Kota Kinabalu: The Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (Simca) will now be known as an IUCN Green List Site – the first of its kind in Malaysia, said Reef Guardian, in a statement.Through the Green List, Simca is now recognised globally as a well-managed Protected Area.
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“This historic recognition was announced at the 2nd Asia Parks Congress currently held at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC),” said Reef Guardian, a non-profit company appointed by the State Government to manage Simca.
Simca is the first privately managed marine protected area in Malaysia.
Located within the Sulu Sea region, Simca encompasses 46,317 hectares and includes three islands – Lankayan, Billean and Tegaipil.
Simca is home to at least 500 species of fish, 300 species of corals, two species of sea turtles, six species of giant clams and 26 species of seagrass and algae.
Lead Marine Biologist and Reef Guardian Manager Dr Achier Chung said the global recognition is a milestone for Simca.
“It shows that all our effort over the years have come to fruition,” she said.
Chung attributes the success of Simca to close collaborations, particularly with the Sabah Wildlife Department, the local maritime enforcement agencies including the Eastern Sabah Security Command (Esscom) and General Operations Forces to combat encroachments into the Simca protected zone.
Sabah Wildlife Director Augustine Tuuga said Simca was gazetted under the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 since October 2003 as Marine Wildlife Conservation Area.
“It has been a great partnership between the State Government and Reef Guardian Sdn Bhd in rehabilitating and preserving the area for 19 years since its establishments.
“We are very proud on the achievement and it was not an easy task indeed.
“We hope that our partnership will continue to maintain the accomplishment we had and more things to come.”
The evaluation process for the IUCN Green List in Malaysia is carried out by the Expert Assessment Group for Green List Malaysia (EAGL).
The group comprises 10 multi-disciplinary volunteer experts who undertakes the evaluation of Green List Candidates against the Green List criteria and indicators.
“Simca’s new status marks a milestone for Sabah and Malaysia in general and we are looking forward to more milestones to come.
“At present, there are five more Protected and Conserved Area on their way to Green Listing, including the Danum Valley Conservation Area, the Tun Mustapha Park, the Sook Lake Forest Reserve and Pin Supu Forest Reserve in Sabah as well as the Jagoi Heritage Forest in Sarawak,” said the EAGL Chair, Rambli Ahmad.
Due to previous Covid-19 restrictions preventing the team from visiting the Simca site, EAGL conducted its site assessments virtually.
“This meant that we have had to be twice as thorough in our evaluation.
“In the end, it was possible as SIMCA was able to provide strong evidence of their achievement,” said Manager for Protected Areas at WWF-Malaysia, Elyrice Alim, an implementing partner and evaluation coordinator for EAGL.
Elyrice said, Simca’s achievement is testament of their relentless efforts in protection and enforcement.
“We hope that Simca’s success serves as an inspiration to other protected sites to follow suit,” she said.
