Malaysia comes up with 1 million hectare marine park; allows commercial fishing!

New Delhi: With global warming and climate change showing its haunting effects on coral reefs, Malaysia has an intriguing plan that could contribute to making things a bit better.

Keeping the coral bleaching phenomenon in mind, Malaysia has decided to create its largest marine park that will cover 1 million hectares (2.47 million acres).

The Tun Mustapha park, located off the coast of the Sabah province in Borneo, harbours some of the richest coral habitats in Malaysia, as well as mangroves and sea grass beds.

However, the most interesting part is that the park will be open to commercial fishing, especially keeping in mind, local residents who depend upon fishing for a significant portion of their sustenance.

The intention behind creating the marine park is to manage, rather than ban fishing operations entirely.

According to treehugger.com, both commercial fishing operators and local residents will be allowed to continue fishing in designated zones which were established in consultation with NGOs, the Malaysian park service, local communities and fishing operators themselves.

Treehugger.com also quoted the Director General of WWF International Marco Lambertini, who said, “The establishment of Tun Mustapha Park will boost the conservation and biodiversity of this uniquely rich natural environment. This will also help ensure the sustainable management of the significant marine resources in the area that support jobs, livelihoods and food security. The park’s gazettement should act as a model and an inspiration for marine conservation in the Coral Triangle and worldwide.”