KOTA KINABALU: Though the Tunku Abdul Rahman Park (TARP) has suffered financially due to the lockdown, it has witnessed a significant restoration of its marine life.
Sabah Parks director Dr Maklarin Lakim said in 2019, the park made about RM50,000 daily and now it was making nothing.
"The movement control order has affected us badly and it is a challenge to handle the high operating cost of the park," he said during the Park's 47th anniversary forum on its Facebook page.
However, Maklarin said without much human activity and disturbances, the marine life has been significantly restored.
The park used to see about 1,000 visitors daily in the past.
From last year till now, he said there were several reports that showed the park was seeing a better recovery, which include turtle landings at Manukan Island.
"Also during scuba diving activities, we have seen several endangered species at the park," he said, hoping that the pandemic would end soon for people to again enjoy the magnificent marine park.
Maklarin added that the park also supported a call from the Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment Ministry to provide more nature based tourism products.
Among them are to promote Mamutik Island's wreck dive site which has KM Kuraman, a decommissioned vessel which had been in service for 52 years with the navy and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). It sank on Nov 17, 2016.
The park which is named after Malaysia's first Prime Minister, was gazetted in 1974 to protect its fauna, flora and marine ecosystem.
The park covers five islands — Gaya, Manukan, Mamutik, Sapi and Sulug — popular with tourists, both local and from abroad, who go there for snorkelling and kayaking, among other activities.
In conjunction with its anniversary, the management had planted 47 trees in the five islands.