KENINGAU: Sabah's Crocker Range Park is poised to supply a staggering 4.3 billion litres of water daily, catering to the needs of 28 million residents, Sabah Media reported.
Sabah Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Environment Datuk Christina Liew said the park's daily water output is valued at approximately RM7.7 million, based on the current price of RM1.80 per 1,000 litres of water in Sabah.
During the 40th anniversary celebration of the park organised by Sabah Parks in Keningau, Liew underscored the park's crucial role in the state's environmental stewardship and its economic value in ecosystem services.
"Our focus is on the economic value of the ecosystem services we provide, which directly benefits 99,100 community members across 385 villages within the Crocker Range Biosphere Reserve (CRBR)," she said.
Liew emphasised the need for sustainable development within Crocker Range Park to preserve its function as a water catchment area.
"We must continue to protect and preserve Crocker Range Park for the next thousand years. Let our vision of 'The People of Sabah Living in Harmony with Nature' echo through the flowing waterfalls and rivers of TBC," she said.
Declared as a part of the CRBR in 2014, Crocker Range Park covers an expansive area of 350,584 hectares, making it one of the largest conservation areas in Borneo under the biosphere reserve category.
The biosphere reserve concept, recognised internationally under Unesco's Man and Biosphere Programme, promotes a balanced relationship between humans and the biosphere.
