Guest guest Posted July 2, 2002 Report Share Posted July 2, 2002 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from thestar.com.my URL: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2002/6/25/features/hrperlis4 & sec\ =features ________________________ Tuesday, June 25, 2002 Biodiversity haven The Perlis State Park has a diverse range of habitats which support many interesting species of flora and fauna. HILARY CHIEW looks into efforts taken by the State Government to protect its natural heritage and project the park as a showcase of sustainable development. PERLIS may be the smallest state, tucked away in the northwest corner of the peninsula, but it could well outshine all the others when it comes to protecting its natural heritage. A case in point is the Perlis State Park. The State Government saw the urgent need to protect the park and reclassified it under Section 10(1) of the National Forestry Act 1984 (Amendment) (Perlis) Enactment 2001 last November. This makes the Perlis State Park the country’s first “state park forest” and marks the foray of the State Forestry Department into conservation work, an extension of its traditional role as forest manager. It is worth noting that the State Government had considered the concern of scientists and conservationists over the ambiguous permanent forest reserves (PFRs) status under which the Perlis State Park was formerly gazetted. Under PFRs status, the protected area could one day be de-gazetted to make way for development projects should it fail to serve its basic roles in flood control and soil protection, as a water catchment, wildlife santuary, and a virgin jungle reserve for education and research purposes. “This classification does not provide adequate protection for the park,” says Rahimatsah Amat, chief technical adviser of the Perlis State Park. “So we proposed the new model and it was passed by the State Legislative Assembly last November. This reclassification enables the Perlis State Forestry Department (PSFD) to draw its own rules for the administration and management of the park.” Rahimatsah was speaking at a recent seminar on biodiversity conservation jointly organised by the PSFD and the Institute of Environment and Development of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (Lestari). Earmarked by scientists as a conservation hotspot, the State Government linked and gazetted two important forest reserves – the Mata Ayer and Wang Mu Forest Reserves – and Wang Tangga to form the 5,075ha Perlis State Park in 1997. The initiative is supported by a three-year grant from the Danish Corporation for Environment and Development (Danced) with World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malaysia serving as technical consultant and PSFD as co-manager. Hemmed in by the trans-border limestone habitat – the Nakawan Range – that straddles the Thaleban National Park in southern Thailand and the western fringe of Perlis, the Perlis State Park has a diverse range of habitats, including lowland semi-deciduous forests, slope vegetations, freshwater lakes, limestone caves and underground river systems. Due to its northern geographical location, Perlis forests differ from Red Meranti forests found in other parts of the peninsula. The natural vegetation here, which is White Meranti-Gerutu seasonal forest, is of the semi-deciduous type which shed their leaves seasonally. This is similar to forests in the Myanmar-Thai region. A 1992 survey by WWF Malaysia recorded a total of 142 species of plants, including a palm and three ginger species which have never been recorded on limestone habitat, 37 species of mammals, 35 species of reptiles and 88 species of birds. Of particular interest was the sighting of the extremely rare stump-tailed macaque (Macaca arctoides) which was thought to be extinct in the peninsula. According to botanist Ruth Kiew who conducted a survey in 1993, the limestone flora of Perlis comprises 215 species from 65 families. Out of that, 22% is endemic to Malaysia and eight species to Perlis. New species continue to be recorded from the Perlis State Park. This has prompted researchers to call for the protection of adjacent forests. “Plans are afoot to expand the park by another 3,972ha. This will cover the Bukit Bintang and Kurong Batang Forest Reserves south of the existing park,” says Rahimatsah. On the proposed expansion, Lestari director Dr A. Latiff says the Chuping limestone range and the Timah Tasoh reservoir should also be considered for their wetlands which are important bird areas. According to Rahimatsah, the Chuping hills formed about 250 million years ago and situated east of the state park are currently being surveyed for gazettement as a forest reserve next year. Need to coordinate research Rahimatsah laments the lack of coordination between the management and researchers, resulting in the replication of specimen collection and over-collection of newly-discovered species. This could well diminish the wild population. Lestari’s Latiff reckons that scientists from various local universities could contribute towards strengthening the baseline data. “It is possible to research every nook and cranny of Perlis State Park as it is relatively small compared to other forested areas in the country. We hope to make the park a model of biodiversity conservation in the country.” Source of quality water The park, which covers 45% of Perlis’ total forested area, serves a crucial role as a water catchment area. Sungai Tasoh drains the Wang Kelian and Wang Mu areas before flowing into the reservoir. The lack of a watershed in the state is compensated by the Nakawan Range and its massive network of underground river systems which ensure a continuous supply of quality water for the state. At a time when heavily industrialised states like Selangor and Penang are facing water shortages, partly because of destroyed watersheds, Perlis should value the ecological functions of its forests and protect them against unsustainable development. Poverty-driven exploitation It may be easy to convince scientists to cooperate with the management but what about poachers who have no consideration for conservation? Glenda Noramly of the Malaysian Nature Society Bird Conservation Council says the absence of some species of birds, the dwindling number of certain species and the shyness of many birds seem to indicate poaching in the park. “At the entrance to the Tasik Meranti Trail, a bamboo ladder was built on a wild fig tree. As the fruits are not suitable for human consumption, the ladder was probably used to put birdlime up in the trees to trap birds coming to feed. This is an illegal trapping method which could catch many totally protected species,” says Glenda. The lack of awareness for nature conservation is compounded by the rural poverty of the communities fringing the park. “Incidence of exploitation has been observed,” highlights Rahimatsah. Local communities collect the gouty balsam (Impatiens mirabilis) and bogak (Cycas clivicola) for their commercial value in horticulture, and the tongkat ali, kacip fatimah and misai kucing for their medicinal value. Indiscriminate collection could hamper the State Government’s plan to develop the Mata Ayer Herbal Garden as a herbarium to spearhead the scientific prospecting of indigenous plants and provide Perlis with a viable economic resource in alternative medicine. To win over the locals and turn them into protectors of the forest, the management has incorporated an eco-tourism development and management plan in the blueprint. It aims to raise awareness among locals of the need to protect the natural resources which they rely on for their livelihood. For instance, plant propagation has been identified as a viable strategy to provide alternative sources of income for local communities while conserving the biodiversity. Such a venture would also put to good use the traditional knowledge of plants among the older generation in Kampung Wang Kelian, says WWF scientific officer Surin Suksuwan, adding that PSFD has had considerable experience in propagating some of these plants as showcased at the Medicinal Plants Garden in Bukit Ayer. “Profit-sharing is vital to ensure the involvement of local communities. They should be given the chance to initiate and lead tourism projects with technical assistance from the relevant authorities,” says Surin. Several skill-training courses have been conducted to prepare local villagers in handling tourists. At present, accommodation facilities are managed by the PSFD while the locals provide services in food catering and nature tours. While welcoming the proposed southward expansion of the park, WWF Malaysia’s national project director Kevin Hiew expressed concern over the lack of trained personnel to manage the park. “The foundation has been laid,” says Hiew. “The next move is to train personnel to run the park, and empower the local community to carry on as stewards of the park. We don’t want it to end up as a poorly managed park years down the road.” It is up to the State Government to allocate sufficient funds and continue to support sustainable development of the park so that all efforts put in thus far would not be in vain. <!-- Page: 3 --> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2002 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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