FINAL VERSION FOR APPROVAL - Sdn Bhd - WWF Malaysia

Gunung Stong State Park Preliminary Management Plan
7. Training, seminars, workshops for
staff
At RM2,000 per month for 1
year.
8. Stationery At RM500 per month for 1
year
9. Maintenance and repair of huts,
signage.
24,000
12,000
RM500 per month for 1 year. 30,000
10. Utilities and rental RM1,000 per month for 1
year.
12,000
TOTAL 354,000
6.6 Sources of Funding
Since GSSP will be managed by the Kelantan Forestry Department, it is envisaged that
funding for operations will be from the state in the form of yearly government grants, and
development funding from the federal government channelled through the Peninsular
Malaysia Forestry Department or the Ministry of Tourism. Funding should not be from
traditional sources alone, non-traditional sources must also be capitalised to help reduce the
gap between revenue and operating costs.
Nevertheless, it must be understood that the primary purpose of GSSP is conservation, and
not profits per se, and the funding avenues are meant to reduce the gap between revenue and
costs, and not meant to make GSSP self-sustaining, at least not in the short-term. In addition,
the park also contributes to the economic well-being of local communities, especially in terms
of the multiplier effect: visitors by their stay, interaction, and purchasing behaviour,
contribute to the local economy by the use of local transport, patronage of local eating-places,
and the purchase of vegetables, canned food, and camping items from the local sundry shops
for their hiking needs. Assuming each visitor spends RM50 for food, transport, and guiding
services, and with an estimated number of 5,000 annual visitors, some RM250,000 annually
may have been directly contributed into the local economy. This contributes to an increase in
entrepreneurial activities and the weaning away of the locals from the subsidy mentality
prevalent in rural areas.
The values of GSSP are not in monetary terms alone; there are also intangible values in terms
of ecological services, biotechnology potential, positive public relations (for the Forestry
Department).
Some of the sources of funding for GSSP are as described below.
6.6.1 Government Budget Allocations
Traditionally, yearly budgets are allocated by the state or federal governments for operations,
management, repair, and purchase of fixed and capital assets. This is the most common form
of funding for protected areas in Malaysia, and is responsible for the major bulk of funding.
Since GSSP is under the management of the Forestry Department, it is expected that
operating and maintenance will be defrayed by the state government, while costs of
infrastructure and building will be sourced from the Ministry of Tourism (MOT) and the
Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department.
The grants from the MOT are usually for the construction and improvement of infrastructure
at tourist sites (which includes protected areas like GSSP). Some protected area agencies like
the Marine Parks Section of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Johor
National Parks Corporation, and the Royal Belum State Park, have taken advantage of this
opportunity to construct chalets for visitors and interpretive centers. However, these grants
are only for construction of facilities; maintenance and operational staffing have to be
provided by the implementing agencies themselves. Without adequate operational staff and
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