The British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur, in cooperation with Asia Dive Expo (ADEX), organised the Digital Launch of the Malaysian Nature Tours on 10 December 2020, in conjunction with the 2021 Super Year for Biodiversity and Climate Change (CoP15 & CoP26).
Several sessions were organised, ranging from sustainable land use mechanisms and nature protection, nature-based solutions, the business case for biodiversity and ecosystem services, global and regional perspectives to nature protection, and other related areas.
One of the key sessions during the Digital Launch
Session Panellists in discussion about nature-based solutions.
Head of the Centre for Coastal and Marine Environment (CMER), Cheryl Rita Kaur was invited to speak on the policy aspects of coastal ecosystems management during the session: Blue Carbon Rising: Revitalising Conservation and Management of Coastal Wetlands and Seascapes for Climate and Nature Resilience.
The session was moderated by Dr Hari Ramalu, Chairman of ENSEARCH and Director of AkarAsia Consult. Panellists included Dr Aldrie Amir, Head of the Environmental, Economic and Social Sustainability Research Centre of LESTARI, National University of Malaysia; Dr Maklarin Lakim, Director of Sabah Parks; Dr Amy Then, Senior Lecturer from the University of Malaya, Julian Hyde, Managing Director of Reef Check Malaysia; as well as Dave McCann, Environmental Manager from Sabah.
The session discussed at length the importance of nature-based solutions to addressing climate change concerns, as well as related challenges. It highlighted that the coastal ecosystems i.e., mangroves and seagrasses can contribute to national commitments in achieving the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement.
MIMA emphasised the policy measures and needs towards addressing blue carbon for climate action
Among others, the forum called for community involvement, science-policy interactions towards better management approaches, as well as the need to incorporate nature-based solutions into the national climate change policy (including blue carbon measures) into the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
Overall, the digital launch garnered a total of more than 36,000 viewers, with the aforementioned session alone attracting some 13,000 viewers. The recording can be viewed at the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/AsiaDiveExpo/videos/214914197006376
