Creating artworks out of mangrove trees

By STEPHANIE LEE  
stephanielee@thestar.com.my

KOTA KINABALU: Wetlands conservation took on a creative twist as more than 60 students from various schools gathered to create artworks from mangrove trees at the KK Wetlands Centre here.

Creative bunch: Sabrina (right) and her classmates (from left) Melissa Majalap Mojiun, Sandra Yuson, Jeremy Gumpil and Myrabelle Anthony Jullah showing the handicraft they made during the workshop.

The students, who were from 12 schools, participated in a workshop, that taught the usage of mangroves to create handicraft works, organised by the Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society (SWCS) in conjunction with World Earth Day.

Besides acquiring hands-on information on what mangrove trees could be used for, the students were also given the opportunity to highlight their creativity by participating in a handicraft-making competition.

Competition winners Sabrina Cassandra Lawrence and her four teammates, from the St. Michaels Secondary School in Penampang, said the idea for their art piece came spontaneously.

“We weren't told beforehand that there was going to be a competition and we didn't know that mangroves could be used for art,'' said Sabrina.

She added that they used leaves and branches from different mangrove species to create a picture with messages such as Love Our Environment and World Earth Day.

“We used coloured paper to make the image and glued the mangrove pieces to create our picture,'' she said.

Earlier, SWCS president Zaini Aucasa told the students that mangrove swamps were not merely areas for mosquito breeding, but the habitat of various species of organisms.

He explained that the leaves and other parts of the mangrove tree could be made into dye for batik as well as processed into paper.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was also signed between SWCS and oil and gas company Talisman Malaysia Limited for better collaboration on mangrove conservation and research.

Talisman Malaysia senior vice-president and country general manager Ron Aston, who presented a research and conservation fund of about RM50,000 to SWCS, said he was glad that there were youths interested in conserving and learning more about mangroves.

Sabah Wildlife Department Director Datuk Dr Laurentius Ambu who was present at the event said there were 24ha of mangrove forests in the Kota Kinabalu city centre.

The KK Wetlands Centre is home to more than 10 species of mangrove trees, more than 80 species of resident and migratory birds, various reptiles and other marine creatures.

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