17Nov

Marine Protected Areas to be gazetted – Pang

KOTA KINABALU: Efforts are now underway to submit for the State Cabinet consideration additional areas throughout Sabah that are to be gazetted as Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and this will definitely go beyond the 10 percent threshold recommended by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming said Sabah currently has about 1.02 million hectares of MPAs. As had been announced by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, Datuk Seri Panglima Masidi Manjun, during the Pacom Conference recently, Pang said the waters around Mantanani would soon be submitted to the State Cabinet to be gazetted as a MPA. “This move is the first among many more to come in efforts to meet IUCN recommendation for all nations to have at least 10 percent territorial waters to be conserved through MPAs,” he said in a statement yesterday. Pang, who chairs the Sabah Anti Fish Bombing Committee, lauded the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) on its seizure of close to 50 pieces of explosives used for fish bombing during a raid on five pump boats at Mantanani Kecil in Kota Belud recently. “I would like to dearly congratulate the MMEA Sabah and Labuan branch under the capable leadership of First Admiral Mohd Zubil Mat Som and Kota Kinabalu MMEA director, First Admiral Adam Aziz, on the seizure. “This latest apprehension will surely go a long way to safeguard the waters around Mantanani, which is currently a hotspot for tourism activities,” he said. Pang said MMEA’s recent string of success against criminals operating in our territorial waters, especially the detention of foreign vessels caught fishing in our waters, has greatly helped the State in its efforts to protect our precious marine environment and its precious resources. “We applaud the commitment of MMEA and know that they will continue do the best in discharging their duties. “With the recent budget announcement by the Prime Minister cum Minister of Finance, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, allocating quite a handsome amount for our security forces, I hope additional assets will be deployed to MMEA so that they can achieve the same success in the north and east coast region of Sabah, especially on turtle poaching, as they have done here in the west coast,” he added.   Source: Borneo Post
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08Nov

‘Diving all year round in Sabah’

SEMPORNA: THE year-long “End in Sipadan” campaign organised by the Tourism and Culture Ministry will not only promote Sabah’s diving trails, but also its local dive operators, said the ministry’s state director, Ag Ahmad Zaki Abu Bakar. “The ‘End in Sipadan’ campaign, held in collaboration with Sabah Backpackers Association, began in April and has reached its pinnacle here in Sipadan. “Throughout the journey, we saw our local dive operators doing a great job not just for the tourism industry, but also for the conservation of our reefs,” he said during a press conference in conjunction with the closing of the campaign here recently. He said dive operators in Mari Mari Sepanggar island here and Bum Bum Island in Semporna engaged with avid divers to build artificial reefs within respective house reefs. “Before the campaign, the heaps of rubbish in Sepanggar island could reach an average man’s shoulder. But, dive operators have cleared the garbage and transformed the island into a diving centre.” Ag Ahmad said dive operator Blue Fin Dive and Surf from Kudat built a community-based homestay, while ND Divers from Bum Bum island provided jobs opportunities to the locals. As for Kudat-based Pirate Divers, its founder, Glen Hapirullah, sketched several hundred underwater maps in Malaysia, including 44 diving sites in Lahad Datu. Ag Ahmad said diver Abdul Razak Ismail, 33, from Semporna, took underwater videos to promote the campaign, adding that one of his videos gained 14,000 views in three months. The campaign, he said, had also helped 15 media personnel obtain diving licences to better promote the state’s diving trails. Present at the press conference were the ministry’s Pahang director, Datuk Idrus Yahya, and Sabah Backpackers Association president Richie Lee. “The ‘End in Sipadan’ pro-gramme is the continuation of the ministry’s ‘Start in Tioman’ campaign in Pahang, which began in 2010 and offered diving course to media personnel,” said Idrus. He said the programme in Tioman aimed to encourage people to take up diving. “People will not only spend money on diving, but also on activities that we have created for them before they board a plane home. “Besides that, the programme made people appreciate nature more because once the marine ecosystem is destroyed, divers will not be able to enjoy underwater activities anymore.” Volunteer Datin Chan Goek Kooi, from Johor, said she fully supported the campaign in Bum Bum island and in Sipadan. “As a dive operator, it is important for me to explore dive sites before promoting them to my clients.   Source: New Straits Times
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01Nov

Need to preserve beauty of Sabah to ensure tourism remains sustainable

PENAMPANG: Tourism players want Sabah’s tourism to remain sustainable with continuous conservation of its natural heritage and biodiversity in 33 years to come. Deputy Tourism and Culture Minister Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said Sabah, being the second largest state in Malaysia, has a massive potential to contribute in bringing large arrival of tourists into the country by 2050. “We expect tourist arrival will grow but we have to ask ourselves how this tourism growth impacts the environment. “There is a need to have plans. Therefore the aspirations of Sabah people, especially those in tourism, are vital to ensure the industry stays sustainable and the environment remains preserved as the nation develops,” she said. Mas Ermieyati was speaking at the National Transformation 2050 (TN50) dialogue for Sabah tourism players at the Penampang Cultural Building here today. Speaking to reporters, she noted that the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has listed Malaysia among the top 12 countries that have the highest number of tourist arrival. “I see Sabah as a big potential (to boost arrival) and the UNWTO statistic needs to be taken into account to further propel arrival of tourists from abroad. “Can we become top 10 or 5 five in the world in years to come? The government needs the view and aspiration of Sabah people because the state has many interesting places and cultures with its diverse ethnic background.” Mas Ermieyati stressed all these needed to be shared so the people’s hopes and aspirations could be highlighted, which would assist in the implementation of 2050 national tourism policy. This will ensure the government will take into account the sustainable culture, heritage, and eco-tourism in the state, she added. In sharing her personal aspiration, Mas Ermieyati spoke of the beauty of Sabah and hoped to see the state’s attractive scenery stays the same in 2050. “I hope I can still enjoy the beautiful scenery and underwater with the same feeling I have today,” she said. Being an avid diver herself, Mas Ermieyati noted that the diving industry in Malaysia, especially in Sabah, was growing and developing well. She stressed conservation of the state marine biodiversity was vital to keep tourism booming by 2050. Among the aspirations shared by participants in the TN50 dialogue were preservation of ethnic languages, setting up of a cultural agency to provide financial assistance, and continuous environmental conservation, among others. Participants also expressed hope to see ethnic languages being promoted as tourism products and handicraft from the various ethnic groups were well documented for 2050 generation. Source : New Straits Times
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01Nov

Elusive clouded leopard tagged in Kinabatangan

KINABATANGAN: A wild Sunda clouded leopard was trapped and fitted with a satellite collar last week. “On the morning of October 28, this new male leopard entered one of our purpose-built traps along the Kinabatangan River. “It was a very healthy male, weighing 24.75 kg. And, we named him Cakar for “storm,” said Meg Evans, a PhD student at Cardiff University and Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) carnivore expert. Evans said in a statement here yesterday Cakar was the fourth male collared in the vicinity of DGFC. The last clouded leopard (a female) was collared in August 2014. “We are planning to collar more individuals along the Kinabatangan,” added Evans. This effort is part of a collaborative project between the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), WildCRU (Oxford University) and DGFC. The project, focusing on research and conservation of the Sunda clouded leopard in Sabah, is mainly funded by Sime Darby Foundation, with additional funding and support from Atlanta Zoo, Houston Zoo, Recanati-kaplan Foundation, Robertson Foundation, Point Defiance Zoo, Rufford Foundation and The Clouded Leopard Project. Meanwhile DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens said the collaring of this new male was part of an intensive satellite tracking programme to study the spatial ecology and habitat associations of the Sunda clouded leopard in the fragmented landscape of the Lower Kinabatangan. The area is dominated by palm oil plantations and highly degraded forest. Dr Goossens who is also Reader at Cardiff University added that the data produced by the first four individuals collared between September 2013 and September 2014 had provided considerable insights into the landscape ecology of this elusive top carnivore. “Our results are currently being assessed for publication,”he said. Dr Goossens also said that last June, SWD and DGFC organised an international workshop on the Sunda clouded leopard conservation, and that a Clouded Leopard Action Plan was currently being drafted. According to him, the information provided by Cakar wold be extremely important for the management of the population in a fragile landscape such as the Kinabatangan floodplain. “The species is currently facing threats from hunting, pet trade and habitat loss,” he said. Source : New Sabah Times
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31Oct

3 Sabah islands to be gazetted as marine areas

KOTA KINABALU: The state government is in the process of gazetting Mantanani, Mengalum and Sipadan islands as total protected marine areas. State Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming said the initiative was in line with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recommendation to have at least 10 per cent of  protected marine areas by 2020. “It is difficult to have three marine areas to be gazetted by 2020 as the process will be long. “However, the state government has already prepared the documents (for the gazettement of those waters),” he said, adding that the gazetting of Mantanani waters would be tabled in the next cabinet meeting. Pang said the process for Mengalum would be discussed next year and status of Sipadan, renowned as one of the world’s top dive sites, to be discussed in 2019. Once the three sites are gazetted, marine areas will make up 13 per cent of Sabah, exceeding the IUCN recommendation. Sabah now has more than one million hectares, or 7.6 per cent, listed as total protected areas. The Tun Mustapha Park off Kudat waters, Malaysia’s largest marine park, was the most recent gazetted area. Pang added that his ministry was also encouraging hoteliers and seafood restaurants to sell sustainable seafood to their clients. He said they could buy from suppliers who adopted good practices, such as fish farming and fishing using the right nettings, among others. Buying sustainable seafood is not only good for branding but also helps to maintain seafood supply in the long term. “In Sabah, it has been our priority to market ourselves as an eco-destination and our marine system is one of the best in the world. “At the (high) rate of arrivals by Chinese, South Korean and other international tourists in Sabah, the situation is putting pressure on our precious resources,” he said, adding that high quality seafood was available at more affordable prices compared to Hong Kong and China. Meanwhile, Sabah Hotel Association past-president Christopher Chan said they were willing to comply with the ministry’s suggestions, provided the supply met the demand. “Operators like us will look into the availability of different varieties and sizes of sustainable seafood when buying. “If suppliers or relevant parties are able to meet our demands, it is not a problem to go with the government’s initiative.” Sabah Fisheries director Dr Ahemad Sade said since department’s establishment 50 years ago, they had been pushing to have sustainable seafood. “This is to ensure the fisheries source is sustainable and will be available for future generations.” Source : New Straits Times
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