Young Leaders for Sustainability by Fung Lan Yong

Youths and biodiversity awareness

By Fung Lan Yong

Published in ‘Daily Express Sabah’ on August 6, 2017, page 16

Recently, Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin revealed that many Malaysian youths had repeatedly indicated that they wanted to live in sustainable and fair country which could continue to develop without compromising their quality of life.  Malaysia is the world’s 12^th most biodiverse region with its lush rainforests, teeming seas, and multifarious tropical landscapes; however, rapid development had destroyed many of these ecosystems.  Despite stiff environmental laws, its exotic flora and fauna continue to dwindle in its quest for socioeconomic progress as well rapid population growth.  Its disposable culture further exacerbates the precarious situation; barely five percent of its daily 30,000 tons of waste is recycled, while other natural resources, such as water and trees, are indiscriminately used.

The Malaysian government has launched many programs and initiatives to instil sustainable values; however, they experienced little success as the pace and cultural life in Malaysia have evolved around the notion that natural resources are plentiful and that no one can really make a significant difference for the natural environment.  Moreover, it is difficult to modify the mindset of its adult society that is more concerned about attaining socioeconomic success than conserving the natural environment.  While Malaysians are getting increasingly environmentally conscious, it may take a generation or two to eliminate various unsustainable habits.

Biodiversity and ecosystem services

Biodiversity is crucial for fostering sustainable livelihoods and adaptability to climatic change.   Encompassing the wide spectrum of life on our planet, it is the lifeblood of sustainable development.  Nevertheless, it is depleting at an unprecedented rate due to skyrocketing levels of human consumption.  Biodiversity delivers a wide range of essential goods and services on which we all depend, such as, food, fodder, fibres and herbal medicine.  Since rural communities in Malaysia rely heavily on these goods and services to meet their survival needs, biodiversity serves as their safety net and natural health insurance.

The concept of ecosystem services forms a common framework that links biodiversity with sustainability.  They refer to the benefits that people derive from various ecosystems, which include provisioning services (food and water), regulating services (flood and disease control), cultural services (spiritual and recreational benefits) and supporting services (nutrient recycling).   

Youths’ role in promoting biodiversity and sustainability

Almost half of Malaysia’s population comprises youths who are increasingly well informed about the interrelationships of biodiversity, ecosystems and sustainability.  As future guardians of our planet, they should be empowered to make a difference in solving environmental problems; hence, they need a platform to ignite their passion and become eco-leaders who are persistent in promoting sustainability by creating positive impacts on the natural environment.  

Additionally, there is urgent need to enhance awareness and empower change in Malaysian youths’ consumption lifestyle; they need to acknowledge the cumulative pressure that they have been exerting on our planet and the consequent decline of biodiversity.  As future leaders, industrial players and decision-makers, youths need to exhibit the attitudes and behaviour that promote sustainability.  In short, they should confidently serve as champions for sustainability by integrating responsible consumption into their daily lives.    

Young Leaders for Sustainability (YL4S)

Young Leaders for Sustainability (YL4S) is a program under the Borneo Eco Film Festival that aims to train potential youths to become leaders who will take better care of the natural environment; they will possess the knowledge and skills to ensure that all socioeconomic activities are sustainable in that they are economically viable, socially responsible and environmentally sound.   

YL4S is still recruiting youths who are interested and passionate about biodiversity and sustainability.  It serves as a platform for youths to gain the knowledge and skills for real-world problem solving, focusing mainly on knowledge and team building.  Its objectives are to enhance youths’ knowledge and awareness on various socio-environmental issues, while encouraging them to identify pragmatic steps that help promote sustainability in their local communities. 

Further, members will have the opportunity to meet with conservationists, policy-makers, indigenous elders and entrepreneurs through a series of workshops.  Sessions include talks, role-playing activities, multimedia engagement and debates. By applying sustainability as a guiding principle, the program stimulates youths’ reflective, independent and creative thinking to support, conserve and manage biodiversity and ecosystem services.

YL4S member Caren Tai quoted, “The program provides youths with a great opportunity to gain ecological knowledge, develop pragmatic skills and find inspiration to solve environmental problems in Sabah in a fun and creative manner.  Its tagline is ‘discover, discuss and develop.’  First, it encourages youths to identify the various ecological issues currently confronting our planet by organizing talks and interactive sessions with experts, scientists and entrepreneurs.  Second, it provides opportunities for youths to discuss ideas and innovations with their peers, facilitated by experts and insiders.  Third, it helps develop an action agenda on everyday actions that youths can take to bring positive change to their communities and our planet.”

On 8th July 2017, YL4S conducted its third workshop at Jesselton College Sabah with

Christian Schriver from NEPCon as the guest speaker.  During the workshop, Schriver elaborated on the concept of sustainable development, that is, development that meets current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.  Further, he distinguished between the concepts of biodiversity and ecosystems, stressing that resources from nature are neither free nor limitless due to overexploitation.

Additionally, Schriver provided several examples of ecosystem services, including watershed protection, pest control and nutrient cycling in agricultural ecosystems.  Impaired ecosystems make it difficult to overcome extreme poverty and hunger.  Moreover, biodiversity loss often leads to a decrease in crop and livestock genetic diversity that in turn threatens food supplies.  Ecosystems provide the conditions and processes that sustain the global economy and our very own survival; hence, their disruption can have serious repercussions on not only the world economy but international peace as well.

Participants’ comments

Lim Way Yang, an intern of Borneo Eco Film Festival explained, “Mr Schriver showed us how to calculate our own carbon footprint by completing an online survey that could be used to estimate the number of trees the respondent is using a year to support his or her personal activities.  I was surprised to find that 996 trees are needed to support my yearly activities. The activity made me realize that I should do something to reduce my carbon footprint, for instance, by turning off the lights or fans when they are not in use.” 

Justin Chin, a member of YL4S summarized, “Biodiversity for sustainable development focuses on the appropriate use of natural resources and ecosystems, including oceans and forests.  We can achieve this through conservation, management and the redesigning of production and consumptive patterns.  We must ensure that natural resources available for the present generation will not compromise the needs of future generations.  We should grow more trees as they are repositories for terrestrial biodiversity; trees also provide diverse habitats for plants and animals, which form the basis of goods and services.”

About the author

Fung Lan Yong holds a PhD in Special Education (Gifted and Talented Education) from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale.  She teaches Academic English and Mass Communication subjects at Jesselton College Sabah that has 4-star MyQuest ratings in various courses. For more information about the article, please visit www.beff.org.my.