Earth Hour 2015 in Kudat, Gateway to the Proposed Tun Mustapha Park

Kota Kinabalu – Earth Hour will kick off in Kudat, Sabah with a 5km Earth Hour Run that will start and end at the Esplanade on 28 March 2015 at 4pm. 
 
“Earth Hour is not just about going dark for a single hour every year.  This year’s strong message of Earth Hour is for everyone to make a small everyday lifestyle change that will collectively have an impact on climate change, as solutions must come from community participation,” says Encik Sapdin Ibrahim, Kudat District Officer.
 
“The message is for us to protect and conserve nature and biodiversity as part of our developmental agenda at all levels: sub-national, national and international. The sooner we transition into the Age of Sustainability, with conservation at the very heart, the better prepared we will be to face impacts of a changing climate and in fact harness the opportunities brought about by it as well,” says Ms Robecca Jumin, WWF-Malaysia Deputy Head of Marine.
 
In addition to the Kudat District Office, the Earth Hour 2015 Run is jointly organised with Sabah Parks, Lembaga Bandaran Kudat, Tun Mustapha Park Community Conservation Group, Kudat Turtle Conservation Society, and WWF-Malaysia.
 
“We are happy to work together with WWF-Malaysia and other partners on this exciting event, which serves as a platform to create awareness among the younger generation on the importance of conserving the rich biological diversity and ensuring the sustainable use of our natural marine resources,” says Dr Jamili Nais, Sabah Parks Director.
 
The State Government of Sabah is working through its lead agency Sabah Parks to establish the proposed Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) by 2015. Once gazetted, TMP will be the largest marine protected area in Malaysia, ensuring the sustainable management of significant marine resources for the long term benefit of more than 80,000 people living on the coast and islands in the area.
 
“Effective management of the park will ensure the viability of the fishery resources present in the TMP. On top of this, well managed and protected marine ecosystems will help reduce the vulnerability of coral reefs and enable them to adapt to and withstand impacts of climate change. Supporting the establishment of marine protected areas, such as the proposed TMP, will promote natural resistance and resilience of marine ecosystems,” says WWF-Malaysia Executive Director/CEO, Dato’ Dr Dionysius Sharma.

 
WWF-Malaysia hopes that with heightened awareness of climate issues and solutions through the Earth Hour 2015 event, the communities in Kudat, those living on the TMP islands and the Sabahan public will continue to demonstrate their concern about climate change by conserving and using energy efficiently and generally avoiding wasteful consumption.
 
Everyone is invited to take part in the Earth Hour 2015 Run in Kudat.  The registration can be done at www.facebook.com/KTCS.BORNEO. A fee of RM10 per person, to be paid latest by 20 March, will entitle each participant to a TMP t-shirt, a Lucky Draw and an e-certificate of participation.
 
 
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About WWF-Malaysia
 
WWF-Malaysia (World Wide Fund for Nature-Malaysia) was established in Malaysia in 1972. It currently runs more than 90 projects covering a diverse range of environmental conservation and protection work, from saving endangered species such as tigers and turtles, to protecting our highland forests, rivers and seas. The national conservation organization also undertakes environmental education and advocacy work to achieve its conservation goals. Its mission is to stop the degradation of the earth’s natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the nation’s biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.  For latest news and media resources, visit http://www.wwf.org.my/media_and_information/media_centre/
 
About Earth Hour
 
Earth Hour is a global environmental initiative in partnership with WWF. Individuals, businesses, governments and communities are invited to turn off their lights for one hour on Saturday, 28 March 2015 at 8.30pm (local time) to show their support for environmentally sustainable action.
 
The event began in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned off their lights for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Earth Hour 2014 took place in more than 7000 cities and towns in 162 countries and territories across all seven continents, becoming the world’s largest mass participation event in history.
 
Earth Hour is an important first step to generate awareness, interest and concern over the global threat of climate change.  With this, WWF expects to instigate effective changes in behaviour to reduce human activities causing climate change.
 
 
For further information please contact:
 
Sabrina Melisa Aripen 
Communications Officer,
Sabah Office, WWF-Malaysia
Tel: +60 88 262 420 ext.19,            
Email: saripen@wwf.org.my
 
Kimberly Chung,
Communications & Campaigns Officer,
Marine Programme, WWF-Malaysia
Tel: +60 88 262 420 ext.37,            
Email:  kchung@wwf.org.my