KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Parks has been honoured with the prestigious Chief Minister's Award for its exceptional dedication to environmental conservation, sustainable development, and community engagement.
Recognised as "A Global Champion in Conservation, Sustainability, and Community Empowerment", the award was presented to Sabah Parks director Dr Maklarin Lakim by Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Christina Liew, representing Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor, during the Sabah Tourism appreciation night on Saturday (Dec 7).
This recognition underscores Sabah Parks' commitment to protecting the state's natural treasures and empowering local communities, solidifying its position as a global leader in conservation.
According to the award citation, this follows its achievement on May 24, 2023, when Unesco designated the Kinabalu Geopark as one of 18 new Unesco Global Geoparks.
Spanning 4,750sq km across Kota Belud, Kota Marudu and parts of Ranau, this milestone elevated Sabah to the exclusive list of Unesco Triple Crown sites, alongside Jeju Island (South Korea) and Shennongjia (China).
Sabah Parks manages three Unesco-recognised sites namely Kinabalu Park, Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve and Kinabalu Unesco Global Geopark.
Hajiji, in his speech that was read out by Liew, expressed confidence that Sabah would achieve its goal of three million visitors by year-end, with 2.42 million recorded by the third quarter of 2023.
Praising the Sabah Tourism Board's work, he called for greater collaboration with industry players.
He also highlighted the success of Community-Based Tourism (CoBT), which has grown from five initiatives in 2014 to 107 operators, benefiting rural communities.
