Sean Augustin, New Straits Times 23 Mar 08;
FOR Terengganu, the key word when it comes to development under the East Coast Economic Region initiative is "intermarriage".
And as far as Terengganu is concerned, environment is development's better half.
ECER secretariat CEO Datuk Wan Mohamad Mukhtar Mohd Noor said that development under the initiative must be balanced with care for the environment.
Terengganu, he added, especially under the current administration, was very concerned about environmental degradation.
"There's a crucial line between development and aping development. We don't want to end up living in a concrete jungle like New York.
"Always remember that damage to the environment can never be repaired.
"And if we are to be a tourism hub, in particular environmental tourism, once we lose the environment there goes our economy.
"This is why sustainable development is so important. We don't want to control 'A' but lose 'B'."
He added that there was more emphasis on the environment in the state as it was blessed with many natural wonders.
Among them include Tasik Kenyir, the biggest man-made lake in South East Asia, the islands, the waterfalls and the turtle sanctuaries.
Environmental conservation for the state though, is not a mammoth task as it had been put into practice way before ECER, according to Wan Mohamad Mukhtar.
The Terengganu Hills, Setiu Wetlands and Kenyir, which covers a total of 244,012 hectares, are permanent forest reserves.
To date, there are also 10 sites gazetted as turtle sanctuaries and 13 as marine parks.
And then there are plans to turn the state into a global marine turtle observatory in Rantau Abang, Dungun.
Part of the plan includes a RM16 million turtle and marine aquatic park to complement the Turtle Information Centre and sanctuary there.
The park, designed to resemble a turtle, will also feature a one-hectare pond to be filled with turtles and other species of the marine ecosystem.
"When it comes to turtles, we want to re-focus on them as the state's icon.
"The apathy to turtles which exists now is due to the perception that there are no more turtles here," said Wan Mohamad Mukhtar.
"The turtles were a very good tourism pull for Terengganu. While previously it was all about tourism, this time, we want the economic factor to take a back seat to conservation."
Although the leatherbacks are reported to be extinct in Terengganu, there is still a significant number of green turtles that land.
Guidelines for sustainable development have been in place for the past two decades with it being revised every three years to suit the needs of current developments.
For Wan Mohamad Mukhtar, improvements to guidelines do not spell less development.
"Environmental tourism is a niche in Terengganu. That is why sustainable development is so important here.
"When the state decided to limit the number of people on an island for instance, we expected some opposition as it seemed like we wanted to slow their business.
"But operators here have been giving such encouraging feedback and response."
Wan Mohamad Mukhtar said the next challenge lay in changing the mindset of the people of Terengganu to become more environmentally conscious.
