Selangor is a Step Ahead in
Environmental Sustainability with a number of Volunteering Projects held across
the State
Nowadays, travelling has
become a norm for us with the invention of many modes of transportation. People
travel for various reasons either to visit friends and family, seeking medical
treatments or for holidays. Academicians have studied their travel purposes and
have even come up with a variety of tourism terms. One of the current travel
trends is the volunteer tourism or voluntourism
where people travel to other places with the intention of doing good and
kindness voluntarily. Each of these voluntourists
has their own motivation in doing the volunteering works. Some may care for
animals and wildlife which may be the reason they participate in wildlife rescues,
and some may care about the community who are living in poverty which is why
they travel to poor countries such as Africa and Cambodia just to offer help
and assistance.
Volunteer tourism is not a new
phenomenon to the travel industry but the sudden hype is due to the reduction
in travel barriers over the past 15 years. This phenomenon was started by the
Westerners as they were the first ones to travel but then the practice expanded
to other regions such as the Asian and African countries where there was an
increase of middle-class citizens who seek unusual travelling experiences. The
global disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes have somehow become one of
the factors that caused the growth of volunteer tourism. Voluntourism is not necessarily meant only for international
tourists, but domestic tourists are also welcome to participate as this will
not only help their own country but also prevent the leakage of the economy.
The main objective of voluntourism is to improve the quality of lives of the people in the places they visit. This practice helps tourists engage in a better understanding of the cultures and community as are able to fully immerse themselves in the experience of learning the culture and also form genuine relationships among the people they meet while discovering new travel destinations.
Voluntourism
have been said to be successful in helping host community improving their lives
and promoting sustainability. The United Nation said volunteering is a vehicle
in achieving all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) that was introduced
in 2015. It does not only help people but also the environment, which is why it
is important for everyone to learn the real meaning and purpose of the
practice.
The country that is
most-visited for voluntourism is Africa
as there is a wide range of dynamic projects to participate in. Each of the
places in Africa has different needs of volunteering projects. For instance, in
Zambia, the volunteering works are more focused on the community while in
Kenya, the volunteering works are focused on protecting the lions. In other
countries such as Australia, many volunteering activities are focusing mainly
on conservation efforts in wildlife and the environment. For example, under the International
Volunteer HQ [IVHQ], the volunteers are able to participate in a volunteering
project for Marine Conservation which focuses on the protection of the Great
Barrier Reef ecosystem. All of the volunteer projects at these countries have
the same goal which is to promote sustainability and create a better life.
Just like many developing
countries, the practice of voluntourism
in Malaysia is also growing at a rapid rate. Many institutions and organizations
in Malaysia have participated in this activity in other countries. There has
also been a common practice for locals to partake in voluntourism in Malaysia itself, especially for independent travellers. Malaysia
has also been receiving a great amount of international tourists carrying out volunteering
activities especially in less developed locations. This practice will not only
help maximize their travelling experience but also increases their self-esteem and
awareness about a community.
There are many opportunities
for voluntourism in Selangor that may
appeal to domestic and international tourists. One of the volunteering programmes
that was carried out in Selangor was the Healing
Broga Programme for two consecutive years where volunteers gathered at
Broga Hill to plant new trees and clean the area for the preservation of nature
and the betterment of tourism appeal of Broga Hill.
The project was an effort by
the Hulu Langat Land and District Office. Meanwhile, the Healing Broga 2.0 following
the success of the first project, focused more on restoring the beauty of Broga
Hill after the Hill has been burnt down by a massive fire. The volunteers have
then replanted new trees and cleaned the area.
Besides the Healing Broga Programmes, the Tourism State Promotion Board, Tourism Selangor in collaboration with Flyfirefly Sdn Bhd have once launched a campaign called “Clean and Green” at Kanching Eco-Forest Park under the concept of volunteer tourism or voluntourism back in 2018. The campaign was introduced as an initiative to keep the area of Kanching Eco-Forest Park clean and promote awareness of proper waste management to local and international tourists.
Volunteering activities can
also be opted for at Zoo Negara under the
Zoo Negara KeeperKu Programme. There are plenty of opportunities for animal
lovers to participate in voluntourism
at Zoo Negara. The activities range from cleaning animal cages, feeding the
animals to aiding the zookeepers for animal exhibits. However, the programme is
only open for students of 16 years old and above from schools, universities and
colleges.
Another volunteering project
conducted in Selangor was the River Care
Programme (RCP) which promotes
the protection, restoration and sustainable use of the rivers. The program is
an effort under a Non-Governmental Organization called Global Environment
Centre. This programme not only focused on the rivers in Selangor but also
other rivers in Malaysia. Environmentalists are welcome to participate in this
volunteering project from time to time.
Furthermore, there was also a
volunteering project carried out by AEON Co. (M) Bhd. which was an effort under
the Malaysia - Japan Friendship Forest
in the year 2018. The participants for this program planted about 60,000 plants
of various species at the area of Paya Indah Wetlands. The program was also
supported by Institut Penyelidikan Perhutanan
Malaysia (FRIM); ensuring the plants and trees were well
taken care of.
Apart from that, Tenaga Nasional
Bhd. (TNB) also introduced a volunteering project at Kampung Kuantan in
collaboration with the State Government of Selangor and Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor (MDKS). Kampung Kuantan Firefly Preservation
Project was introduced to maintain and preserve the ecosystem and habitat
of fireflies that inhibits the area and protect them from extinction. On top of
that, this project was also a part of the community project and a Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) initiative for TNB. In order to ensure the project’s
success, TNB have allocated about RM1.5 million for five consecutive years
since 2008. Ever since, TNB have been working tirelessly to spread awareness on
fireflies’ conservation to the public by organising Programmes such as Environmental
Awareness Camp (Kem Kesedaran Alam
Sekitar), An Evening with the Boatmen, the Back to School Programme and TNB
Schools Adoption Programme.
In conclusion, it is important for each and every one of us to take a sustainable approach while travelling. As a developing country, there are still many areas that need to be improved in order to promote sustainability. However, the sustainable tourism in Malaysia especially in the State of Selangor can be achieved a lot faster and better with the help of domestic and international tourists. For that factor, Tourism Selangor encourages any collaborations from any organizations or individuals who wish to organize volunteering projects across the State of Selangor. A little bit of kindness can help build a bigger and better community!
For more information, please log on to the
official website of Tourism Selangor at Selangor.Travel
About Tourism Selangor
Tourism Selangor is a state government
tourism arm established to increase the number of local and international tourists
to Selangor by enhancing and developing the known as well as the undiscovered
beauty of the State. Many initiatives are taken to achieve this such as
organizing local and international campaigns, events, overseas tourism trade
missions, local roadshows and many more.
The official poster for the Clean and Green ‘Lucky Draw’ Campaign organised by Tourism Selangor in collaboration with FlyFirefly Sdn Bhd. in the year 2018
The official posters of the Healing Broga and Healing Broga 2.0 Programmes, organised in the year 2018 and 2019, respectively, by the Hulu Langat Land and District Office
The participants of TNB’s CSR project on the conservation of fireflies at Kampung Kuantan, Kuala Selangor posed in front of the Programme’s official banner
The hand-over Ceremony symbolising the cultivation area for the planting of the new trees from AEON to Jabatan PERHILITAN Negeri Selangor during one of their CSR initiatives
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