Bornean Sun Bear Conservation

Category: BSBCC | Date: Nov 17 2008 | By: Siew Te Wong

Written by Cynthia Ong..

Subject: We did it
Date: Sun, 16 Nov 2008 09:55:12 +0800

…. and nobody died.

I just surfaced from the dead.  This is the first email I am writing after the last couple of days or so in another realm. 

Bear Necessities raised RM1,300,000 or almost $400,000 — more than our target of RM1,200,000.  Apart from tables sales and auctions, we also got a government match of one to one for the night AND A GOVERNMENT MATCH OF ONE TO ONE FOR EVERYTHING WE RAISE FROM NOW ON!

The evening was fantastic.  We turned the foyer of the ballroom into a “cage” where all guests were “held” for about an hour — while they were served cocktails and mingled.  It was black tie/formal.  When the Chief Minister arrived, we “released” everyone into the ballroom, which had been transformed into a rainforest at night.  The program was packed with personal stories of the bears at Sepilok, interspersed with live music (some specially written for the night), auctions of sun bear inspired artwork, Wong’s presentation on the plight of sun bears, my presentation on the $ need, the MoU signing, etc.  We also zero-carboned the event by calculating our carbon emissions and offsetting it via a donation to PWET.  After the MoU signing, the CM made his speech and announced the one to one government match to BSBCC.

So …. we made history.  The first time ever Sabahan/Malaysian corporations-government-NGO came together to collaborate.  All our project partners helped out with transforming the ballroom - 11 from MESCOT led by Martin, 4 from PWET led by Raini, 6 from PACOS, 2 from Hutan including Marc.  We had teams from Forestry Dept and Wildlife Dept helping us with protocol, reception, ushering, MoU signing, etc.  We invited them all to come, including almost all NGOs in the conservation movement and acknowledged them all on stage.  The audience embodied the concept of paradox to a P — the biggest timber guys, palm oil guys, the conservation movement, government, communities.  It was quite something.

Anyway, we were apparently on national TV and LEAP was praised for our role in this.  I will send some pictures when I have some.  Wong is on cloud nine.  He is mostly speechless and overwhelmed with emotion. 

With the money we raised (half of the total need), we can begin constructing Phase I of BSBCC.

Phew.

Cxo