Kuching: Bako National Park in Kuching and Bukit Lambir National Park in Miri have been nominated as ASEAN Heritage Park (AHP) sites, said Sarawak Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan. Awang Tengah, who serves as the state Second Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development, announced that the nomination has been evaluated by the ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB).

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the results of the evaluation are anticipated to be unveiled in September this year, as stated by Awang Tengah during the winding-up session at the State Legislative Assembly sitting today. He highlighted that this nomination comes on the heels of the recognition of the Niah National Park cave complex in Miri as a World Archaeological Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) the previous year.

Awang Tengah further mentioned that the Sarawak government has officially designated 2.1 million hectares as total protection areas (TPA), which includes 874,000 hectares of land and 1.2 million hectares of marine waters. In an effort to bolster forest conservation initiatives, the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) has entered into memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC) for zoonotic disease research, the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) for technical cooperation on biodiversity, and Universiti Malaya for genetic research.