I REFER to the report “Move to get Kuala Gula bird park on Ramsar list”( NST, May 22) saying that the Perak state government is to look again at a federal government proposal made six years ago to designate the Kuala Gula bird sanctuary as a Ramsar site (wetlands of international importance).

When the proposal was first made, it did not go down well with one specific stakeholder, namely the Forestry Department, which currently manages the area.

The reasons are simple and short-sighted: the Forestry Department specialises in logging and would not allow the area to be a Ramsar site as it would then involve a lot of eco-tourism activities.

This kind of thinking must change if we are to turn Kuala Gula into a Ramsar site. Besides conservation, these “Ramsar-friendly related activities” are part and parcel of the new trend of eco-tourism, which brings in revenue from tourists.

I am reminded of the case of Panti Forest (a fantastic bird area) in Kota Tinggi, which was to be turned into a state park in 2005 but was not, again because of objections from the Forestry Department.

Hence, it is only a miserable small bird sanctuary without any proper plans or tourist-drawing activities.

I hope that the Natural Resources and Environment Minister, together with the Tourism Minister, will intercede in the case of Kuala Gula and give us another Ramsar site we can be proud of.

MUHAMMAD HANIPAH SALLEH, Subang Jaya

Source: NST – May 26, 2008