FINAL VERSION FOR APPROVAL - Sdn Bhd - WWF Malaysia

Gunung Stong State Park Preliminary Management Plan
CHAPTER 6: THE PRELIMINARY MANAGEMENT PLAN
6.1 Purpose and Objectives of Gunung Stong State Park
6.1.1 Purpose of the Gunung Stong State Park
The purpose of GSSP is the conservation of the biological, physical and hydrological
resources of Gunung Stong, and their related ecological systems, while allowing for limited
ecotourism activities.
The indicator for this purpose is the that vegetation, wildlife, fisheries, other biological,
physical, and hydrological resources, show no significant decline within the five years of the
implementation of the Preliminary Management Plan.
6.1.2 Management Objectives of GSSP
To achieve the purpose, there must be a series of management objectives that must be
realised. There are three management objectives for GSSP:
Objective 1: To effectively protect the biodiversity of Gunung Stong and its
associated resources while allowing for limited recreational activities
that do not compromise its ecological integrity.
Objective 2: To promote the scientific study of the physical, biological and economic
resources of Gunung Stong.
Objective 3: To contribute to the improvement of the standard of living of the local
communities and also their level of conservation awareness.
The best form of management and administrative systems must be established if the
objectives are to be achieved. This means clear policy guidelines, clear organisational
structure with clear terms of reference, clear job descriptions on operational and line
management activities, clear chain of command and communications, and smooth integration
of activities with the local communities as stakeholders, as GSSP is not an entity isolated
from these communities.
6.2 Main Approaches and Principles
6.2.1 Ecosystem Approach
The definition of "ecosystem" is provided in Article 2 of the Convention on Biological
Diversity: "'Ecosystem' means a dynamic complex of plant, animal and micro-organism
communities and their non-living environment interacting as a functional unit." This
definition can refer to any functioning unit at any scale ranging from a grain of sand, a forest
or an ecoregion. Therefore, using this principle, the scale of analysis and action should be
determined by the problem being addressed.
The Convention on Biological Diversity defines the ecosystem approach as “…a strategy for
the integrated management of land, water and living resources that promotes conservation and
sustainable use in an equitable way. Application of the ecosystem approach will help to reach
a balance of the three objectives of the Convention: conservation; sustainable use; and the fair
and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilisation of genetic resources. An
ecosystem approach is based on the application of appropriate scientific methodologies
focused on levels of biological organisation, which encompass the essential structure,
processes, functions and interactions among organisms and their environment. It recognises
that humans, with their cultural diversity, are an integral component of many ecosystems.”
(Decision V/6, Convention of Biological Diversity).
For more information on the ecosystem approach, see
http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/cross-cutting/ecosystem/default.shtml
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