Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Tun Mustapha Park to be win-win for residents and ecosystem


KUDAT: The government will take practical measures to ensure a win-win situation in balancing the ecosystem and the people’s interest when the Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) is gazetted.

Minister of Special Tasks, Datuk Teo Chee Kang, said TMP marine park, which will encompass 1.02 million hectares, aims to protect the natural ecosystem for the coming generations.

Teo, who is also Tanjung Kapor assemblyman, said the TMP was different from other parks because it would not only protect the marine ecosystem such as fish, shrimp, crab, corals and seaweed, but also allow fishermen nearby to conduct traditional fishing and controlled commercial fishing.

Teo said it would not be right to establish the TMP but neglect the livelihood of the people in the surrounding areas.

He said this during a briefing on TMP marine park here on Sunday. Teo continued to say that gazetting a non-fishing zone in TMP was a proposal that has not been finalized.

Sabah Parks is still collecting public’s opinion on the non-fishing zone, Teo said, and urged the people in Kudat to provide their input on this matter.

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