Company educates schoolchildren on biodiversity

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AS PART of its corporate social responsibility(CSR) efforts, Aeon launched a Children’s Biodiversity Programme for schoolchildren at the Paya Indah Wetlands, Dengkil, Selangor, recently. The event themed ‘Love our natural heritage’ was attended by Wildlife and National Parks Department director-general Datuk Abd Rasid B Samsudin.

A total of 300 participants, comprising 200 pupils from primary schools in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, and 100 employees from Aeon, planted 300 trees and took home valuable experiences, such as feeding birds, a visit to the conservation of hippopotamuses and crocodiles besides interacting with domesticated animals and other zoo attractions.

“Forests are essential to the web of life: they are home to millions of species, protect soil from erosion, produce oxygen, store carbon dioxide, and help regulate the climate.

Working hard: A participant planting a tree on a sunny day.

“Forests are also essential to human beings, they provide us with food, fuel, shelter, medicine, and a variety of wood products.

“They also purify our air and water and provide us with places of recreation and renewal.

“This programme shows that Aeon is very serious about the conservation of the environment by educating the younger generation” Aeon general manager Yaacob Mahmud said.

Paya Indah Wetlands lies adjacent to Putrajaya, the Multimedia Super Coridor (MSC) and is minutes away from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and the Sepang F1 Circuit.

Green cause: Participants planting more trees.

In 1996, Paya Indah Wetlands was a barren land, devoid of life. Years of mining and logging activities took a toll on the surrounding flora and fauna. Through commitment and determination, Paya Indah Wetlands is now a unique landscape of rehabilitated wetland ecosystem. Paya Indah Wetlands opened its doors to the world in October 2001.

To celebrate Jusco’s 20th anniversary in September 2004, around 3,000 volunteers, both from Japan and Malaysia, planted over 30,000 trees at Paya Indah Wetlands.

In September 2011, with the cooperation of the Worldwide Fun For Nature, volunteers also helped plant trees in the ‘Orangutan Forest’ in Sabah. To-date, Aeon has planted more than 450,000 seedlings in the areas surrounding their stores in Malaysia.