Activities Report 1999 July Newsletter
Natural Heritage Sites Listing
The move by the government to propose Malaysia's
National Parks and cultural sites for listing in the World Heritage List
is most welcome. Malaysia has been a signatory to the Convention for the
Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage since 21 November
1988. Malaysia, Myan-mar, Brunei and Singapore are the remaining ASEAN
countries without a World Heritage Site (WHS).
A WHS however needs full commitment
and help from all the levels of Government and the general public. A country
needs to provide regular reporting on the conditions of the sites, on measures
to preserve them, and efforts to raise public awareness of cultural and
natural heritage. A good place to start these efforts is to start our own
heritage listing from the State level and thence the National Level. Due
to the rapid development in recent years, many heritage and natural sites
have been destroyed or altered.
The State Governments should act swiftly
to list heritage sites for preservation and
recommend them to the Federal Government for nominations to the World
Heritage committee meeting which is held annually. Preparatory inventory
assistance, technical assistance, emergency assistance and training will
be provided on application, if there is a request and interest in nominations
from the signatory country. Malaysia's unique identity and outstanding
natural beauty and importance must be preserved for the nation and for
mankind.*
Malaysian Nature Society can offer our assistance
in contributing to the decision-making process and recommendations to the
Committee, in the selection of natural conservation areas which are not
formally protected as national or state parks. (eg natural monuments such
as caves, limestone hills, quartz ridge, other unique geological formations;
habitats such as mangroves, bird sanctuaries, peat swamps, montane forests,
etc).
With the listing of heritage sites,
the tourist industry will benefit as a heritage site is a major premium
tourist attraction. The citizens of our nation will also be proud to be
blessed with a unique heritage.
* Quoting from the UNESCO guideline's introduction, "The natural heritage
as well as the cultural heritage are among the priceless and irreplaceable
possessions, not only of each nation but of mankind as a whole…The Convention
complements heritage conservation programmes at the national level …."
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Created on 30th June 1999