Giving Back To Nature

L-R: Aida, Karen and Anim 

It's always nice to give back.

On our last visit to Langkawi, Aida and her friend Wendy (also a nature guide) roped us in on a mangrove replanting excursion they had organised.

The coast along Kuala Muda had been cleared some years back for some reason we're all not quite sure of - whether it was for a development that didn't take off, or the construction of a breakwater.  Suffice to say, the flats at low tide had become quite devoid of vegetation which is never a good thing.

So Wendy and Aida, being the good citizens of the island that they truly are, recently started replanting the mangroves in the area independently.  Wendy, who often leads groups on tours through the mangrove, started collecting the rhizomes that are often found floating on the water's surface at a certain time of year.  Those were the seedling we then replanted on to the Kuala Muda coast.

It turned out to be an all-girl affair, with Wendy and Aida leading the way and the rest of us straggling along in tow.  Even Ijam's eight-year-old daughter Nena (of the 99 Luftballoons fame) joined in, along with Fazilah, the very enthusiastic new transplant to Langkawi who wo-mans the Malaysian Nature Society office which has just opened on the island.

The planting proved very easy, with us just having to stick the little rhizomes into the very soft muddy seabed at low tide.

Naturally, I got into trouble, sinking up to my knees in mud and getting stuck for a good few alarming seconds.  All very hilarious, especially with some of us trying to reassure ourselves the mud was very good for our skin!

Nature being what it is, we were rewarded with a huge rainbow after a short drizzle of rain at the very end of our planting. 

Hopefully, those little fellas will survive the wind and tides to grow big and strong for our children's children to enjoy.

Next time you're on vacation to Langkawi, perhaps you too can think about doing something to give back?