Kota Kinabalu: Sabah’s marine conservation experience could help shape Malaysia’s national protection strategy as the country works towards safeguarding 30 per cent of its land and marine areas by 2030.
Stronger management and inter-agency cooperation will be crucial to achieving the target, with Malaysia’s marine protected areas (MPAs) currently covering 5.54 per cent of the country’s marine areas.
Deputy Secretary of the Environment Management Division at the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) Azlina Mohd Said said designating an area as protected was insufficient without effective management, continuous monitoring and cooperation among stakeholders.
“Marine protected areas are important assets for safeguarding biodiversity, protecting critical habitats such as coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangrove forests, as well as sustaining fisheries resources and the livelihoods of coastal communities,” she said.
Azlina was speaking at the closing of the National Marine Protected Area Managers Network Establishment and Alignment Workshop 2026 at Citadines Waterfront Kota Kinabalu on Wednesday.
The three-day workshop, held from Oct 13 to 15, brought together MPA managers and stakeholders from Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak to establish a national network and develop a common operational framework for managing protected marine areas.
The initiative aims to improve coordination among agencies operating under different jurisdictions while providing a platform to share technical expertise and best practices in marine conservation.
Sabah’s experience managing the Sugud Islands Marine Conservation Area (SIMCA) offers a practical example of how effective management can support wider conservation objectives.
SIMCA’s achievement in securing recognition under the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Green List was highlighted during the workshop, with its experience expected to guide other MPA managers in reviewing and strengthening their management systems.
Azlina said Malaysia should move beyond national achievements towards internationally recognised management standards and accreditation to enhance its credibility in marine conservation.
The workshop featured technical discussions on the Coral Triangle Marine Protected Area System (CTMPAS) and the IUCN Management Effectiveness Tracking Tool-4 (METT-4), which help managers assess performance, identify weaknesses and improve management practices.
Participants also reviewed the status of MPAs nationwide, assessment procedures and documentation requirements, as well as ways to improve data integration through the MyFiRST learning platform introduced by the Department of Fisheries Malaysia.
Issues raised included gaps in assessment documentation, the need for stronger enforcement capacity, tourism management and visitor carrying capacity.
These challenges underscore the importance of translating conservation commitments into consistent management practices supported by reliable data, adequate technical capacity and inter-agency cooperation.
Azlina said NRES remained committed to strengthening national marine conservation through the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF).
In May, the ministry launched the CTI-CFF National Plan of Action 2.0, extending implementation beyond the Coral Triangle’s scientific boundaries in Sabah to include Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak.
The move reflects a broader national approach to marine biodiversity governance, with Federal and State governments, technical agencies, research institutions and non-governmental organisations expected to work together.
Sabah’s conservation experience, including lessons from SIMCA, could contribute practical knowledge to this national effort while strengthening cooperation with other MPA managers.
Azlina said the newly established network must develop into an active, inclusive and action-oriented platform, with its success measured through improvements in management effectiveness, habitat protection and marine biodiversity conservation.
She said the workshop should mark the beginning of more concerted efforts to strengthen Malaysia’s marine protected areas for future generations.
The workshop was organised by Sabah Parks, with Universiti Malaysia Sabah, CTI-Sabah and WWF-Malaysia involved in programme implementation.
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