Sabah Parks Hopeful Tun Mustapha Park will be Gazetted by 2015

Following public outcry over reported killings of endangered sea turtles inside the proposed Tun Mustapha Park (TMP) three months ago, authorities are hoping the Park will be gazetted as scheduled in 2015.

“The public’s reaction to recent reports on the turtle killings highlighted the dire need to gazette TMP. People see and support this, and I am quite relieved that this is the case,” said TMP Park Manager Augustine Binson in a recent email interview.

So far, the gazettement process has remained largely on track, Mr. Binson added. "Our law states that the public hearing, which is meant to inform and gather feedback from the people, can only commence once the agreed TMP gazettement map is issued by the Lands and Surveys Department. The map was issued recently and forwarded to the Ministry for further action. It is our hope that the notice of intent to gazette TMP is approved within June. Only then can the public hearing be conducted, which should take about six months."

In late March, the media in Sabah reported the discovery of a “killing field” of sea turtles on Pulau Tiga, one of several islands included in the proposed TMP. The report drew outrage from conservationists and the public, prompting an investigation by Sabah’s State Tourism, Culture, and Environment Ministry.

Mr. Binson was quoted in a news report in the Daily Express as saying that Sabah Parks has no power to enforce protection laws in the proposed TMP. Until the Park is gazetted, such authority remains with the Wildlife Department, including the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, which has conducted a number of operations against turtle poaching in the area based on tip-offs from local residents.

The mobility of poachers, however, makes any offensive against them difficult, the report added, further quoting authorities as saying they needed the public’s cooperation in tracking down poachers.

Mr. Binson is hopeful that gazettement will help address the poaching issue, not only because of the extra layer of legal protection it will provide but also because of increased cooperation and vigilance among local communities as a result of the gazettement process.

Sabah Parks has taken a participatory and consultative approach to gazetting TMP, which is helping convince locals of the need for protection, Mr. Binson noted. After several consultations with local communities and a participatory zoning exercise last year, about 60–70 percent of local residents and resource users became supportive—or at least less critical—of the TMP and its objectives.

It was a slow and painstaking process, but well worth it, said Mr. Binson. “Now they understand, and they give us feedback,” he added.

When legally established, TMP is expected to provide a platform for government agencies, local communities, and assisting NGOs to work together in a concerted effort to conserve and manage the area. Even now, Mr. Binson revealed, his office has been receiving full assistance from government organizations as well as WWF-Malaysia, which has been advocating the establishment of TMP since 2003.

“In preparing the TMP management plan, government agencies are involved in many aspects, and WWF-Malaysia assists by co-funding some of the gazettement activities, sharing information, and facilitating workshops and trainings, while also helping highlight TMP locally and internationally,” Mr. Binson said.

(With information culled from Daily Express)