Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Danum Valley to be nominated as World Heritage site

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government is mulling the possibility of nominating Danum Valley in the east coast of Sabah as a World Heritage Site. Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said this reflected the state government’s commitment to preserve Danum Valley – regarded as the Lost World of Borneo – given its almost undisturbed tropical rainforest and abundance of biodiversity.

“My ministry is still looking into it,” he told reporters after launching Malaysia’s biggest Batik Fan, organised by the Sabah Art Gallery, in conjunction with Hari Malaysia celebrations, at Wisma Budaya, here yesterday.

The batik fan measuring 20 feet high and 30 feet wide, was produced by local artist Benedict Chong and two of his friends.

On progress of the state government’s decision to nominate Maliau Basin in the south central part of Sabah as a World Heritage Site, Masidi said a technical committee had been formed to finalise details of that proposal to be forwarded to the Unesco World Heritage Centre for consideration.

The Maliau Basin, known as Sabah’s Lost World, was declared a Sabah Foundation conservation area in 1981.

In 1997, the state cabinet agreed to gazette the 588sq km site as a Protection Forest Reserve (Class 1).

Sabah currently has a World Heritage Site, namely the Kinabalu Park, where the 4,092-metre Mount Kinabalu is located.

Earlier, Masidi, in his speech, thanked Benedict for his determination to create the Malaysia’s biggest Batik Fan.

He said Benedict had also produced the longest batik tie in the world measuring 50 feet and bearing the world’s largest flower, the Rafflesia, back in 1987. The batik necktie was displayed in the State Museum.

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