Kuching Wetland National Park
Region
Asia
Country
Malaysia
Flyway
East Asian - Australasian flyway
Initiative
WLI Asia-Oceania
About
Name of organisation
Sarawak Forestry Corporation
Funding support
Sarawak State Government
Malaysian Federal Government
Number of staff
On-site = 6 Total = 671
Number of visitors per year
3,833
Overall aims of the centre
To manage and develop forest resources for socio-economic and environmental sustainability
Description of the centre
Size of site, types of habitats and species supported, activities run, exhibits, numbers of visitors per year, location of the site.
Location: Kuching, Sarawak, MALAYSIA
Size of site: 6,610 hectares
A saline mangrove system with flora comprising predominantly the genera Rhizophora, Avicennia and Sonneratia. The site harbours such noteworthy species as Estuarine Crocodile Crocodylus porosus, Proboscis Monkey Nasalis larvatus (endemic to Borneo and listed as 'Endangered', IUCN Red List), Lesser Adjutant Leptoptilos javanicus ('Vulnerable'), and Griffith's Silver Leaf Monkey Trachypithecus villosus. The site has value as a breeding and nursery ground for fish and prawn species - 43 families of fishes and 11 species of prawns have been recorded, many of which are commercially important.
Its proximity to the city of Kuching, the Damai resort complex, and two other national parks renders it of high potential value for tourism, education and recreation. The area is historically important: there was a Chinese settlement there probably as early as the 1st century AD, and early Malay, Hindu and Buddhist relics from the 9th century AD have been excavated at Santubong Village. Ramsar site no. 1568.
Work Areas
Main CEPA work area
The department’s key activities for CEPA are community support programs, dialogue with local communities and education programs to school for raising environmental awareness.
Top three successes
In Kuching Wetland National Park, the department have targeted 100,000 mangrove trees to be planted in order to rehabilitate it’s degraded area. As of now, there are already 98,000 mangrove trees already planted since 2010 at the site due to tremendous support from local communities and other stakeholders.
Community support programs. The department helps to upgrade traditional snack processing and collection centre located near the Ramsar site. There are already 6 processing centre upgraded to enhance the community’s livelihood.
Top three challenges
Lack of infrastructure for visitors due to lack of funding;
Pollution from neighbouring villages;
Development projects surrounding the site and its long-term impact on the ecosystem
Expertise
Interpretation techniques
Creating signage; site information; Producing written materials; Using audio-visual tools
Visitor centres
Participation
Engaging hard-to-reach groups; Engaging young people; Engaging the local community; Working with volunteers
Education and communication
Working with primary schools; Working with secondary schools
General
Running effective administration; Project planning.
Contact
Name: Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Haddy
E-mail
Phone: +6014-9921756
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