The Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah today presented certificates of appreciation to 10 rangers and the Conservation Assured|Tiger Standards (CA|TS) certificate of recognition to the Royal Belum State Park (RBSP) here.
His Royal Highness, who is also the patron of the World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia, presented the certificates for their excellent contribution to Malayan Tiger conservation efforts.
Sultan Nazrin presented the certificate of recognition to Perak State Park Corporation (PTNP) director Mohamed Shah Redza Hussein during the Global Tiger Day 2023 celebration organised by WWF Malaysia and Yayasan Maybank at the Belum Rainforest Resort here.
Also present were Raja Di Hilir Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Sultan Idris Shah and WWF Malaysia president Tunku Ali Redhauddin Ibni Tuanku Muhriz.
Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and Perak Police chief Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri were on hand to receive His Royal Highness, who arrived at 11 am.
Earlier, Nik Nazmi urged the Perak government to amend its state enactments to be in accordance with the National Forestry Act Amendment 2022, which involves the replacement of permanent forest reserves and a public hearing process that must be done after forest land is degazetted.
“This effort is to strengthen forest enforcement in combating the illegal harvesting of forest products and increasing forest preservation and conservation activities. The amendment will ensure an increase in penalties for offences committed in forest reserves,” he said.
Nik Nazmi, when met after the event, said that so far only Selangor has made the amendment while Perlis is in the midst of doing so.
“So, these (the amendment) are two very important mechanisms to preserve habitats such as the Malayan Tiger because Malaysia is one of the 17 megadiverse countries, the highest in biodiversity and one of the causes of (wildlife) extinction,” he said.
Meanwhile, WWF Malaysia chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar said the success of the RBSP, under the patronage of PTNP, in receiving the CA|TS accreditation placed Malaysia as the first country in Southeast Asia to have implemented CA|TS.
This, he added, put Malaysia alongside Asian countries like India and Nepal, which had also received the CA|TS accreditation.
Global Tiger Day, celebrated annually on July 29, is an international initiative aimed at raising awareness for tiger conservation while this year’s event, themed “Roar for the Future”, is fully supported by various sectors to save the Malayan Tiger.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency