Luconia Shoals gazetted as marine national park

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Abang Johari (ninth right) listening to a briefing from a Sarawak Forestry Corporation officer when visiting the turtle nursery.

SEMATAN: Sarawak has gazetted Luconia Shoals as a marine national park and is the biggest in the country.

It is located in the South China Sea and lies over Sunda Continental Shelf in the Malaysian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) within Sarawak territorial waters.

“The state has gazetted Luconia Shoals which is located within Sarawak waters as the marine national park and is the biggest in Malaysia,” said Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg during a press conference after the handing over of Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) solar centralised system at Pulau Talang-Talang Besar here today.

Abang Johari pointed out that it was suggested that there is extensive oil and gas resources under the seabed in the area.

A number of Petronas’ oil and gas platforms are located less than 25 kilometres (km) from the boundary of the Luconia Shoals Marine National Park.

Abang Johari stressed that he would continue with the brainchild of the late Chief Minister Pehin Sri Datuk Patinggi Adenan Satem for a coastal marine national park master plan.

He pointed out that the Sarawak government would continue with the efforts to gazette more national parks, protecting and conserving the environment.

He commended the effort by SEB to provide 24-hour electricity supply to the island, a nesting ground for turtles.

He hoped that SEB will also look into other national parks like the Loagan Bunut National Park in Miri for similar initiative.