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Tuesday, September 6, 2011

The dandelion, an eco-threat to Mount Kinabalu's native vegetation

KOTA KINABALU: The beautiful yellow dandelion flower at Mount Kinabalu, is posing a threat to the native vegetation at the mountain.

Community Development and Consumer Affairs Minister, Datuk Azizah Mohd Dun, said, “I have learned that the dandelion is a beautiful yellow flowering plant, but without realizing it is actually a threat to the plants and other local crops at the mountain,” “The foreign dandelion species can be easily reproduced as the climate and the soil structure at the mountain are suitable and fertile for them to grow, which, under the circumstances, could wipe out other flora in the mountain,” she said.

She said this when launching a three-day seminar and exhibition programme on the dandelion species at Kinabalu Park at the State Library here yesterday.

Since the programme was started out in 2001, she said, the weeds continue to grow even though it has been pulled out but we will continue to destroy it and put its propagation under control.

UNESCO declared Mount Kinabalu a World Heritage site on December 2, 2000. This declaration recognizes the importance of natural values globally, for the benefit of mankind, she said.

We inherited this legacy from the past and we have to leave this for our future generation, as there is no replacement for the source of life found in this natural heritage, she said.

Furthermore, she said, as the Kinabalu Park is now a world’s heritage site, we need to have a collective responsibility to protect and conserve its natural uniqueness.

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