Venue: MNS Auditorium
Date: 25 June 2016
Time: 8:00 am - 3:30pm
Date: 25 June 2016
Time: 8:00 am - 3:30pm
Of waterbirds and the Kapar ash ponds
In celebration of the World Bird Migratory Day, the 10th year of EAAFP, and the 50th year of the International Waterbird Census, a seminar was conducted by the Malaysian Nature Society.
The Malaysian Nature Society on Saturday, 25th June 2016, hosted a dedicated group of bird and wildlife lovers for its Asian Waterbirds Census Seminar, focusing on a year’s worth of waterbirds count and comparison with other years, at the ash ponds within the Kapar Power Station.
The ash ponds are situated within the north-central Selangor coast Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA), and serve as a high-tide roost for the mostly migratory waterbirds that forage for food in the vicinity during their migration within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF).
Among others, the seminar participants heard about the “flyway crisis” from Spike Millington, Chief, EAAF Partnership, and digested data from the waterbirds count, conducted once a month from April 2015 to March 2016, presented by Chin Choong Liung, Waterbird Group coordinator from the MNS Selangor Branch Bird Group. Dave Bakewell from the MNS Bird Conservation Council (BCC) Waterbird Group meanwhile, highlighted the critical nature of the Kapar ash ponds, as one of the remaining high-tide roosts in the area and a critical part of the survival needs of these ever-dwindling migratory waders.
There was also discourse on the state of the Kapar ash ponds over the decades, with areas filled up and dried out as part of the power plant’s operations, squeezing the waterbirds into ever smaller plots, while the participants were told that if the plant were to be taken offline permanently – it is licensed to run until 2029 but may feel the pressure of new power plants going online in the near future – the ash ponds would cease to exist.
At the end of the seminar, a panel session chaired by former MNS President Y.B. Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor formulated the Kapar Declaration, which seeks to highlight the importance of the Kapar ash ponds to migratory waterbirds and create a plan for its continued existence. These goals will be served by, among others, recognising the need for conserving the Kapar ash ponds, and the recommended actions, which include pushing for its registration as a flyway site under the EAAFP, continued monitoring, sharing of information, and discussion with stakeholders.
The seminar was organised by the MNS Conservation Division together with the MNS Bird Conservation Council and sponsored by the Tan Kean Chong Bird Conservation Memorial Fund and Asian Waterbird Conservation Fund. The seminar was supported by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) and the Selangor State government. Other attendees included the representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Kapar Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd, which operates the Kapar Power Station for Tenaga Nasional Berhad,; government departments- Department of Wildlife & National Parks of Peninsular Malaysia, Town & Country Planning Department, and Tourism Selangor; institutions of higher learning – University Putra Malaysia, and University Malaysia of Terengganu; NGOs -Birdlife International Asia, Wetlands International Malaysia, Grassroots and KL Tourist Guides Association; and the Malaysian Nature Society- MNS President Henry Goh, Vice-President Prof. Dr. Ahmad Ismail, Honorary Secretary Stephanie Bacon, MNS HQ staffs and the tireless volunteer waterbird counters from the MNS Selangor Branch Bird Group.
In celebration of the World Bird Migratory Day, the 10th year of EAAFP, and the 50th year of the International Waterbird Census, a seminar was conducted by the Malaysian Nature Society.
The Malaysian Nature Society on Saturday, 25th June 2016, hosted a dedicated group of bird and wildlife lovers for its Asian Waterbirds Census Seminar, focusing on a year’s worth of waterbirds count and comparison with other years, at the ash ponds within the Kapar Power Station.
The ash ponds are situated within the north-central Selangor coast Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA), and serve as a high-tide roost for the mostly migratory waterbirds that forage for food in the vicinity during their migration within the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF).
Among others, the seminar participants heard about the “flyway crisis” from Spike Millington, Chief, EAAF Partnership, and digested data from the waterbirds count, conducted once a month from April 2015 to March 2016, presented by Chin Choong Liung, Waterbird Group coordinator from the MNS Selangor Branch Bird Group. Dave Bakewell from the MNS Bird Conservation Council (BCC) Waterbird Group meanwhile, highlighted the critical nature of the Kapar ash ponds, as one of the remaining high-tide roosts in the area and a critical part of the survival needs of these ever-dwindling migratory waders.
There was also discourse on the state of the Kapar ash ponds over the decades, with areas filled up and dried out as part of the power plant’s operations, squeezing the waterbirds into ever smaller plots, while the participants were told that if the plant were to be taken offline permanently – it is licensed to run until 2029 but may feel the pressure of new power plants going online in the near future – the ash ponds would cease to exist.
At the end of the seminar, a panel session chaired by former MNS President Y.B. Tan Sri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor formulated the Kapar Declaration, which seeks to highlight the importance of the Kapar ash ponds to migratory waterbirds and create a plan for its continued existence. These goals will be served by, among others, recognising the need for conserving the Kapar ash ponds, and the recommended actions, which include pushing for its registration as a flyway site under the EAAFP, continued monitoring, sharing of information, and discussion with stakeholders.
The seminar was organised by the MNS Conservation Division together with the MNS Bird Conservation Council and sponsored by the Tan Kean Chong Bird Conservation Memorial Fund and Asian Waterbird Conservation Fund. The seminar was supported by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) and the Selangor State government. Other attendees included the representatives from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Kapar Energy Ventures Sdn Bhd, which operates the Kapar Power Station for Tenaga Nasional Berhad,; government departments- Department of Wildlife & National Parks of Peninsular Malaysia, Town & Country Planning Department, and Tourism Selangor; institutions of higher learning – University Putra Malaysia, and University Malaysia of Terengganu; NGOs -Birdlife International Asia, Wetlands International Malaysia, Grassroots and KL Tourist Guides Association; and the Malaysian Nature Society- MNS President Henry Goh, Vice-President Prof. Dr. Ahmad Ismail, Honorary Secretary Stephanie Bacon, MNS HQ staffs and the tireless volunteer waterbird counters from the MNS Selangor Branch Bird Group.
Objectives:
(1) To share the results of the 2015-16 waterbirds monitoring seasons by dedicated MNS Selangor bird group members at the Kapar power station ash ponds
(2) To discuss about the future of the aim of the ash ponds, which are the most important migratory waterbirds roosting site.
The Kapar Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz power station ash ponds are located within the larger Selangor coast Important Bird & Biodiversity Area (IBA).
(2) To discuss about the future of the aim of the ash ponds, which are the most important migratory waterbirds roosting site.
The Kapar Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz power station ash ponds are located within the larger Selangor coast Important Bird & Biodiversity Area (IBA).
Programme
8.00am Registration of participants
9.00am Welcome Speech by Henry Goh Kok Siew, MNS President
9.20am Keynote address by Spike Millington, Chief, East Asian-
Australasian Flyway Partnership
Souvenir presentations to VIP
10.00am Group photo session & break
10.30am Session Chair: Prof. Dr Ahmad Ismail, MNS Vice President
1: Why Kapar Power Station ash ponds & Introduction to Kapar Waterbird Count 2015/16.
presented by Chin Choong Liung, MNS Selangor Branch Bird Group
2: Kapar Ash Ponds; Past and current situation
presented by Dave Bakewell, MNS-BCC Waterbirds Group
3: Q & A
4: Souvenirs to the speakers
1.00pm Lunch (for non-Muslims) & prayers
2.00pm Panel discussion chaired by: Tan Sri Dr. Salleh Mohd Nor
(Tentative Panelist: MNS, EAAFP, BirdLife International, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, to be confirmed)
3.00pm Souvenir presentation to panelists
3.15pm Closing remarks: by MNS – Kapar Declaration: the future of Kapar Ash Ponds
3.30pm End
9.00am Welcome Speech by Henry Goh Kok Siew, MNS President
9.20am Keynote address by Spike Millington, Chief, East Asian-
Australasian Flyway Partnership
Souvenir presentations to VIP
10.00am Group photo session & break
10.30am Session Chair: Prof. Dr Ahmad Ismail, MNS Vice President
1: Why Kapar Power Station ash ponds & Introduction to Kapar Waterbird Count 2015/16.
presented by Chin Choong Liung, MNS Selangor Branch Bird Group
2: Kapar Ash Ponds; Past and current situation
presented by Dave Bakewell, MNS-BCC Waterbirds Group
3: Q & A
4: Souvenirs to the speakers
1.00pm Lunch (for non-Muslims) & prayers
2.00pm Panel discussion chaired by: Tan Sri Dr. Salleh Mohd Nor
(Tentative Panelist: MNS, EAAFP, BirdLife International, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, to be confirmed)
3.00pm Souvenir presentation to panelists
3.15pm Closing remarks: by MNS – Kapar Declaration: the future of Kapar Ash Ponds
3.30pm End