KUANTAN, June 15 ― The Pahang government is committed to maintaining the status of Tasik Chini in Pekan as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) biosphere reserve, said Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail.
He described the decision of the 35th Session of the International Coordinating Council of Man and the Biosphere Programme (ICC MAB35) meeting to maintain Tasik Chini’s status as a biosphere reserve as very meaningful to the state government.
“ICC MAB35 made this decision based on the recommendations of the International Advisory Committee for Biosphere Reserves (IACBR), taking into account the efforts that the state government has taken to improve the management of the Tasik Chini Biosphere Reserve site,” he said in a statement here today.
Among the efforts, according to Wan Rosdy, were updating the zoning to maintain the function of the Tasik Chini Biosphere Reserve site, gazetting the Chini Permanent Forest Reserve, establishing the Pahang State Parks Corporation and implementing a moratorium on mining activities.
Yesterday, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad announced the decision of the ICC MAB35, which took place in Paris, France, to maintain the status of Tasik Chini after a periodic review of the site fulfilled the criteria of the Statutory Framework of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR) and IACBR’s recommendations.
Tasik Chini was recognised as Malaysia's first biosphere reserve in 2009.
There are two other biosphere reserves in Malaysia, namely Crocker Range in Sabah and Bukit Bendera in Penang, which were recognised in 2014 and 2021, respectively. ― Bernama
