps were not only easy to make, but also cost effective in the long run.
"Each trap takes only a day to assemble, compared with the traditional trap which can take up to a week to make."
He said the plastic material for the new trap cost less than RM200, making it a better alternative to the bubu trap, especially if they needed to be repaired or replaced.
The programme also engaged fishermen from Kinabatangan, about 350km from here, to train other participants in using the plastic wire mesh method.
Ahbam said this was because the new traps were first used in their area.
There were also talks and exhibition carried out during the programme to increase the awareness of the local community on issues regarding natural resources.
Participants were told of the importance of conserving the forest and wildlife for all the environmental services it provided to them.
"I am an orang kampung (villager) myself.
"It is important to provide awareness and environmental education to those from rural areas.
"We rely on the environment so much but we might not be aware of what we are doing to it.
" It is only right for us to know how much we must appreciate and protect nature and its resources."
Comments
Post a Comment