After Pulau Kukup, groups want Johor to protect other parks too

Pulau Kukup is to remain as a national park after it becomes sultanate land.

PETALING JAYA: Close to 50 NGOs, including human rights outfit Suaram and environmental group, Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka), want the Johor government to promise it will not de-gazette other national parks in the state, in the wake of the controversy surrounding Pulau Kukup.

These include Endau-Rompin Peta, Endau-Rompin Selai, Tanjung Piai, Gunung Ledang, Taman Laut Sultan Iskandar and the Sungai Pulai Ramsar site.

In a joint statement, the 48 NGOs said these national parks are part of the country’s natural heritage, and protecting them would preserve the diversity of ecosystems for the future generation.

“Once lost, the rich flora and fauna that are found in these national parks would be irrecoverable, and therefore they are priceless.”

The Johor state government, they said, has a duty to guarantee that these natural heritage sites are protected by law, and no commercial development should ever encroach into the land.

“De-gazetting these protected lands is a betrayal of the trust the people placed in the state government.”

Pulau Kukup, a Ramsar site located off the coast of Pontian in south Johor, came under the limelight after it was reported that the Johor government had revoked its status as a national park through a gazette in October.

On Thursday, however, the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar, decreed that Pulau Kukup is to remain a national park after it becomes sultanate land, according to state secretary Jaba Mohd Noah.

In a letter addressed to the director of the Johor Land and Mines Office, Jaba said Pulau Kukup must be taken care of and monitored by the state government under the Johor Parks Corporation to become a tourism product of the state.

The NGOs, meanwhile, welcomed the motion passed by the Johor state legislative assembly on Dec 6 for the state government to review the de-gazetting of the park.

“We hope that the menteri besar and state exco will learn from this unfortunate episode that they need to consult all stakeholders, be more transparent and accountable before undertaking any major policies.”

A full report of the events that led to the de-gazetting of Pulau Kukup, they said, should be made public. -FMT