Star online : 12 Jan 2010
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2010/1/12/nation/5454310&sec=nationKUALA LUMPUR: Another 32 islands and their surrounding waters will be gazetted as marine parks soon to add to the existing 42 nationwide.
Department of Marine Parks director-general Abdul Jamal Mydin said the islands — all in the peninsula— were selected based on their bio-diversity and ecosystem; the marine life and corals as well as their tourist draw.
He spoke to reporters yesterday after briefing Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup and the media here in an effort to raise public awareness on conservation of marine biodiversity.
Abdul Jamal said a marine park was a designated area for a distance of two nautical miles from the lowest part of the island’s beach, and was established to protect and conserve various marine life and their habitat.
Marine parks attracted more than 500,000 domestic and foreign tourists annually since their establishment in 2000, he said.
Abdul Jamal added that the department would also step up patrols and enforcement with the cooperation of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency to protect marine life from destruction.
More Rakan Park (Friends of the Park) would be identified to keep a lookout for illegal activities and environmental problems in the marine parks.
Last year, 70 arrests involving illegal fishing in the marine parks and destruction of corals were made, with 21 in Pahang alone.
Kurup said the ministry would step up efforts to attract more tourists to marine parks with the collaboration of the Tourism Ministry
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Somebody posted this on another forum and asked the question. Is this good or bad?
