Sabahans To Benefit If Mount Kinabalu Joins Geopark Network
LANGKAWI, Nov 13 (Bernama) -- Communities living in the vicinity of Mount Kinabalu are likely to enjoy socio-economic benefits if the mountain, Malaysia's tallest, joins the Global Geopark Network.
Universiti Malaysia Sabah School of Science and Technology's Associate Prof Dr Felix Tongkul said with the Geopark concept, the surrounding communities could enjoy the benefits of tourism by participating in related economic activities such as opening stalls or curio shops.
"Currently, they are mere spectators observing the comings and goings of tourists and, except for providing manpower, they contribute nothing as the tourist agencies bringing in visitors to Mount Kinabalu Park are based in Kota Kinabalu," he told Bernama here.
He said geoparks should belong to the people, with the government assisting them to reap the benefits from the implementation of the concept.
Among the unique aspects of Mount Kinabalu in terms of geoscience is that it is one of the youngest intrusive igneous rock in the region with many glacial features and older oceanic rocks which can be found on the mountain itself.
-- BERNAMA
|
