KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 — The designation of Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark as the first national geopark in Selangor will serve as a stepping stone to promote the state’s natural landscape attractions, said Menteri Besar Dato' Seri Amirudin Shari.
He said the declaration would support the state government’s efforts to draw tourists through the Visit Selangor Year 2025 campaign, which aims to attract eight million visitors.
“Among the key attractions in this geopark are its geological features, such as the granite rock formations of the main mountain range, which are between 200 and 220 million years old.
“There are also the late Pleistocene fossils at Batu Caves, the southernmost in Asia, aged between 350 to 500 million years.
“Other attractions include the Gombak Selangor Quartz Ridge, the longest quartz ridge in Southeast Asia stretching 14km, and the oldest coal mine in Malaysia, located in Batu Arang.”
He said this in his speech at the declaration ceremony of Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark as Selangor’s first national geopark at the Gua Damai Extreme Park, Batu Caves, here, today.
Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj officiated the event.
Amirudin said the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark is also working towards achieving Unesco Global Geopark status by 2028.
It will undergo periodic assessments, with the first evaluation conducted on November 14, 2022, during the National Geopark Committee meeting organised by the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry.
“I hope the geopark will serve as a model for other districts in Selangor to increase efforts in protecting local geosites so that the state can be on par with other developed nations with well-preserved geosites,” he said.
He added that Tourism Selangor has been appointed as the managing body for the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark, supported by relevant agencies such as PLANMalaysia Selangor and the Selangor Mineral and Geosciences Department.
Amirudin said the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark initiative has benefited the people of Selangor from all walks of life, including the Orang Asli community, educators, and students, through various programmes.
This includes the establishment of the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark Management Body, which aims to train a team of local geopark guides by 2026.
He added that community empowerment programs have been implemented to create economic opportunities through local geological heritage in the Gombak and Hulu Langat districts, focusing on geo-food, geo-community, and geo-school concepts to attract tourists.
— Bernama
