Tun Mustapha Park poised to get global recognition

After a decade of marine conservation efforts, community involvement and sustainable marine management, Sabah’s Tun Mustapha Park is now close to getting a prestigious global recognition.

Sabah Parks board of trustees chairman Datuk Peter Lintar said after submitting the complete justifications and supporting documents, the marine park had entered the assessment phase for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List.

The IUCN Green List is among the world’s highest recognitions for effective protected area management.

“Tun Mustapha Park has also been registered under the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System Category 3 as a ‘Priority Development Site’.

“This strengthens Sabah’s position as an important marine conservation area in the region,” he said during the launch of the park’s 10th gazettement anniversary celebration here recently.

Lintar said the park, gazetted on May 19, 2016, was Malaysia’s largest multi-use marine park, covering the waters of Kudat, Kota Marudu and Pitas.

He added that initiatives over the past decade focused on marine conservation, environmental education, sustainable resource management and coastal community development through cooperation among government agencies, local communities, non-governmental organisations, academic institutions and strategic partners.

Among its major achievements was the implementation of the Mars Assisted Reef Restoration System coral restoration programme last year, which earned recognition from the Malaysia Book of Records as the country’s largest coral fragment planting programme.

© New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd

المصدر: New Straits Times