The Management Committee was formerly made up of 16 component members including government agencies, private organizations, community groups and local NGOs, each separately constituted and registered. Together, they formed a unique collaborative partnership aimed to benefit the larger urban and sub-urban community of Kota Kinabalu.

In 1996, the environmetalists met the Sabah Chief Minister, YB Datuk Yong Teck Lee, Who was instrumental in approving the designation of the Likas Mangrove as a bird sanctuary to protect the area. Under the directive of the State Government, the Likas Sanctuary Management Committee (LWSMC) was established for an initial period of three years as the coordinating mechanism for planning and implementation of development of the Likas Wetlands area as a conservation area. WWF Malaysia was approved by LWSMC as the technical consultant to produce the Development and Management Plan of the site.

In the 1980s, A group of environmentalists from WWF-Malaysia and their peers came across the Likas swamp and proposed the ideo of lobbying this area for protection.