Malaysia: Area near Sibu Laut new Ramsar site?

Borneo Post 26 Feb 12;

KUCHING: An area at Sibu Laut near here will be gazetted as the new Ramsar site replacing the 3,000 acres of mangrove wetland at Sungai Lemidin, which has been cleared as a soil dumping site for the flood mitigation project.

Assistant Environment Minister Datu Len Talif Salleh told reporters yesterday that the new area was deemed most suitable due to its natural state.

Even though the new area at Sibu Laut will be turned into a national park, Len who is also Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Office assured that the local community would not be deprived of its natural resources.

“The most important factor is that we must continue to preserve this natural heritage to prevent natural disaster from happening. In the meantime, we must be sensitive to the needs of the people in this area.

“Being the stakeholder, the life of local communities in this national park should continue as usual in benefiting from the natural resources.

“As long as everybody plays their role in our sustainable forest management policy,” he continued after the launching of the World’s Wetland Day 2012 state level celebration held at Kuching Wetlands National Park at Sg Lemidin here.

Second Minister of Resource Planning and Environment Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hassan officiated at the event.

Meanwhile, state forest director Ali Yusop when met earlier, clarified that the 3,000 acres clearing of mangrove wetlands at an area at Sg Lemidin used as a soil dumping site will be rehabilitated once the Kuching flood mitigation project is completed.

“This area was cleared for soil dumping considering that it is situated near a two-kilometre canal and eventually become part of the eight km flood mitigation diversion channel,” he stated.

When asked whether the state would lose its Ramsar status due to the mangrove clearance, Ali said that it will not be the case because Ramsar was not purely conservation but also about sustainable development.

It can be turned into an eco-tourism area and continue to provide natural resources to the local community.

In addition, he explained that the state will carry out re-planting of mangrove trees along the coastal areas throughout the state covering 300 hectares.

Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, the state has been allocated some RM4.5 million for the purpose, he continued.

“We will not only focus on mangrove but other suitable trees such as main species of Avecennia, Rhizophora, Sonneratia and Bruguiera.

“Site matching is very important,” Ali said.

The wetland area of Sg Lemidin was part of the Kuching Wetland National Park, the first Ramsar site in the state.

The country has five other Ramsar sites – lake Bera in Pahang, Piai peninsular, Kukup island and Kulai river in Johor and the Lower Kinabatangan-Segama Wetland in Sabah.

Ramsar is a town in Iran where the first wetland convention took place on Feb 2, 1971.