According to RimbaWatch’s analysis, nearly 100% of LSNP overlaps seven active oil and gas blocks. The group says there are 31 wells, eight gas fields, and seven existing production platforms within these blocks, and at least five gas pipelines running through the park. It questions how the environment department approved projects in a site that had already been gazetted for full protection.
An environmental watchdog has challenged approvals for oil and gas activity inside Luconia Shoals National Park (LSNP), the country’s largest national park. RimbaWatch says LSNP was gazetted as a “totally protected area” in 2018, when Sarawak’s premier Abang Johari Openg declared it out of bounds for oil and gas exploration. The group now alleges that approvals contradict that pledge.
RELEVANT SUSTAINABLE GOALS
A Protected Park With Petroleum Projects
According to RimbaWatch’s analysis, nearly 100% of LSNP overlaps seven active oil and gas blocks. The group says there are 31 wells, eight gas fields, and seven existing production platforms within these blocks, and at least five gas pipelines running through the park. It questions how the environment department approved projects in a site that had already been gazetted for full protection.
RimbaWatch further alleges that about 14.3 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves are being commercialised within LSNP. By its estimates, associated exploration and development would emit nearly one billion tonnes of greenhouse gases.
A Marine Hotspot in the Coral Triangle
The park sits within the Coral Triangle and has been described by WWF-Malaysia as one of Sarawak’s richest marine habitats. RimbaWatch warns that oil spills and acoustic pollution pose risks that could devastate whales, sharks and reefs in these waters.
RimbaWatch points to an International Court of Justice position that states approving new fossil fuel projects are in breach of their duty under international law to prevent significant environmental harm. It argues that approvals granted after LSNP’s gazettement are inconsistent with the park’s protected status and earlier state commitments.
The watchdog is calling on the environment department’s appeals board to revoke all Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for oil and gas projects within LSNP that were approved after the park was gazetted.
The challenge raises a direct question of consistency between conservation designations and industrial approvals. For a “totally protected area” in a globally significant marine region, RimbaWatch says revocation and strict adherence to the 2018 pledge are necessary to safeguard biodiversity and climate integrity.
