(MY) no plans to conserve rafflesia and calls to ride crocs from river

[Guest guest]

The Star Online

 

Tuesday, September 10, 2002

 

No plans to conserve Rafflesia site

 

KUANTAN: Pahang has no plans to conserve an

 

area in Sungai Lembing here where Rafflesia

 

flowers and its pods were found but will allow

 

visitors to the place.

 

 

 

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said the

 

number of visitors would be kept to a minimum.

 

 

 

" We cannot simply allow anyone to enter the place

 

but we will allow entry to groups such as

 

non-government organisations.

 

 

 

" The Forestry Department will organise the trips, "

 

he told reporters after opening a conference which

 

was attended by state forestry directors here

 

yesterday.

 

 

 

Also present were director-general Datuk Zul

 

Mukhshar Datuk Md Shaari and Pahang forestry

 

director Datuk Mokhtar Mat Isa.

 

 

 

Adnan was commenting on a report by The Star on

 

a proposal by the Malaysian Nature Society

 

(Pahang branch) to turn the site, 70km north of

 

Sungai Lembing, into a Rafflesia conservation

 

centre.

 

 

 

MNS members discovered an abundance of

 

Rafflesia flowers and pods on the 44ha site after

 

they were notified about the plant by employees of

 

Rimbaka Forestry Corporation Sdn Bhd, a logging

 

company, last week.

 

 

 

The loggers were doing an inventory of the logs to

 

be extracted at the time.

 

 

 

On the logging, Adnan said it was an example of

 

how good practices in extracting timber could help

 

protect the forest.

 

 

 

" The contractors and concessionaire owner have

 

adhered to the rules and used selective logging to

 

extract trees.

 

 

 

" Although the method is costly, one can see the

 

result now - Rafflesia flowers are discovered and

 

rivers are still clear and flowing,'' he said.

 

 

 

" If the company had done things haphazardly, I do

 

not think one could even find the flowers. "

 

 

 

The Star Online News

 

Monday, September 09, 2002

 

Groups slam calls to rid crocs from river

 

KOTA KINABALU: Environmental groups are

 

appalled over calls by certain groups to get rid of

 

crocodiles from the 560km-long Sungai

 

Kinabatangan where wildlife is already under

 

threat.

 

 

 

World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia Animal

 

Species Conservation Unit senior head Dr Dionysius

 

Sharma said the suggestion to reduce the population

 

of the reptiles ahead of a river festival there was

 

" uncalled for.''

 

 

 

" These reptiles are not at fault. They have been

 

living along the river long before any human

 

habitation,'' he said.

 

 

 

Dr Sharma, who spent about a year in the Lower

 

Kinabatangan region studying the wildlife there, said

 

he was doubtful of claims that there were about

 

10,000 crocodiles in the river.

 

 

 

" I do not think there was a survey ever carried out

 

to conclusively determine their numbers,'' he

 

added.

 

 

 

Kinabatangan MP Datuk Bung Mokhtar Radin had

 

last week asked the Sabah Wildlife Department to

 

reduce the crocodile population in the river.

 

 

 

Mokhtar said the claim that 10,000 crocodiles lived

 

in the Kinabatangan River as stated by District

 

Officer Abdul Latif Kandok was alarming.

 

 

 

He had said the presence of crocodiles could pose a

 

threat to the staging of the Pesta Sungai

 

Kinabatangan planned for Sept 21 when various

 

events including water sports would be held.

 

 

 

" We do not want frightening things to happen,'' he

 

said.

 

 

 

Dr Sharma, when asked whether any measure could

 

be taken to keep the crocodiles away from the

 

venue of the event, however, said the noise and

 

crowd would scare off the reptiles.

 

 

 

" At the end of the day, events like these should not

 

be held at the expense of the reptiles,'' Dr Sharma

 

added.