KOTA KINABALU: There will be no more clearing of mangrove swamps in Sabah for development.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said: "Mangrove swamps have been cleared for large-scale development projects. No more."

He was launching an environmental education and awareness programme at the Kota Kinabalu Wetlands Centre in conjunction with Earth Day.

He said swamps and wetlands were crucial to a healthy environment and it was the government's policy to protect such areas.

"Mangrove swamps are not only the habitat of numerous organic and animal lives, they also act as a buffer along the coast reducing flooding and storm surges.
"Look at the cyclone in Myanmar. Damage was done by the storm surge because they do not have mangrove swamps as a buffer zone."

Masidi hoped people would realise the importance of conserving our wetlands even in the absence of the law.

The Kota Kinabalu Wetlands Centre is a 24-hectare site and the only remaining patch of mangrove forest left in the city.

It was designated a bird sanctuary in 1996 and as a state cultural heritage site in 1998. It is a non-profit project managed by the Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society.

The ministry announced yesterday an allocation of RM60,000 to the wetlands centre to upgrade its signage and boardwalk.