UNESCO recognition of Sarawak Delta Geopark boosts heritage tourism potential

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By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, April 29: The designation of the Sarawak Delta Geopark as a UNESCO Global Geopark elevates Sarawak’s international profile while creating new opportunities for heritage-based tourism development, marking a significant milestone for the State’s natural heritage and tourism sector.

In a TVS news, Deputy Minister for Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh said the achievement was the result of a long journey that began in 2009, with efforts further strengthened in 2019, ultimately taking seven years to come to fruition.

“With the strong support and cooperation of our Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, this seven-year journey has been both challenging and demanding.

“Nevertheless, through the close collaboration of all parties, including the Forestry Department as the secretariat for the Global Geopark, the Sarawak Museum Department, the Sarawak Mineral and Geoscience Department, the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts, the Resident Offices, and other relevant agencies, we have finally achieved this recognition today,” he said in a statement today.

He added that the next focus is to fully maximise the geopark’s potential by showcasing its unique products and attractions to the global community.

“We must also explore how best to utilise the assets within the Sarawak Delta Geopark so they can be introduced to the world, further strengthening the state government’s efforts to boost the tourism industry,” he said.

According to Global Geoparks Network, the Sarawak Delta UNESCO Global Geopark sits at a major geological boundary where two ancient landmasses collided more than 200 million years ago during the breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana.

This ancient tectonic collision helped shape the foundations of Borneo and formed the Kuching Zone suture, a key geological feature that provides important evidence of how Southeast Asia’s landmasses have shifted and evolved over time.

Today, the geopark is characterised by a warm tropical climate and rich biodiversity, supported by an extensive river delta system and a landscape that transitions from low-lying plains to higher inland terrain.

The area also preserves a continuous geological record spanning over 250 million years, reflecting the long history of shifting tectonic plates and powerful earth-forming forces that gradually shaped Borneo into its present form.

Covering an area of 3,112 square kilometres, the Sarawak Delta Geopark has been officially recognised as a UNESCO Global Geopark.

The announcement was made at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France on April 27 at 3.45pm local time, equivalent to 9.45pm in Malaysia. — DayakDaily

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