UNESCO biosphere reserve for Penang Hill?

https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2020/09/19/cabinet-approves-penang-hill-bid-for-unesco-status/

https://www.malaymail.com/news/malaysia/2020/09/19/unesco-recognition-for-penang-hill-expected-in-two-years-says-phc/1904807

From the Free Malaysia Today and The Malay Mail websites come this story about Penang Hill Corporation's bid for a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status:

GEORGE TOWN: Penang Hill and its surrounding areas could be accorded recognition as a Unesco Biosphere Reserve within the next two years, according to the Penang Hill Corporation (PHC).

PHC general manager Cheok Lay Leng said the Cabinet has recently approved the paperwork for the application submitted by the energy and natural resources ministry.

“We have been informed in early September that the Cabinet has approved the paperwork which will then be submitted to the Malaysian National Commission for Unesco where they may take about two years to evaluate,” he told reporters today.

Cheok said the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve will include the Penang Hill as a central park, Teluk Bahang National Park and Marine Park with an estimated 12,481 hectares of land. He added that PHC had defined the core zone, buffer zone and transition zones clearly, and areas that need to be preserved.

The Penang Hill area contains virgin jungle reserves which have been found to house 85 species of orchids, more than 100 species of birds, three iconic species of monkeys, as well as several plant, ant and spider species unique to the hill range.

Chow said Unesco recognition would benefit all Penangites and become another selling point for Penang Hill to attract more visitors. “I hope it will have the same effect as the Unesco recognition of George Town as a World Heritage Site. The tourism sector is still in its recovery stage, the Unesco Biosphere Reserve recognition will come in timely,” he said.

According to the Unesco website, biosphere reserves are areas comprising terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems. Each reserve promotes solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use.

At present, Unesco’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves lists 669 sites in 120 countries, including 20 transboundary sites. There are currently only two Unesco reserves in the country, Tasik Chini in Pahang and the Crocker Range, south of Mount Kinabalu in Sabah. They were accorded Unesco reserve status in 2009 and 2014 respectively.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2020/09/19/penang-hill039s-unesco-application-may-take-one-to-two-years-to-be-approved-says-corp?

Meanwhile, here is the report from The Star newspaper:

GEORGE TOWN: It will take between one and two years for Penang Hill and its surrounding areas to be recognised as a Unesco biosphere reserve, says Datuk Cheok Lay Leng.

The Penang Hill Corporation general manager said his team started the whole Unesco biosphere reserve application process about three to four years ago.

“We completed the first version in 2017 and subsequently, we missed the deadline for submission because we had to go through a long process of approval. There are many agencies that need to sign and have to be approved by the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry before we can submit to Unesco.

He said that in recent months, the corporation has managed to get it through the whole process and the ministry has signed the application. “The ministry will have to submit the application to the Malaysian National Commission for UNESCO (MNCU), ” he told reporters at the Hillside Retreat Bungalow launching ceremony at Penang Hill on Saturday (Sept 19).

Cheok added that the corporation had met the deadline for submission, which is at the end of September. “We have to wait now. It may take one to two years and the experts from Unesco may come and visit Penang Hill and then we will take it from there. The area is about 12,480 hectares covering Penang Hill as a central park, Teluk Bahang National Park and Marine Park, as well as Penang Botanic Gardens, ” he said.

He said the wait could take longer, as Unesco might not be able to send anybody to look at Penang Hill immediately due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “We will be following up very closely to speed up the process, ” he said.

According to the Unesco website, biosphere reserves are areas comprising terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems. Each reserve promotes solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. At present, Unesco’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves lists 701 in 124 countries, including 21 transboundary sites. Malaysia has two biosphere reserves – Tasik Chini and the Crocker Range. Unesco biosphere reserve is recognised by how human and economic activities can coexist with nature.