KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- The declaration 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 Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari.
He said the declaration would contribute to the state government's efforts to attract tourists to Selangor through the Visit Selangor Year 2025 campaign, which targets the arrival of 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 350 to 500 million years.
"Other attractions include the Gombak Selangor Quartz Ridge, the longest quartz ridge in Southeast Asia stretching 14 kilometres, 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, today.
The Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah officiated the event.
Amirudin said the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark also aims for UNESCO Global Geopark status by 2028 and would undergo periodic assessments, with its first evaluation on Nov 14, 2022, during the National Geopark Committee meeting organised by the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry.
"I hope the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark will serve as a model for other districts in Selangor to increase efforts in protecting local geosites so that Selangor can be on par with other developed nations with well- preserved geosites," he said.
He added that Tourism Selangor is the managing body for the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark, supported by relevant agencies such as PLAN Malaysia Selangor and the Selangor Department of Mineral and Geosciences.
Amirudin also highlighted that the people of Selangor, including Orang Asli, educators and students, have benefited from the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark initiative through various programmes.
These include the establishment of the Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark Management Body, which aims to create a team of local geopark guides by 2026.
In addition, community empowerment programmes focused on generating economic opportunities through local geological heritage in the Gombak and Hulu Langat districts and the emphasis on geo-food, geo- community and geo-school concepts to attract tourists, he said.
-- BERNAMA
