Kota Kinabalu: Sabah is moving to more than double its marine protected areas to over two million hectares, signalling a major expansion of its conservation drive amid growing pressure for countries and states to turn global biodiversity commitments into measurable action.
State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin said Sabah’s marine protected areas currently covered 7.36 per cent, or about 1.015 million hectares, with efforts under way to raise this to 14.71 per cent in the near future.
He said the expansion must be matched by effective management and real conservation results, rather than simply increasing the area recorded on paper.
“The 30×30 must never become a race to achieve a percentage on paper,” Jafry said in his address at the welcome reception dinner for the 8th Asia Protected Areas Partnership (APAP) Technical Meeting here on Monday.
He said the real test was whether protected areas were ecologically representative, connected across landscapes and seascapes, effectively managed, equitably governed and capable of delivering lasting benefits for biodiversity and communities.
Jafry said Sabah’s protected and conserved areas should be treated as strategic natural assets rather than obstacles to development.
He linked conservation directly to climate resilience, water and food security, livelihoods, research, education and Sabah’s position as a nature-based tourism destination.
The State’s approach, he said, was consistent with the Sabah Maju Jaya 2.0 Development Plan for 2026-2030, which places sustainable development alongside economic competitiveness and inclusiveness.
“This means sustainable tourism, green infrastructure and the responsible development of Sabah’s Blue Economy must progress together with the protection of the ecosystems on which our economy and communities depend,” he said.
Sabah’s push comes as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets the effective conservation and management of at least 30 percent of terrestrial, inland water, marine and coastal areas by 2030.
Jafry said achieving the target would require more than boundary expansion, calling for stronger science and data, better monitoring, sustainable conservation financing, adaptive management, local and Indigenous knowledge and community stewardship.
He also stressed that governments and protected-area agencies could not deliver the target alone, with meaningful participation by Indigenous Peoples and local communities essential to lasting conservation.
Sabah’s role has taken on added regional significance after Sabah Parks was named the country Co-Chair of APAP for 2026-2028 alongside the IUCN Asia Regional Office.
Jafry said Sabah regarded the position not merely as an honour but as a responsibility to strengthen regional cooperation and push practical conservation outcomes.
He said the meeting here should move APAP beyond the exchange of experiences towards a platform for implementation, helping members translate international commitments into action on the ground.
The meeting is expected to produce an APAP Communiqué, strategic directions and collaborative actions, with Jafry stressing that the outcomes must be practical, measurable and capable of continuing beyond the three-day meeting.
