Conservation of urban wetlands: the case of Kota Kinabalu City Bird Sanctuary
2005
Tan, H. S. | Ainon Salam
Conservation of natural ecosystems in the urban context poses a different set of challenges, compared to conservation in the remote areas. It presents some unique opportunities as well. This paper uses the case of Kota Kinabalu City Bird Sanctuary to illustrate the challenges, opportunities, and the progress made to date. The activities carried out at the Kota Kinabalu City Bird Sanctuary are broadly categorized into wetlands management, environmental education and visitor interpretation programmes. The paper suggests that despite the challenges due to the location and rapid developments around the Birds Sanctuary, it is worthwhile to capitalize on the opportunities presented by it to sustain the natural urban wetlands for various purposes. At present, the Bird Sanctuary is managed by an innovative and unique public-private-NGO-community partnership called the Likas Wetlands Sanctuary Management Committee (LWSMC). Made up of 16 component organizations, LWSMC was established as the mechanism for managing, planning and coordinating the development of the Bird Sanctuary. It is being transformed into the Sabah Wetlands Society, an accountable entity to take on a larger role. The LWSMC has no definite sources of funding support or monetary income. Many donors have helped to support this unique project. To be more independent and self-sustainable, long-term financial planning through the establishment of a trust fund is proposed. All things considered, the Bird Sanctuary is justifiably a strong case, if not a model, for conserving urban wetlands.
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