Sabah hopeful of making Unesco listing for Kinabalu Geopark in 2021

 By Olivia Miwil - November 28, 2020 @ 2:10pm

A dossier submission for Kinabalu Geopark to be listed in the UNESCO. - NSTP/ courtesy of Felix Tongkul

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will submit a dossier on the Kinabalu Geopark in hopes it will make the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) list.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah professor Dr Felix Tongkul said that the compilation of documents involving the park had just been completed.

"It will be submitted by the end of this month. If the dossier is accepted, then we will be evaluated by UNESCO sometime in the middle of next year.

"If everything goes well, we should get the title (Unesco Global Geoparks) by the end of next year," the geologist told the New Straits Times.

Felix, who is also a member of the state Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry's Promotion and Development Committee for the Aspiring Kinabalu Geopark, said that the park covers an approximately 3,500 square kilometre site involving the districts of Ranau, Kota Marudu, and Kota Belud.

An area has to be declared as a national park before it could be proposed as a UNESCO heritage site.

"We received the national geopark status this year, sometime in March. However, this was not officially announced.

"One of the key principles of (the recognition of) a geopark is the involvement of local communities so they can benefit directly from it," he added.

The Kinabalu Unesco Global Geopark Site would place Sabah on the world map and boost tourism growth, as well as bring about socio-economic benefits to local communities.

Previously, Felix was reported as saying that the geopark would not affect the daily activities of residents staying in the area and surrounding districts.

The residents would be given guidelines on the importance of the park and also ways to generate income via eco-tourism activities.