MELAKA (Bernama): Pulau Undan, Pulau Nangka and Pulau Dodol will be gazetted as the first national marine park in Melaka, pending approval from the state government.

       Agriculture and Food Industries Ministry (Mafi) Deputy Minister 1 Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamzah said the islands, covering an area of one nautical mile off the coast, would be gazetted under Section 41, Fisheries Act 1985 (Act 317) to ensure the sustainability of marine biodiversity in the area.

       "The state Fisheries Department had been conducting a study since 2018, and it had found 81 species of hard corals and 19 species of colourful soft corals of the Gorgonian type in the area,” he told reporters after a visit to Pulau Undan here on Saturday (Oct 2).

       Also present were the state executive councillor for Agriculture, Livestock, Entrepreneur Development and Cooperative Datuk Norhizam Hassan Baktee, MAFI secretary-general Datuk Haslina Abdul Hamid and Department of Fisheries director-general Ahmad Tarmidzi Ramly.

       Ahmad said the move to gazette the islands as a marine park was to preserve and conserve the ecosystem in the area, as coral reefs protect juvenile marine life which leads to the propagation of marine population.

       He said the unique marine treasures would encourage eco-tourism activities such as diving and snorkelling which would benefit the economy of the local community involved in the tourism industry.

       He added that an allocation of RM110,000 was channelled to the state Fisheries Department to carry out, among others, habitat monitoring activities and works related to rehabilitation, coral restoration as well as programmes to minimise threats to marine life on the three islands. - Bernama