By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Sept 9: The Sarawak Delta UNESCO Global Geopark (UGGp) has partnered with the Jeonbuk West Coast UNESCO Global Geopark of the Republic of Korea to strengthen international cooperation while positioning both geoparks as regional hubs for education, training and community empowerment.
The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which provides a framework for collaboration in conservation, education, community development and sustainable tourism.
In a statement today, the Sarawak Forest Department said the MoU would facilitate the sharing of management and development practices between the two geoparks, as well as foster greater cooperation in research, capacity building and community empowerment.
The collaboration also provides Sarawak Delta UGGp with an opportunity to learn from Jeonbuk West Coast’s experience as one of the pioneering Multi-Internationally Designated Areas (MIDA).
“Through the exchange of management practices and the implementation of joint research, Sarawak Delta Geopark will gain valuable insights from Jeonbuk’s approach to Integrated MIDA Management,” the statement said.
At the ceremony, Sarawak Delta UGGp was represented by Irmadiana Ardi on behalf of Sarawak Forest Department director and Sarawak Delta UNESCO Global Geopark manager, Datu Hamden Mohammad, while the Jeonbuk Provincial Government was represented by director-general of the Jeonbuk Environment and Forestry Bureau, Soon Teag Lee.
The MoU exchange was witnessed by Sarawak Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Deputy Permanent Secretary Julin Alen at the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC), held in conjunction with the Asia Pacific Geoparks Network (APGN) Symposium.
Jeonbuk West Coast holds UNESCO Global Geopark status and is also recognised under three other international environmental designations, namely a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and Ramsar Site.
The multiple designations reflect the area’s outstanding ecological, geological and biological values within a single landscape.
