The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Tourism Malaysia have launched Passport 2 Nature, a campaign to jointly promote Singapore’s Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Malaysia’s Pulau Kukup Johor National Park.
This is the first such initiative by STB and Tourism Malaysia under the Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia’s Tourism Working Group. It is supported by Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), Singapore’s National Parks Board (NParks) and Johor National Parks Corporation (JNPC).
From October 1 to December 31, 2018, visitors can receive a Passport 2 Nature at the parks’ entrance counters, and collect stamps through completing a series of questions. After filling the passport with stamps, they can present it to staff at either park and redeem a souvenir created for the campaign (while stocks last).
“Singapore is located along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. This means we serve as a stop-over in the journey taken by migratory birds that come from as far away as Siberia. We welcome the opportunity to work with our wetland counterparts in other countries that are also part of the flyway, such as Pulau Kukup Johor National Park, to build up our knowledge of the
migratory patterns and requirements of these amazing birds. This will enable us to better formulate conservation strategies for our wetlands to ensure the long-term survival of these birds,” said Adrian Loo, group director, conservation of NParks.
Pulau Kukup Johor National Park, a Ramsar Site, is one of five national parks in Johor under JNPC, a state agency. The park underwent upgrading works by IRDA between 2015 and 2017. Also in line with plans for the park to become a leading ecotourism site in Johor, nearby Kampung Permas Besar has been named a “Kawan Iskandar Malaysia” (Friend of Iskandar Malaysia) village focusing on developing community-based ecotourism.
Passport 2 Nature follows an MoU signed between NParks and the JNPC on February 21, 2018 to establish Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and Pulau Kukup Johor National Park as Sister Sites under the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. The MoU enhances collaboration in joint research on migratory shorebirds found in both sites.
