KUCHING, Feb 19: Loagan Bunut and Sarikei in Sarawak, along with the Klias Peninsula in Sabah, are being nominated to be recognised as the country’s new Ramsar sites.
In announcing the Ramsar sites, Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad stated that his ministry is currently preparing the necessary documents for the nomination and that recognition is expected within a year or two if everything goes as planned.
“At the same time, we also invite other states to propose their own wetlands for consideration as Ramsar sites, as they may have a better understanding of their respective areas.
“The ministry is ready to assist state governments and can even share the technical criteria for a particular area to qualify as a Ramsar site,” he said in a news report published today by Bernama.
Nik Nazmi made the statement after launching the World Wetlands Day 2024 celebration held today at the Tasek Bera Ramsar Site in Bera, Pahang, which was also attended by Pahang Unity, Tourism, and Culture Committee chairman Leong Yu Man.
The most recent Ramsar site registered in Malaysia was in 2017, specifically the Kota Kinabalu Wetlands in Sabah, making it a total of seven sites in the country.
Additional Ramsar sites in Malaysia include Tasek Bera in 1994, Tanjung Piai, Pulau Kukup, and Sungai Pulai in Johor in 2003, Kuching Wetlands National Park in Sarawak in 2005, and Lower Kinabatangan-Segama Wetlands in Sabah in 2008.
The minister further noted that Malaysia possesses a vast ecosystem of wetlands, covering over 5.19 million hectares, including geographical features such as peatlands, mangroves, rivers, and lakes that serve as habitats for various species of flora and fauna.
“These wetlands are crucial and hold high conservation value, whether in terms of economic value through timber, fisheries, and tourism or the benefits of ecosystem services, such as protection from strong winds and huge waves, water retention areas, flood control, and carbon storage.
“The recognition as a Ramsar site can also raise the profile of these areas,” he said.
According to Nik Nazmi, Tasek Bera, the country’s largest natural lake, stretches over 30,000 hectares and serves as a natural freshwater ecosystem with diverse aquatic biology. It also is home to approximately 2,000 Orang Asli from the Semelai tribe.
Nik Nazmi also launched the ‘Fishes of Tasek Bera’ book at the event, which documented profiles of 36 families and 158 freshwater fish species, including four newly recorded species, one of which is both endemic and extinct on a global scale.
Ramsar sites are designated because they meet the criteria for identifying Wetlands of International Importance. The first criterion refers to Sites containing representative, rare or unique wetland types, and the other eight cover Sites of international importance for conserving biological diversity. — DayakDaily
