Special Blue/Green Sabah Revival

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Speaker:

Simon Christopher [United Kingdom / Malaysia]
Simon is a Sabah/Malaysia-based zoologist deeply committed to communicating the critical importance of biodiversity to as many people as possible worldwide. Having founded Scubazoo.tv and TimorBlue after more than two and half decades with more than 180 documentary programmes from BBC Natural History blockbusters such as Blue Planet II, LIFE, Human Planet – Oceans and Big Blue – Live, to hit reality shows like Survivor, Amazing Race and Man vs Wild, IMAX films like Sacred Planet and Conquest of the Skies, 3D – plus seven large format coffee-table book publications under his belt, Simon is excited to be launching BLU HOPE alongside UNESCO Ocean Decade.

Ting Wai Kit [Malaysia]
Wai Kit is a year 2 Geography major in the University Scholars Programme at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He has worked closely with the National Parks Board and has just started interning with them! He believes in doing his best for the environmental scene as a member of the management team for Singapore Youth for Climate Action and Co-President of NUS Students Against Violation of the Earth. He also plans on starting a nature guiding company that provides affordable and sustainable guided tours whilst compensating guides above market rate, and supporting aspiring youths in the environmental scene.

Hazel Oakley [United Kingdom]
Hazel is the Managing Director of TRACC, an award winning marine conservation organization based in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. Their principal occupation is restoration of the reef destroyed by bomb fishing and conservation of the nesting turtle population. They beach clean daily and the never ending supply of plastic waste into the sea is a massive concern.

Leonard Alaza [Malaysia]
Leonard Alaza is an award winning journalist who has been in the industry for 30 years. He has worked for four Sabah-based daily newspapers and is currently a co-founder of Borneo Pulse, a non-profit online storytelling platform that aims to make news and contents relating to sustainable development and living, conservation, the environment, wildlife protection, sustainable innovations and community empowerment as “front page material” that would inspire as many people into taking action. He believes that it is time for people to consume information relating to these global concerns as stories that matter most to their brief existence on this planet.

He is also a UN Indigenous Fellow in Geneva, Switzerland for his activism in Indigenous Peoples rights and is an author of a number of books.

Leonard is passionate about social entrepreneurship where has set up a small workshop in his village that turns wastes into income opportunities for the poor.

Dr Henry Chan [Malaysia]
Dr. Henry Chan is the Conservation Director for WWF-Malaysia. Leading the mission to “build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature,” his responsibilities cover Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak as well as marine programmes spanning the whole country. The conservation programmes span Wildlife, Forest and Protected Areas, Freshwater, as well as Policy and Climate Change, Education for Sustainable Development, Community Engagement and Education, Sustainable Production and Consumption, and Sustainable FInancing. He joined WWF-Malaysia in 2012 as Head of Conservation Sarawak. Over April 2015 to 2017, Henry was seconded to be the Heart of Borneo Leader for WWF-Malaysia and WWF-Indonesia.