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PUTRAJAYA: The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources (KeTSA) applauds the Sabah government’s initiative to register Kinabatangan as a biosphere reserve site, said Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.

In a message in conjunction with the International Day for Biosphere Reserves today, he said that the initiative should be emulated by other state governments to nominate more potential sites.

A biosphere reserve is a site established by a country and recognised under the ‘Man and the Biosphere (MAB)’ programme by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) to improve the relationship between man and the environment by emphasising the need for sustainable development.

Malaysia’s participation in the MAB programme began in 2009 through the recognition of Tasik Chini, Pahang as the first biosphere reserve site in Malaysia on May 26, followed by Crocker Range, Sabah (June 12, 2014) and Bukit Bendera, Penang (Sept 15, 2021). To date, there are a total of 738 biosphere reserve sites in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR), which covers 134 countries.

“In conjunction with today’s International Day of the Biosphere Reserves, I call on all quarters to work together to preserve biosphere reserves for the sake of our future generations,“ Takiyuddin said.

In this regard, he said KeTSA as the MAB national focal point will collaborate with the Penang Hill Corporation (PBBPP) to organise a Biosphere Reserve Collaborative Learning Workshop @ Bukit Bendera on Nov 9 and 10. “The workshop aims at raising public awareness of biosphere reserves and strengthen the national cooperation network among biosphere reserves sites,” he added.