Sabah picked for Future 2005 documentary

Kota Kinabalu: Sabah has been selected as location for Voyage to the Future 2005 documentary late July.

Twenty three students from Japan, China, Uzbekistan, Bhutan, Thailand, Hong Kong and Malaysia will star in the 10-day environmental study trip beginning July 23 in the Borneo rainforests.

The itinerary includes Mt Kinabalu, Binusuk/Klias tropical peat swamp forests, Sepilok Orang utan Rehabilitation Centre, Sukau of Lower Kinabatangan and Danum Valley.

Voyage to the Future 2005 is organised by Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union.

The project picks up from an original expedition initiated by NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) in 2003 where students of seven member countries went on an expedition that brought them to the surrounding waters off Japan.

The aim is create greater awareness on the importance of the natural heritage and instilling a culture of caring for the environment. Among the 23 students are five Malaysian students aged 14 to 16, who were selected from 150 applicants.

The students were picked on the basis of the deep interest in the environment, their involvement in environmental organizations and fluency in English.

But the Bornean Biodiversity & Ecosystem Conservation (BBEC) Programme has a lot to do with Sabah being picked as Voyage to the Future 2005 expedition location site.

BBEC brought NHK to Sabah a number of times over the past three years to make nature documentaries involving top Japanese TV celebrities, for broadcast in major stations.

As a result of such exposures, Sabah as a nature destination became much better known in Japan.

Courtesy of: Daily Express