By Asieh Namdar, Solmi Ahmad
CNN
August 6, 2000
- Wildlife authorities in Malaysia are mounting an awareness campaign
about the importance of the environment. They've launched a program
to conserve the natural habitat
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM
AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: Wildlife authorities in Malaysia are
also mounting an awareness campaign about the importance of the
environment. They've launched a program in the state of Salangur
(ph) to conserve the natural habitat.
Malaysia's RTN explains how this environmental effort is fueled
in part by economics.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) SOLMI AHMAD, RTM (voice-over): June 5, was World
Environment Day. On that day, a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) pledged to pursue
environmental ethics in developing Malaysia's chapter of the (UNINTELLIGIBLE)
and the country's wildlife and national parks department.
The pledge recognizes the reality that green issues are no longer
the domain of environmentalists, industrialists or politicians.
The pledge (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Rhino Conservation Center, located in
the center of the Malaysian state of Slango (ph), was accompanied
by the launch of the National Rhinoceros Trust Fund. The fund is
in keeping with a key point of the pledge, to contribute to the
conservation of any habitat of flora and fauna and of any site natural
or cultural which may be affected by tourism.
SHAMIN AHMAD, MALAYSIAN CHAIRMAN, PACIFIC TRAVEL ASSOCIATION: Ecotourism
has become quite important tourism, no? I mean, in the past, people
just come and see just the sites and sounds of countries. But today
in Malaysia, especially in Malaysia, people come to this country
for ecotourism. And I think our country I think is blessed with
fantastic natural heritage, flora and fauna, animals, you know?
And I think we need to preserve that.
AHMAD: The selection of venue and trust of the fund was symbolic
and in line with a team of this year's Environment Day 2000, the
environmental millennium time to act.
The Sumatran rhino, a flagship of Malaysia's ecosystem is an endangered
species. Found historically in the tropical rainforest in mountainous
forests of all Southeast Asia from Assam (ph) through Malaysia,
Sumatra and Borneo is not confined to the remote state, Wanton (ph)
forest, up to 2,000 meters in altitude. It's hoped that a trust
fund will lead to more elaborate and extensive programs to raise
funds to sustain the rehabilitation of the rhinoceros and create
greater awareness on the need of the public to be environmentally
conscious and proactive environmentally.
(on camera): The travel industry in Malaysia is equally responsible
for practicing ever amount of ethics and amount of ethics and planning
for sustainable use and future issue of natural resources. So the
preservation of the wild rhino habitat is important in ensuring
Malaysia's natural habitat are protected for the benefit of ecotourism.
I'm Solmi Ahmad reporting for Radio-Television Malaysia for the
CNN WORLD REPORT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR
USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT http://www.fdch.com.
Top
Privacy Policy
|
