GAZETTE dated Oct 25 notifying that the state authorities will cancel Pulau Kukup as a national park refers.
Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim later explained that Sultan Ibrahim ibni almarhum Sultan Iskandar has a different vision and that all the national parks be changed to sultanate land for better protection and preservation.
This move if done right, might be a game changer for the betterment of our environment. The Johor Royal House did confirm that Pulau Kukup will remain as a state national park where it must be guarded and regulated to become a state tourism attraction. Similarly, in Perak, we have the Royal Belum State Park that was conferred the royal status by the late Sultan Azlan Shah in 2003 .
The “royal” title is not a mere title. It gives nuance to the importance of the conferred entity.
One hopes that the royal title will provide Pulau Kukup its due protection. Declaring national parks as sultanate land could finally provide us with a right check and balance mechanism where state governments can no longer degazette national parks, green lungs and forest reserves for development according to whims and fancies.
For far too long, sustainability and environmental conservation has been put on the back burner or seen as something ideal but not essential. If this is what it takes to save our environment we should welcome it.
After all, the Johor Royal House did play an active role in preserving the Sultan Iskandar Marine Park in Mersing. The area has vastly improved after the rebranding exercise and preservation efforts making it one of the top attraction for scuba divers. Preservation efforts include approval and quota for diving activities, coral restoration programme that the sultan himself took part in and strict enforcement against encroachment of illegal fishermen are designed to help protect the pristine waters and maintain the right ecological balance for plants and animals to grow in their natural environment. Soon, the marine park will also have its very own dugong sanctuary at Pulau Sibu.
Call me an idealist but for the love of the environment, I believe that this model is our best bet available to protect our environment. And since there has been a success story with the Sultan Iskandar Marine Park, I believe the best thing for Pulau Kukup is to be gazetted as a royal national park.
Brian Lee
