RANAU: The Kinabalu National Geopark here will be assessed by panels from the Unesco Global Geopark starting July 18 until 22, said state Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Seri Jafry Ariffin.
Its recognition at the national level on Mac 18, 2020 has qualified it to be listed as a candidate for the Unesco Global Geopark known as the "Aspiring Kinabalu Unesco Global Geopark".
The geopark covers an area of 4,750 square kilometres involving the districts of Ranau, Kota Belud and Kota Marudu, as well as Taman Kinabalu- a World Heritage Site located within these three districts.
It has 46 sites with special geological features and can be developed as geo-tourism sites.
"I believe the Kinabalu National Geopark, with its prestigious international geological value, will facilitate the evaluation process and will be declared as a Unesco Global Geopark site in 2022.
"When it gets the recognition, Sabah and Malaysia will be like Jeju Island in South Korea as there are only places on earth that have received the recognition of the prestigious "triple crown" from Unesco," he said during the "Jelajah Kemuncak" programme with stakeholders.
Sabah now has two sites declared as World Heritage Sites - Kinabalu Park World Heritage Site on Dec 2, 2000 and the Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve on June 12, 2014.
Jafry said an action plan for several programmes had been implemented to ensure stakeholders were able to assist the government to disseminate information about the special features of the geological sites.
He added that there had been many team efforts by the government and non-government agencies as well as the local community to ensure the geopark fulfils the requirements for the assessment.
For now, there are about 200 geopark partners among tourism associations, hotels and homestay operators who are identified to be active in the preparation.
Among the associations are the Ranau Tourism Association, the Kota Marudu Community Association, and the Kadamaian Tourism Association.
"I am very impressed and grateful for the response and cooperation of various stakeholders and the communities of the Ranau district, the Kota Belud district and the Kota Marudu district for their strong support for the Kinabalu Geopark initiative.
"Hopefully, the acquisition of the status as a Unesco Global Geopark will be able to further raise socio-economic opportunities and employment based on geo-tourism and further ensure that the people can live in harmony with nature in the state of Sabah.
"This effort is also in line with the state government's plan under the Sabah Maju Jaya Roadmap Development Plan which targets the rapid development of the tourism sector as a more dynamic and vibrant industry, developing the state's key economy and attracting foreign investors to Sabah by 2025."