KOTA KINABALU: Sabah government will ensure the building of more facilities at Kinabalu Park will not cost its position as one of the world's Unesco heritage sites.
Last week, the state assembly sitting was told that there would be development for Mount Kinabalu's Layang Layang area, additional hostels and Mount Kinabalu International High Altitude Training Centre at Kinabalu Park, Kundasang.
Apart from that, it was also reported that Sabah Fire and Rescue department is also waiting for an approval to build a station at the mountain for search and rescue operations.
Its State Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Seri Jafry Ariffin said Sabah Parks had important roles to ensure conservation and environmental restoration to be improved.
"It does not necessarily mean that by building such facilities (will affect the Kinabalu Park's Unesco title).
"More importantly is that Sabah Parks can take conservation actions," he replied to a question during a press conference on Tunku Abdul Rahman Park's 48th anniversary at Manukan Island here.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Heritage Site Outlook between 2014 and 2017, there are four threats that might see the stripping of the title.
Those four threats are on protection and enforcement; land disputes by the local community; the presence of dandelion as an invasive species; and, tourism impacts.
Meanwhile, Jafry said the increased of conservation fees at all sites under Sabah Parks were expected to be gazetted and enforced by end of this year.
"It is time to slightly increase the fees as it can be used for waste management and others," he said adding the Ministry is spending million of ringgits just to manage rubbish.
The last revision of fee for the 24 main points was about 20 years ago.