Bernama 18 May 10;
LABUAN, May 18 (Bernama) -- The Department of Marine Park Malaysia will begin construction of the Kuraman Marine Park Centre next year with a RM10 million allocation under the Tenth Malaysia Plan. The department's director-general Abdul Jamal Mydin said the centre would be used for the marine park's more effective management, educational programmes, and research and monitoring activities.
"All these efforts will be beneficial for all parties concerned in promoting the Kuraman Island Marine Park as a new destination for Labuan's eco-tourism programme," he said at the handing-over of the Karuman Island jetty and RM1.99 million Marine Park Recreational Centre to his department by Labuan Corporation Tuesday.
The Kuraman group of islands which had been gazetted as a marine park, comprises Pulau Kuraman, Pulau Rusukan Besar and Pulau Rusukan Kecil, located south-west of Labuan and 14km from Labuan's Victoria Harbour.
Natural Resource and Environment Deputy Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup witnessed the handing-over, with Jamal representing his department while Labuan Corporation was represented by its chief executive officer, Datuk Basiran Saban.
The jetty, on the western side of Kuraman Island in the South China Sea, is about 500 metres from the Kuraman Island Resort.
Jamal said in intensifying conservation of the Kuraman marine park's ecosystem, the department last year placed artificial reefs worth RM200,000 for lobsters to breed there.
He said the department had also placed buoys to mark the zone for snorkelling and other recreational activities at the marine park for the visitors' own safety.
At the handing-over ceremony, Kurup also launched the Environ Reef project for the marine park with the articifical reefs contributed by Dorken Reef Resources to enhance biodiversity conservation there.
Besides Kuraman, the department has five other marine park centres, namely in Pulau Redang and Pulau Perhentian in Terengganu, Pulau Tinggi in Johor, Pulau Payar in Kedah and Pulau Tioman in Pahang, all in Peninsular Malaysia.
-- BERNAMA
