PADANG BESAR, Jan 10 — The development of the geopark site near here will not hinder other aspects of development, said Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Shamsul Anuar Nasarah.

He said the development carried out in the area should be in line with the efforts to preserve the geological heritage at the site which has invaluable assets for future generation’s sake.

“This is an effort to preserve the existing heritage (nature), in addition to providing many benefits to communities and their socio-economic status such as business opportunities, development of the tourism sector and so on,” he told reporters after a working visit to the Perlis Geopark in Bukit Jernih, near here, today.

Shamsul Anuar, who is also the Lenggong member of parliament, said the ministry and the state government were working to accelerate the development of the Perlis Geopark as a national geopark.

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“Each geopark in the country has its own uniqueness and value. In Perlis, there are high-value rocks that were formed between 400 and 500 million years ago.

“If also has an educational value that is very useful to geological studies and so on,” he said.

Shamsul Anuar said there are 18 geopark sites in Perlis, six of which have already been developed.

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“In a bid to develop the other 12 geopark sites, the ministry has allocated between RM300,000 and RM600,000 for laboratory development and to carry out various biological studies,” he added. — Bernama