Thursday, December 07, 2006

Sabah stands apart - Most unique place in the world

Kota Kinabalu: Bornean Biodiversity and Ecosystem Conservation technical co-operation programme (BBEC) Chief Advisor Ryuji Matsunaga said Sabah still has the potential to become "the most unique place in the world".

He said this was despite the loss of 95 per cent of its virgin jungles and decreasing areas of shallow seas that house diverse ecosystems such as mangrove forests, coral reefs, seaweed beds and tidal flats.

Matsunaga's confidence was based on easy sightings of wild animals and wild plants on roads to "any place in Sabah."

"You can find fireflies at any place, even in Kota Kinabalu. Many birds and butterflies fly to the sky even in town. This is real in Sabah," he told a gathering of 200 international and local participants whom he reckoned might have taken all these for granted.

"To me, Sabah has the most potential for a future in eco-tourism, given the beautiful seas, islands, the highest mountain in Southeast Asia and a very long continuous range of mangrove forests, rivers connecting to Orang Sungei villages, highways linking all cities," Mastunaga noted at BBEC's 5th and last international conference.

Continue reading at: Sabah stands apart - Most unique place in the world

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