By Mustakim Ramli
SHAH ALAM, Feb 13 — It takes the participation of all parties to protect and conserve parts of the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark to become eco-tourism locations in Selangor.
The geosites include the Gombak Selangor Quartz Ridge, Kundang Blue Lake, Batu Caves limestone caves, Bukit Tabur, former coal-mining town Batu Arang, Mount Nuang, and Sungai Kanching waterfall.
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Institute for Environment and Development (Lestari) research fellow Dr Tanot Unjah said the effort is also in line with the state’s initiative for the geopark to be recognised as a national geopark.
“In terms of conservation, it would depend on who is the owner of the area. If the hot spring (for example) is owned by an individual or a company, we would be required to cooperate with them.
“To develop the area, we would need to cooperate with tourism (sector). If it is in the forest, then we would need to work with the Forestry Department,” he said during the Bual Bicara talk show titled ‘GHL Geopark: Becoming a National Geopark’, aired live on SelangorTV YouTube page on Friday night.
Meanwhile, Tourism Selangor chief executive officer Azrul Shah Mohamad said that social media would be the primary platform to promote the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark to tourists.
“We are actively promoting on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok and are planning to promote on both online and print mainstream media,” he said.
Selangor had formed the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark management body in November 2022 to obtain the recognition of the geopark as a national geopark.
The body is tasked with collecting information on the 20 geosites, preparing data, and conducting promotional activities to identify related agencies for collaborations.
