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Activities Report 1999 July Newsletter

TANJUNG TUAN: NGO's VIEWS ARE WELCOME 
      The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) would like to commend the Melaka state government in revoking the decision to convert Tanjung Tuan into a resort, and welcome the statement by the MB inviting NGO's to provide proposals for a more sensitive, sustainable development of the Tanjung Tuan wildlife and forest reserve.
      MNS is of the view that NGOs have a positive role in national development and practices advo-cacy and dialogue on issues that we feel strongly about. In the case of Tanjung Tuan, we feel that any development should be unobtrusive and within the limits of acceptable change, for example, limited to only a few cabins and a centre that functions as an office and an interpretative and ecolo-gy education centre, along the lines of the Kuala Selangor Nature Park or the Bako National Park.
      Tanjung Tuan could play a major role in nature appreciation. Though small, there are 3 major habitats within the reserve: coral reefs and sea grass, mangroves, and coastal hill dipterocarps. Though some habitats are degraded, they could be rehabilitated and promoted through nature courses conducted by the state forestry, wildlife departments, or interested NGOs to school children, nature tourists and interested adults.
      MNS will play its part and submit a management plan proposal which can be utilised by the State as input. MNS urged that other NGOs and individuals that are concerned with the conservation of Tanjung Tuan should accept the Melaka MB's invitation, and prepare constructive proposals for the consideration of the state.  Perhaps these inputs could be included as part of policy and be a start towards better NGO-state government relationships, and dispel the myth that NGOs always oppose development and criticize without providing feasible
alternatives.

Dato' Dr. Salleh Mohd. Nor            Kuala Lumpur, April 29, 1999


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Created on 30th June 1999