To end 2021, on 18th December 2021, renowned architectural firm Veritas Design Group organised a mangrove reforestation and beach clean-up at Teluk Pelanduk, Port Dickson. The event, which started as early as 8:30am, was welcomed by Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim (DSAI), PKR President and Member of Parliament for Port Dickson, Tuan Khairy Maamor, Port Dickson District Officer and Tuan Zamri Esa, YDP of MPPD.
According to the NASA Earth Observatory, the team found that nearly 1300 square miles of mangrove forests or about 2 percent of global mangrove area were lost during a study that was conducted in 2016. Sixty-two percent of the lost area was due to human causes, mainly farming and aquaculture. The rest was due to natural causes, including erosion and extreme weather events.
Planting mangroves helps protect some of nature’s most endangered species. Due to the high concentration of nutrients that flow in and out of the mangrove lagoons with the tides, these forests are vital breeding and nursery grounds for a variety of animals including juvenile sharks, turtles, fish and invertebrates. Therefore, preserving this landscape is critical to protecting this circle of life.
“I am very proud of this initiative by VERITAS Design Group and the partners involved. This is a very important initiative to preserve our beaches. I believe this importance is dwindling with the older generation and hope the new generation of Malaysians will be more inclined to cultivate this importance,” said DSAI.
He added that he was very impressed with the turnout and the positive energy that was created despite a rainy Saturday morning.
The event was attended by 50 staff, executives and directors of VERITAS Design Group, five members of EcoMy and five members of Beach School as well as five members from China State Construction Engineering who worked hand in hand to make this event possible. EcoMy gave a presentation on how the mangrove reforestation would take place and how it would benefit the ecosystem before inviting DSAI to do the first planting.
“We are a small group, but a very determined group. This conservation initiative has been around for many years within our connections. Of the many portfolios within VERITAS, we have held the environmental portfolio the longest. This is in line with our core value of I.D.E.A.S, which stands for Integrity, Design, Environment, Audacity and Service. The environment has always been at the core of our core values,” said Ng Yiek Seng, Principal & Director of VERITAS Design Group.
According to Ng, this is just a small step for each year in what VERITAS aims to achieve, which is to create a sustainable environmental consciousness. He believes that if everyone does the same, it will no longer be just a small group, but millions of people doing the same. He explained that in the beginning, the environment was something that VERITAS was interested in, but now, after many years, we are aware that preserving and caring for the environment should be a part of us, it should be one of the most important parts of being human.
“If we are just alone, we cannot change the world. We hope that everyone will emulate these steps. We all need to create that awareness, that clarity, that ability to look at what’s around us and make a difference. That’s why we owe the success of today’s initiative to VERITAS ‘s team as well as it’s collaboration with NGO EcoMy and Beach School, which targets younger children,” Ng added.
The event ended after 300 mangrove trees were replanted and the beach was completely cleaned up at 12 noon.
Dor further information on Veritas Design Group and its initiatives, please surf to https://theveritasdesigngroup.com
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