This year, in collaboration with Coral Triangle Initiative Sabah (CTI-SAB), the Borneo Marine Research Institute (BMRI), Universiti Malaysia Sabah Ocean Celebration program focused on the ‘Gender and Ocean’ in conjunction with the World Oceans Day (June 8th), The Coral Triangle Day (June 9th) and World Sea Turtle Day (June 16th) which are celebrated globally every year.
At BMRI, we connected the theme multiple themes in a series of activities organised in and outside of the university. One of the them was youth empowerment in marine conservation through different awareness programs which were held in the BMRI, namely the Marine Conservation Awareness program, Marine Biodiversity Edu-stations (MBES) program, and Seagrass Ecosystem Awareness program which were held on 6th July, 25th July, and 28th July, respectively. Each of the programs focused on different age groups of youths as well as different issues in the marine ecosystem.
Other themes that we focused on were ‘sustainable consumption of marine products’ theme through a cooking competition held on 26th July with aim to educate public regarding the importance choosing sustainable seafood, ‘women empowerment’ theme through an all-women program held on 19th July which include a series of hands on activities highlighting the impacts of climate importance of marine conservation, as well as the theme of ‘giving back to community’ through two programs which were an outreach program in SMK Tebobon on the 17th July and a blood donation drive at the BMRI Aquarium and Marine Museum on the 28th July. There was also a sand art competition held on the 28th July in Outdoor Development Centre (ODEC), aimed to raise awareness and convey messages about the importance of protecting the marine environment.
Aside from these programs, there was also the ‘Ocean Run 2019’ with the theme ‘Reduce Our Waste: The Ocean Doesn’t need Our Trash’ held on the 28th of July which involved 105 participants competing in two categories- 7km adults and 3km kids dash. Officiated by the Director of Borneo Marine Research Institute, Prof. Dr. Rossita Shapawi, the fun run was designed to bring the vision of ‘Zero Waste’ to reality by applying all the zero waste principles during the event. All runners were also given a collapsible metal cup as a memento for their participation and to be used at the water stations as no mineral water bottles and paper cups were supplied.
The United Nations celebrates World Oceans Day annually on 8 June as an opportunity to raise awareness worldwide regarding benefits humankind derives from the ocean and our collective duty and as an individual to use its resources sustainably. It is vital for us to have a healthy ocean especially in Borneo. In BMRI and CTI-SAB, other than research and scientific activities, we also promote the sustainable use of the ocean and its resources through awareness and educational programs. Building on this strong foundation, marine conservation has become part of our priority and are now incorporated in all our activities and programs.
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