KUALA LUMPUR – The Fisheries Department (DoF) has only managed to gazette 2,769km (8.9%) out of the 31,261km targeted stretch of national coastlines and waters under their plan as of December last year.
The Auditor-General’s Report 2022 (Volume 1) revealed the department had initially targeted gazettement within 31,261km (5.8%) out of 538,987km of national water stretch.
The gazettement is to ensure that marine species and ecosystems are properly maintained and not under threat through a strengthened and developed marine protected area (MPA) network by the department.
The report stated the DoF is responsible for identifying potential MPA locations for gazettement as well as consulting with the local community in the areas.
“The audit analysis found that until December 2022, the MPA area that has been gazetted is 2,769.12km (8.9%) compared to the set target of 31,261.25km. The gazetted areas involved 51 MPAs including those in Johor, Pahang, and Sarawak.
“The audit review also found that the DoF had last gazetted MPAs in 2008.”
In response, between 2014 and 2018, the DoF began planning and identifying potential 24 protected areas that stretch over 2,688km, located in five states, namely Johor, Melaka, Negri Sembilan, Kedah, and Perak.
As of December last year, all 24 MPA locations were still in the process of being gazetted, with 10 locations having been approved by the state government and the remaining 14 locations still under consideration.
Overall, the audit report found that the MPA gazetting process has taken between six and 11 years to complete, including the proposal, consultation, study, and state government approval process.
The report also found that marine ecosystems at MPA locations that have not yet been gazetted are exposed to risks of extinction, damage, and degradation of biodiversity resources. – November 22, 2023