BATU NIAH: Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) is expected to launch its newest Interpretation Centre at Piasau Nature Reserve in June.
SFC acting CEO Zolkipli Mohamad Aton said a similar Interpretation Centre was set up at Similajau National Park in 2016, followed by Niah National Park.
“The importance of an interpretation centre in providing in-situ information regarding the particular park has long been emphasised in facilities development in all parks.
“Therefore, parks such as Similajau National Park in Bintulu was equipped with a similar interpretation centre in 2016 and has since become the pride of SFC per se. And now with Niah National Park, and soon Piasau Nature Reserve will also reveal its own interpretation centre, we are having our hands full with all the good things,” he said during the launching of the Niah National Park Interpretation Centre yesterday.
The launching also marked the completion of the upgrading of tourism facilities under Niah National Park.
Zolkipli thanked the Ministry of Tourism and Culture for funding the RM3.4 million project under the 11th Malaysia Plan to transform Niah’s old conventional centre into a state-of-the-art interpretation centre. He pointed out that the content and concept work was jointly done by the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) academic teams and included modern features such as hologram technology.
“I hope that the launching of Niah’s Interpretation Centre is not the means to an end but rather a new beginning in enhancing tourist visitations, co-management with the local communities in protecting the park, as well as positive spill-over effects onto the socio-economy of the surrounding communities at large.”
Besides the centre, he said the development project for the national park also consisted of other facilities namely the ticketing booth and information kiosk, a multi-unit souvenir shop, rest huts, information and interpretation signage, as well as major repair work on the 700-metre plank walkway.