Monday, March 16, 2009

Sabah wants Ramsar conservation convention site No 2


KOTA KINABALU: Barely five months after having its first Ramsar site, Sabah is lobbying for a second Ramsar site in the 24-ha Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre.

The state government will support efforts to apply to the international Ramsar body soon.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said he would support the move to ensure the city had ample green lungs and also to provide more recreational activities to the urban population.

"The move will also cement Sabah's excellent track record in conservation," he said at the launch of World Wetlands Day here yesterday.

The proposal was mooted years ago along with the Lower Kinabatangan-Segama Wetlands, which has been recognised as a Ramsar site on Oct 28 last year.

At present, there are six Ramsar sites in Malaysia -- Tasik Bera in Pahang, Tanjung Piai, Pulau Kukup and Pulai River in Johor, Kuching Wetlands National Park in Sarawak and the Lower Kinabatangan-Segama Wetlands in Sabah.

The Ramsar Convention is an intergovernmental treaty that provides a framework for international cooperation in wetlands conservation. It was signed in 1971 at Ramsar, Iran.

Continue reading (incl. pic) at: Sabah wants Ramsar conservation convention site No 2
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