KUALA SELANGOR: Six hundred tree saplings, planted in a bid to restore
the habitat of fireflies, earned Selangor and AEON Co (M) Bhd a spot in
the Malaysian Book of Records.
“I’m so thankful to the state for acquiring this plot of land once they heard of our three-year planting programme to save the fireflies,” said AEON managing director Nur Qamarina Chew.
Their objective is to conserve one of Malaysia’s most attractive tourist destinations as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Volunteers getting their hands dirty to help save the firefly habitat.
In 2010, the state acquired the agricultural land, formally owned by villagers, for about RM60,000 per acre.
In total, RM7.5 million was paid for the land and to bulldoze existing plantations to plant new trees along the riverbank of Kampung Bukit Belimbing.
. Among the trees planted were sago, macaranga, malabera, ficus and nipah, all of which are suitable for firefly larvae nesting.
“Today is only the first of three phases, and we hope this project will succeed in ensuring fireflies will not become extinct,” said Nur.
Some 400 volunteers, which included AEON staff, villagers, local government personnel and university students, came together to plant the trees which should take three to four years to mature.
Joining them at the site was Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who launched the project and subsequently planted a tree sapling tagged with his name.
“Tagging the tree is a good idea, because those who planted them today will be adopting the tree and returning to make sure their plant is growing well,” he said.
Khalid pointed out that this will also ensure the firefly habitat is always monitored and maintained by the public in years to come.
“This project is very beneficial as it also teaches the locals to maximise land usage for new improvements and developments in the village,” he said.
For the future, Khalid plans to develop the area by improving the connectivity of the village and expanding the firefly tourist industry.
Among ideas he mooted were building a light rail transit (LRT) and mass rapid transit (MRT) traveling from the village into Kuala Lumpur.
“This will benefit both tourists and locals alike because they can travel via public transport to see the fireflies.”
Meanwhile, he also urged the people to maintain the breeding ground well and open it up to tourists who wanted to see fireflies in their natural habitat.
“The young can also see the larvae and learn how fireflies are produced, apart from enjoying the 20-minute boat ride to see them at the riverbank,” said Khalid.
All these improvements can help boost the economy there and bring in more business to local traders and the hotel industry in Kuala Selangor.
Also present at the tree planting was AEON chairman Datuk Abdullah Mohd Yusof, Bukit Melawati assemblyperson M Muthiah and deputy state secretary for development Datuk Noordin Sulaimani.
“I’m so thankful to the state for acquiring this plot of land once they heard of our three-year planting programme to save the fireflies,” said AEON managing director Nur Qamarina Chew.
Their objective is to conserve one of Malaysia’s most attractive tourist destinations as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Volunteers getting their hands dirty to help save the firefly habitat.
In 2010, the state acquired the agricultural land, formally owned by villagers, for about RM60,000 per acre.
In total, RM7.5 million was paid for the land and to bulldoze existing plantations to plant new trees along the riverbank of Kampung Bukit Belimbing.
. Among the trees planted were sago, macaranga, malabera, ficus and nipah, all of which are suitable for firefly larvae nesting.
“Today is only the first of three phases, and we hope this project will succeed in ensuring fireflies will not become extinct,” said Nur.
Some 400 volunteers, which included AEON staff, villagers, local government personnel and university students, came together to plant the trees which should take three to four years to mature.
Joining them at the site was Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim, who launched the project and subsequently planted a tree sapling tagged with his name.
“Tagging the tree is a good idea, because those who planted them today will be adopting the tree and returning to make sure their plant is growing well,” he said.
Khalid pointed out that this will also ensure the firefly habitat is always monitored and maintained by the public in years to come.
“This project is very beneficial as it also teaches the locals to maximise land usage for new improvements and developments in the village,” he said.
For the future, Khalid plans to develop the area by improving the connectivity of the village and expanding the firefly tourist industry.
Among ideas he mooted were building a light rail transit (LRT) and mass rapid transit (MRT) traveling from the village into Kuala Lumpur.
“This will benefit both tourists and locals alike because they can travel via public transport to see the fireflies.”
Meanwhile, he also urged the people to maintain the breeding ground well and open it up to tourists who wanted to see fireflies in their natural habitat.
“The young can also see the larvae and learn how fireflies are produced, apart from enjoying the 20-minute boat ride to see them at the riverbank,” said Khalid.
All these improvements can help boost the economy there and bring in more business to local traders and the hotel industry in Kuala Selangor.
Also present at the tree planting was AEON chairman Datuk Abdullah Mohd Yusof, Bukit Melawati assemblyperson M Muthiah and deputy state secretary for development Datuk Noordin Sulaimani.
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