Yayasan PETRONAS and Sabah Biodiversity Centre Ink MoU for Seagrass Mapping and Community-Based Programme

KOTA KINABALU, July 30, 2024 -- Yayasan PETRONAS, the social impact arm of PETRONAS, today inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sabah Biodiversity Centre (SaBC), marking the start of a five-year strategic collaboration in seagrass mapping and community-based programme in Sabah.Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan PETRONAS, Puan Hajah Shariah Nelly Francis said, “Seagrass meadows are a crucial part of marine ecosystems in maintaining worldwide ecological balance, yet relatively still not fully explored in terms of conservation if compared to coral reefs.”“This MoU with SaBC will enable us to jointly look at ways to effectively map seagrass meadows in Sabah towards conserving and managing this precious marine ecosystem, protect biodiversity, and support socio-economic benefits of local communities.”She added that the collaboration with SaBC will involve engagement with local communities to raise awareness and understanding on the importance of seagrass conservation and protection.“Conserving seagrass is only one part of the solution. The other, equally if not more critical part, is to work together with local communities to create positive actions on the marine ecosystem,” Shariah Nelly said.During the signing ceremony witnessed by State Secretary Datuk Seri Panglima Sr Safar Untong, Yayasan PETRONAS was represented by Shariah Nelly while SaBC was by its Director, Dr Gerald Jetony.The seagrass mapping and community-based programme is aimed towards effective conservation and management of seagrass meadows in Sabah. It is also in line with PETRONAS’ Sustainability Agenda, specifically in the area of Environmental Protection and Positive Social Impact under its Planting Tomorrow initiative.Issued by:Yayasan PETRONAS

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