stephanie lee The Star 22 Sep 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Numerous conservation efforts, including restricting visitors, are already being planned for the world’s first urban mangrove wetland to be internationally recognised for its importance.
The Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre, which is located in the city, was yesterday declared the first urban mangrove wetland to be given Ramsar status for its international importance.
The status is accorded under the Ramsar Convention, 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 Datuk Zainie Abdul Aucasa said visitors will be allowed at the site but the number will be restricted to preserve the ecosystem and the area.
The society, he added, will be working with various agencies and departments to conserve the 24ha prime land.
“We will emphasise more conservation, research and awareness programmes, instead of turning the centre into a tourism spot. We want to further conserve this area which is home to some 30 mangrove species, some of which are endangered, over 90 types of resident and migratory birds as well as five species of reptiles,” he said.
In his speech at the ceremony to designate the centre a Ramsar site, Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman said the recognition was the result of the Government’s continuous rehabilitation efforts for the environment.
“Sabah is home to some 60% of the country’s total mangroves and we are committed to not only protecting the remaining mangroves and forests here, but also properly managing and rehabilitating areas that have been degraded,” he said.
“The effort to protect this natural heritage while pursuing economic success is part of striking a balance that will benefit all,” he added.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun delivered Musa’s speech.
Sabah striving to attain 3rd Ramsar status with Klias wetlands
AVILA GERALDINE New Straits Times 21 Sep 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah is looking at turning the Klias wetlands into the state’s next potential Ramsar Site, striving to make it its third wetland to attain international recognition.
Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun said the state now has two wetlands of international importance after the KK Wetland was finally bestowed with Ramsar status in Dec, last year.
“We have a lot of wetlands and there have been suggestions to make the Klias wetlands, which is part of the forest reserve, as the next candidate (for Ramsar).
“There will be a meeting with the Forestry Department to discuss the necessary with regards to this,” he told reporters after the launching of KK Wetland Ramsar Site here, today.
Present was Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society president Datuk Zainie Abdul Aucasa.
Stressing that wetlands with Ramsar status would not affect land owners, Masidi said the state government aimed to add value to the land and to restrict certain development that would further destroy the rich biodiversity.
“We are not saying they (land owners) cannot do anything but we encourage development in a systematic and sustainable manners,” he added.
Earlier, Chief Minister Tan Sri Musa Aman, in his speech delivered by Masidi, said the management and restoration of mangroves are given priority as Sabah has about 338,000 hectares of mangrove vegetation within its forest reserves.
He added that the state government via the Sabah Forestry Department has a responsibility to protect these lands as Sabah is home to some 60 per cent of Malaysia’s total mangroves area.
“Our commitment is clear as Sabah has protected the KK wetlands despite it being within the city centre and we are continuously increasing the Totally Protected Area apart from keeping sustainable forest management practices on track on commercial forest reserves.
“Areas with high conservation values within commercial forest reserves are mapped out and not disturbed,” he said.
Musa added that the new Ramsar status for the KK Wetland will help to enhance conservation efforts of the last remaining patch of mangrove forest in a city that is developing at a fast pace.
The KK Wetland Ramsar Site was officially declared as the seventh Ramsar site in Malaysia earlier this year, and it is the second wetlands in Sabah after the Lower Kinabatangan-Segama Wetlands, which was awarded the status in 2008.
It is also the second Ramsar Site within the boundaries of a city in the world after Yatsu-Higata Ramsar Site in Tokyo.
