KAMPAR: The Perak government will gazette the 6.9 hectare site near Kampung Changkat Tualang near here, where the ancient coral fossils were discovered, as another geosite in the state.
State Communications, Multimedia and NGO Committee chairman Mohd Azlan Helmi Helmi said the area has its own uniqueness that highlights the significant scientific, recreational, aesthetic and historical values.
According to information and investigations conducted by researchers, the area boasts various invaluable treasures, making it the first geosite in the state to have coral fossils, he said.
"We must implement control measures as the record of earth's evolution needs preservation to generate new knowledge for future generations. Hence, it requires gazetting.
"An integrated effort must be mobilised involving Perak Department of Mineral and Geoscience, Kampar District and Land Office as well as Kampung Changkat Tualang community to realise this aspiration," he said after visiting the site on Friday (Jan 20).
Mohd Azlan Helmi, who is also the Tualang Sekah assemblyman, stressed that the site can also be used for educational and research purposes and has great potential as a new tourist destination in Perak.
The discovery made by researchers from the Perak Geotourism Association (GEONAT) confirms that the area was once an open sea with abundant snail life attached to limestone rocks, he added. – Bernama
