KOTA KINABALU: Marine scientists will carry out an expedition at the proposed Tun Mustapha Park in Kudat from today to study its marine biodiversity and ecology.
They will also look at the socioeconomic benefits of the marine ecosystems for communities.
The expedition, which will be on until Sept 26, will involve scientists from Malaysia, the Netherlands and Australia.
The marine park covers 1.02 million hectares with more than 50 islands and islets located across Kudat, Pitas and Kota Marudu districts in the Kudat-Banggi Priority Conservation Area. The area is a source of livelihood to 80,000 people living along the coast.
It has a unique biodiversity that supports a series of complex habitats as well as being home to endangered marine animals, such as green sea turtles and dugongs.
The proposed park produces the third largest volume of fishery products from coral reefs, bays and open waters in the state.
The expedition comes under the Coral Triangle Initiative-National Plan of Action to address the urgent threats facing the coastal and marine resources at the Indonesian-Philippines and the Far Southwestern Pacific regions.
It is being jointly led by Muhammad Ali Syed Hussein from Universiti Malaysia Sabah; Dr Bert Hoeksema from Naturalis Biodiversity Centre, the Netherlands, and Bobita Ahad from World Wildlife Fund Malaysia.
The expedition is jointly funded by the Malaysian-CTI (Mosti through the National Oceanography Directorate), United States Agency for International Development's Coral Triangle Support Partnership and WWF-Malaysia's supporters.
Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Seri Dr Maximus Ongkili is expected to launch the expedition in Kudat today.
Meanwhile, the preliminary results of the expedition will be announced at a press conference at UMS on Sept 27. Updates will be available at www.naturalis.nl and other social media network.
Marine Scientists to Survey the Proposed Tun Mustapha Park
WWF Malaysia 5 Sep 12;
4 September 2012, Kota Kinabalu: From 6 to 26 September 2012, a team of marine scientists from Malaysia, the Netherlands and Australia will begin an expedition in the proposed Tun Mustapha Park, Kudat, Malaysia.
The Tun Mustapha Park Expedition (TMPE) will assess aspects of marine biodiversity and ecology, as well as the socioeconomic benefits of the marine ecosystems to local communities in the proposed park. The expedition is organised by Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Sabah Parks and WWF-Malaysia. As signatory to the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), Malaysia developed a National Plan of Action for protecting the Coral Triangle region. This expedition is one of Malaysia’s activities under the CTI-National Plan of Action.
Jointly leading the expedition are Mr. Muhammad Ali Syed Hussein, Leader of the UMS team; Dr. Bert Hoeksema of Naturalis Biodiveristy Center, Leader of the Coral Reef Biodiversity Team; and Ms. Bobita Ahad of WWF-Malaysia, Leader of the Coral Reef Status Team. Other expedition participants include marine scientists from UMS, Universiti Malaya, University of Queensland, Naturalis and researchers from Sabah Parks.
The overall objectives of the expedition are to:
1) Assess the coral reef biodiversity including reef fish and associated reef fauna richness,
2) Assess the coral reef status and reef population health,
3) Verify coral reef categories for the zoning of Tun Mustapha Park,
4) Assess the biodiversity of mangrove ecosystem,
5) Conduct physico-chemical oceanographic studies,
6) Study the distribution, diversity and abundance of phytoplankton and zooplankton,
7) Survey socio-economic aspects of the local communities, and
8) Raise awareness of Tun Mustapha Park and benefits of protecting and managing marine ecosystem.
The proposed Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) is an area of 1.02 million hectares with more than 50 islands and islets located across Kudat, Pitas and Kota Marudu districts in the Kudat-Banggi Priority Conservation Area (PCA). TMP has unique biodiversity that support a series of complex and linked habitats and is home to endangered marine animals, such as green sea turtles and dugongs.
The proposed TMP produces Sabah’s third largest volume of fishery products from coral reefs, bays and open waters. It is a source of livelihood to 80,000 coastal inhabitants of diverse ethnic groups. This unique demography forms the rich cultural heritage of the Park. As a scenic and historical area in Sabah, TMP has great potential for sustainable ecotourism.
The TMPE will be launched by YB Datuk Dr Maximum Ongkili of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) in Kudat on 6 September, and the preliminary results of the expedition will be announced at a press conference at the UMS campus in Kota Kinabalu on 27 September 2012.
The TMPE is jointly funded by Malaysian-CTI (MOSTI through the National Oceanography Directorate), USAID’s Coral Triangle Support Partnership and WWF-Malaysia’s individual supporters.
Follow the expedition blog and other social media such as Twitter, Weblog, Flickr, and Facebook, where the expedition members will update their daily work and share new findings, as well as their stunning images and short videos. Visit: www.naturalis.nl.