Scientists Embark On Expedition In Tun Mustapha Park To Gather Data For Park's Gazetting

KUDAT (Sabah, Malaysia), Sept 7 (Bernama) -- A team of scientists and researchers has begun a three-week expedition in the 1.02 million-hectare Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) to gather marine scientific data for the gazettement of the park. The data would be useful for the consultation process and final decision on the park's gazettement, said Science, Technology and Innovation Minister of Malaysia Dr Maximus Ongkili. He said this particularly vital in identifying the boundaries which depended on resource mapping and identification of sensitive biodiversity breeding spots, among others. "The marine park is ecologically more diverse than Australia's famed Great Barrier Reef or the Caribbean, but has yet to be gazetted despite its establishment being announced way back in 2003. "The expedition is crucial as scientific marine data is lacking to support the park's gazettement. It will also enable immediate conservation efforts and sustainable development of the marine resources to take place," said Ongkili, who launched the expedition Thursday onboard an expedition boat at the Marudu Bay. The expedition is led by Universiti Malaysia Sabah's (UMS) researcher Muhammad Ali Syed Hussein with participants from Universiti Malaya, Sabah Parks, WWF Malaysia, the Netherlands and Australia. It is supported by the National Oceanography Directorate, Sabah Fisheries, Felcra Berhad and the Malaysia Maritime Enforcement Agency and will end on Sept 26. As a signatory to the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security, Malaysia has developed a National Plan of Action to protect its portion of the CT area. Tun Mustapha Park is one of Malaysia's CTI Priority Conservation Areas. Ongkili said the expedition would assess aspects of marine biodiversity and ecology, as well as the socio-economic benefits of the marine ecosystems to the local communities. "The effort to develop and manage Tun Mustapha Park is also in line with the government's transformation programmes to uplift the quality of life of the coastal communities while ensuring sustainability. "People are often looked upon as targets of development but they are actually also partners in conservation and resource management efforts," he said. The proposed TMP area has more than 50 islands and islets located in the Kudat, Pitas and Kota Marudu districts in the northern part of Sabah. Its unique biodiversity supports a series of complex and linked habitats and is home to endangered marine animals, such as green sea turtles and dugongs. It is also home to Sabah's third largest volume of fishery products from coral reefs, bays and open waters, and the source of livelihood to 80,000 coastal inhabitants, with great potential for eco-tourism. -- BERNAMA