By Olivia Miwil
olivia@nst.com.myPictures courtesy of WWF Malaysia.
KOTA KINABALU: The proposed 1.6 million-hectare Tun Mustapha park off Kudat is set to be gazetted as the largest marine park in the country in June.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said Sabah Parks was currently in final legal process of fulfilling the requirements.
The proposal by the government to gazette the park began in 2003 when it was recognised as a globally significant priority marine conservation community.
"With the declaration of Tun Mustapha Park as the largest marine park in the country, there will be more than 2 million hectares of marine parks including existing Tunku Abdul Rahman here and Tun Sakaran marine parks in Semporna.
"Both areas will also be gazetted as shark sanctuaries," he announced during the #myfinmylife shark campaign here yesterday
Situated in the Coral Triangle which is a 6 million-kilometre square marine area that directly sustains and protects more than 120 million people in coastal communities across Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.
Masidi said the declaration of the park would protect marine life.
It was reported that turtle-poaching was rampant in the area. Seventy-nine turtle carcasses were found at Pulau Tiga over the last two years.
Earlier, Masidi said sharks were vital to Sabah's ecotourism industry.
"Shark species is vital to diving business as it generates revenue of about RM380 million per year.
"If people continue to serve shark's fin soups, we will lose a huge number of sharks in ten years time" he added.
Present were US Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Edgard Kagan, WWF-Malaysia chief executive officer Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma and Sabah Shark Protection Association president Aderick Chong.
Meanwhile, Chong added shark fin soup is usually served during wedding and local markets are selling the species between RM5 and RM10 per kilogramme.
He called for a two-year moratorium in catching sharks for researchers to carry comprehensive study and develop sustainable conservation effort on the species.
The two-day campaign over the weekend managed to collect more 700 pledges from public to refuse shark-fin soup and had launched its microsite www.myfinmylife.com
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