Not content with just providing first class service to its guests, Berjaya Hotels & Resorts (BHR) has a conscience that goes beyond requesting them to reuse their towels and bed linen – its far-sighted endeavour to protect the environment and preserve the ecosystem for future generations to come manifested in the well-received Mangrove 4 Life campaign recently launched at the Berjaya Langkawi Resort.
Held over the last weekend in January and the beginning of February, the Mangrove 4 Life campaign is a part of BHR’s corporate social responsibility undertaking called LIVE & Care. Although spearheaded by BHR, it’s a collaborative effort between four parties – Berjaya Langkawi Resort, Institute of Foresters Malaysia (IRIM), Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) and the villagers of Kuala Melaka, Kuala Teriang.
Aristotle wasn’t wrong when he said the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In this combined CSR project, which sees a commercial corporation work closely with an NGO, a professional body as well as the local community, increased awareness, knowledge and education, close rapport, fun and goodwill were experienced by all who partook in this worthwhile cause. It wasn’t just the environment or the mangroves that benefitted from this exercise  friendships were also forged and human bonds were built through the simple act of planting mangrove seedlings along the coastal shoreline that, hopefully, would grow and thrive in time.
According to Abel Nelson Nang, BHR’s Group Director for Corporate Marketing and Communications, the inclusion of the local villagers and students reflects the group’s main CSR focus on helping the community in which they operate. He believes that it’s really only through this process of education that they can change their philosophy and nurture a spirit of loving the earth. “The friendship built through these projects with various partners is one of the vital elements in sustaining the progress and success of BHR  a relationship in which we hope would not only last, but flourish over the coming years. The children are really the ambassadors of change. If we educate them and they understand, the project will sustain and endure, and make a difference in a long run.â€
Kicking off the campaign over the three-day weekend, this inauguration was intended to serve as a platform to reinforce local efforts to conserve mangroves in the country as well as to inform and educate the general public about the importance mangrove forests play in the ecosystem. Apart from the fact that mangroves provide a nursery habitat for many wildlife and marine creatures, they are also a natural filter, cleaning the sea water and removing pollutants along the coastal areas and shoreline, not to mention stabilising the shores, sustaining a healthy ecosystem and forming a protective barrier from any impending tsunamis.
“Mangrove habitats and ecosystems are of utmost environmental importance for a whole range of reasons – they store and cycle nutrients, filter pollutants, protect shorelines from erosion and storms, and play a vital role in modulating climate as they are a major carbon sink and oxygen source, and, in addition, sustain livelihoods of coastal communities. With this new project, it is greatly hoped that we can restore balance to the ecosystem of the area and contribute to conserving these functions that benefit the environment,†said Andrew J Sebastian, Head of Communications of the Malaysian Nature Society, one of the four parties who played a vital role in the Mangrove 4 Life campaign.
Nang added that during the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, many coastal communities survived mainly due to mangrove protection. “Everything that nature provides serves a purpose. People might not see it yet, but mangroves give in many ways to the Earth. One of which is as a natural coastal defence,†he said.
First on the agenda was a tree planting session at Kampung Kuala Melaka in Kuala Teriang, an area which was hit by the tsunami back in 2004. According to Nang, the Mangrove 4 Life campaign was more than just another CSR programme for BHR because it was a symbolic gesture to remember those who were affected by the tsunami.
“The surrounding community of the Berjaya Langkawi Resort was the worst hit by the tsunami on the island. As there was no engineered coastal protection in the Kuala Melaka area, the damage caused by the tsunami was particularly severe. And to kick-start the Mangrove 4 Life campaign, we are focusing on replanting mangrove trees in this area because, for these coastal communities to recover and achieve sustainability, conserving and restoring their surrounding mangrove ecosystems is essential,†he added.
Personnel from BHR as well as from the Institute of Foresters Malaysia, and Malaysian Nature Society together with local villagers, National Service trainees from Camp Lagenda Langkawi and members of the media all donned bright yellow rubber boots and cotton gloves, and descended onto the shoreline of Kuala Melaka with mangrove seedlings and spades to dig holes in the ground and plant the Rhizophora Mucronata sapling, a species chosen for its fast-growing nature and ability to flower within just a year.
Led by the staff from the Malaysian Nature Society, over 400 young mangrove saplings were planted that morning. As a precautionary measure, six-foot high cylindrical PVC tubes were encased into the sand to form a wave breaker stretch to ensure that the mangrove planting site would be protected. This was to lessen the impact from the waves, thus ensuring a higher chance of survival and growth for the mangrove trees.
Good fun was had by all and the intermingling of the members of the media with the trainees from the National Service and the local villagers fostered a camaraderie that is rarely seen or felt in any five-star setting. A delicious lunch of kampung-style food was prepared by the local villagers of Kuala Melaka — a nice gesture and a thoughtful way of thanking all the participants who helped out that morning.
Later that afternoon, a Mangrove Awareness Workshop organised by the Malaysian Nature Society for school children was held at the Berjaya Langkawi Resort. Conducted by Dr Evelyn Lim, the Honorary Secretary for Ecotourism and Conservation of the Malaysian Nature Society, 48 enthusiastic school children from SK Kuala Teriang converged at the resort’s Beach Restaurant to learn about the characteristics of different species of mangroves, the threats they face and the importance of conserving them. Done in a fun and interactive manner, the school children appeared to have a whale of a time, judging from the roars of laughter and giggles heard during the duration of the workshop.
Later, together with members of the media, the school children then went on a mangrove habitat scavenger hunt followed by a sapling planting session by the beach in Berjaya Langkawi Resort’s mangrove site. Even though the sun was blazing hot, no one complained in the slightest. After all that hard work, a sweet treat was on offer to all those who took part – cakes, sandwiches, cookies and crunchy savouries, and snacks together with local favourites like fried bee hoon and curry puffs were laid out in a buffet that was, needless to say, demolished by the students.
Tying in with BHR’s corporate values of LIVE & Care, the following day, members of the media as well as the BHR team visited a home called Rumah Nur Kasih Langkawi for orphans, and abused, abandoned and underprivileged children. Nang also surprised everyone by announcing that he was sponsoring a child in the home, having celebrated his last birthday with the kids residing there. Another pleasant surprise was when four specially prepared cakes were wheeled out for all those celebrating their birthdays in the months of January and February. Singing Happy Birthday, cheering, laughing, celebrating life, appreciating Mother Nature and conserving planet Earth, it was evident from the faces of everyone around that giving back had its own share of fun and reward.
