Conservation group voice concern over effects on ecosystem
Durie Rainer Fong The Star 30 Jun 11;
KOTA KINABALU: A group overseeing the conservation of wetlands in Sabah had voiced their concern to City Hall over a high-rise development project that could affect the ecosystem of a wetland here.
The Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society has made its opinion clear to new Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir about the proposed multi-storey condominium, to be located just 148m from the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre (KKWC).
The society also expressed its worries previously about the project potentially upsetting its plans to turn the 24ha mangrove forest of KKWC, declared a state Cultural Heritage Site in 1998, into a Ramsar site.
The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an inter-governmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.
Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society president, Zainie Abdul Aucasa said he had underlined to the Mayor the importance to call a meeting between the stakeholders and developers to iron out the issue.
“We have to make clear to the developer that we are not against any development but we want to protect our wetlands.
“The Mayor was very impressed with our persistence and efforts to create public awareness on the importance of KKWC as a Ramsar site and to gain public support in protecting this sensitive area from the inevitable progress that is taking place in the surrounding area,” he said.
Apart from the Mayor, he said the society had also written letters to various government departments to stop the proposed condominium project from taking off.
“We also held meetings with the Environment Protection Department to discuss about the Environmental Impact Assessment of the proposed project,” Zainie said.
He said despite mitigation steps taken by the developers, the proposed project would still be harmful to the KKWC especially on the wetland’s ecosystem, which is home to various species of mangrove trees, birds and aquatic organisms.
Among the environmental issues, he said migrating birds might be thrown off from their flight paths because of high concrete buildings while construction works would also cause sediment run-off resulting in increased water turbidity in the KKWC.
