UGCC and LPP promote awareness of wildlife conservation

To create and promote awareness of wildlife conservation, a talk titled “How Citizen Science Efforts Help Conserve the Dusky Langurs?” was conducted by UTAR Green Campus Committee (UGCC) of Centre for Foundation Studies (CFS) of Sungai Long Campus in collaboration with Langur Project Penang (LPP) on 23 April 2021 via Microsoft Teams.

Present to deliver the talk was LPP Founder-cum-Director Jo Leen Yap. Jo Leen is a wildlife researcher and environmental educator, studying the ecology and behaviour of dusky leaf monkeys (Trachypithecus obscurus) in Penang. As a PhD candidate of Universiti Sains Malaysia, she founded LPP, a community science project on primate research and conservation that serves as wildlife conservation and environmental education platform for the community. She is the first Malaysian to be awarded the Environmental Educators 30 under 30 (EE 30U30) in the year 2018. She also initiated the installation of Malaysia’s 1st urban canopy bridge in the year 2019. In addition, she is also a TEDxPetaling Street speaker. The LPP was featured in the BBC Earth series, 'Primates' in May 2020.

 

Jo Leen

During the talk, Jo Leen shared how one can raise awareness to coexist with wildlife. According to her, wildlife is not pets and we should respect nature.

She said, “You can take photos and provide information such as the date and time, the activities,  the location or coordinates and send it to us or you can also share the information of your urban wildlife sighting to respective wildlife conservation group so that they would know the distribution of all these species.”

Jo Leen explaining how to identify a Dusky Langur

Jo Leen also emphasised on the use of long camera lenses to better differentiate the individuals of Langurs. She said, “When we look at the Langurs, we are not just trying to count them but also take photos of them and mark the different characteristics of their facial expression so that we can tell how many individuals there are.”

Road Ecology

As she shared about road ecology, she encouraged citizens to report if they ever encounter a Dusky Langur or other animal species being hit by a car or injured by vehicles. She also urged them to take photos to help identify the next location for the canopy bridge.

Jo Leen encouraging citizens to create a simple design to raise awareness of what is happening around the neighbourhood

“Basically we are trying to convey a message of coexistence. Learn how to coexist with urban wildlife. Some people called and complaint about monkeys feeding on their mango trees but they have no idea that this is happening because their habitat is being encroached, causing these animals to live around the forest edges which are close to our neighbourhood. There are many ways to coexist with them. Do not call the wildlife department to catch them,” said Jo Leen.

Jo Leen urged to report owners who keep wildlife as pets

She encouraged citizens not to be silent and urged them to take photos of their car plate number if available and send the information to the relevant authorities because it is illegal to have wildlife as pets. She said, “The Dusky Langurs are protected species. Most of the babies cannot survive more than six months under the care of humans because we have no idea what they need and how much care do they need. Wildlife would always be wildlife. They will get longer nails and sharper teeth at a certain age. At that time, humans may start to feel annoyed and they may throw them away by the roadside. So it is very important to leave wildlife in the wild. Let them just stay together with their families.”

Ways to respect nature

She added, “Climate urgency is real and we really need to do something by doing our part, starting with small efforts by changing and improving our lifestyles. Do not underestimate all the little habits you have created in your life, for example working to reduce wastage. All these can actually make an impact. If you have the time and strength, I would encourage you to volunteer with the local NGOs to experience what’s in nature and what nature is able to give back to you, so that you could form a bond with the roots of everything.”

Jo Leen and Hui Yi

LPP Project Assistant and Head of Video Editing Hui Yi Wong shared, “Each and every one of us plays a part in protecting our wildlife and nature, especially the younger generation. Every day we can see news related to environmental issues like climate change, wildlife trafficking, deforestation and including the Covid-19 pandemic that we are all experiencing now. At this point, we should have already realised that the pandemic is somehow a warning for us humans to rethink our relationship with nature.”

“A few tips that one can do to contribute to wildlife conservation are practising good habits in their daily lives— for example bringing recycle bag when we go shopping, or use our own food container for takeaways. You can educate your family and friends about the importance of conserving our nature and wildlife. You may also consider donating to environmental-related organisations since many NGOs are lacking funds to sustain their conservation projects due to the pandemic. If you have the capability, you can donate to these NGOs to sustain their work. For students, I suggest the best way to contribute to wildlife conservation is by volunteering. There are many volunteering opportunities nowadays that allow you to volunteer and gain hands-on experience in wildlife conservation. Do not worry if you do not have any knowledge or experience in wildlife conservation because we all learn and pick up things as we go. You may also utilise the skills that you already have like designing, drawing or journalism to help with wildlife conservation. Remember, each and every little act counts. So don’t feel that your effort is useless because they do have an impact. So, young individuals like us should believe in our power and keep voicing out for nature, for the wildlife and also fight for the future!” said Hui Yi.

For more information on LPP, you may visit their official website or Facebook page.

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A group photo session at the end of the talk