DEVELOPING MARUDU BAY TO CONSERVE MARINE LIFE

KOTA MARUDU (Malaysia), May 11 (Bernama) -- Efforts to develop, conserve and
manage the Marudu Bay is vital as Malaysia is a member country of the Coral
Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security.

Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Maximus Ongkili, who
will attend the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) Summit in Indonesia, next week,
said the CTI area would cover the eastern part of Sabah.

This includes Marudu Bay which is rich in mangrove resources and sea
produce.

The CTI is a joint effort to gather six countries in a multi-lateral
partnership to conserve marine life in the region. It involves Indonesia,
Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor Leste.

Speaking at the Kota Marudu-level Kaamatan Festival here Sunday, Ongkili
said the Marudu Bay was already part of the five-country continental shelf
ongoing study, and that Malaysia was asked to submit its study by the end of the
month.

He said the sustainability of the mangrove resources at Marudu Bay was
crucial to ensure the large population which had been blessed with abundance in
sea produce did not lose its source of livelihood.

Hence, Ongkili said, the ministry was undertaking a number of studies with a
RM2 million funding at the Marudu Bay, involving Universiti Pertainian Malaysia,
Universiti Sabah Malaysia, ministry agencies and non-governmental organisations,
among others.

-- BERNAMA