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ISSN 1108-8931 |
INTERNATIONAL ECOTOURISM MONTHLY |
Year 5-Issue 57, Feb. 2004 |
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Malaysia is one of the most ecologically and ethnically diverse, but
peaceful, countries in Asia, and consequently is able to promote
itself as the true Asia to the growing number of people who chose to
visit despite world tensions and epidemics. Taman Negara National
Park, Malaysia's largest, extends over three states - Pahang, Kelantan
and Terengganu in the east coast of peninsular Malaysia.
The park is also of a great cultural importance, as one of the
richest prehistoric sites in the country. Artifacts from the Bronze
Age have been recovered from the Tembeling valley, between the Sungei
Yong and Sungei Spia. The are is home to the Orang Asli tribe who have
lived in the forest for centuries and are one of the three racial
divisions of jungle people found down the Malay Peninsula. The tribe
is predominantly nomadic and its livelihood depends on hunting and
gathering. Visitors can explore the numerous jungle trails and limestone caves
and climb Mount Tahan (Gunung Tahan), the highest peak in Peninsular
Malaysia at 2187 m. Due to the scarcity of water, the climb must be
done in two stages, and an experienced guide is compulsory. Allow
three days for the journey to the summit and back. However, a visit to
Taman Negara is not complete until you have done the Canopy walk. The
world's longest it winds over 400 meters in the forest canopy allowing
you to view the rich and diverse flora and fauna at the very summit of
the forest, 25 meters above the ground. Night walks are also available
with a visit to one of the park's three hides. These elevated huts are
situated just five-minutes away from the park's headquarters but they
are perfect for viewing the park's night creatures as they prowl out
of the woods to enjoy salt licks, usually deer and tapir, but also
elephants and tigers. The park would not be the same today, had a 1971 proposal by the
Malaysian Electricity Board to build a dam on the Sungei Tembeling
gone ahead. The dam could have flooded some 32,600 hectares of land in
the park. Continuing threats to biodiversity include poaching and
deforestation, and lately tourism. There is no doubt that Taman Negara
is a premier ecotourist destination, however, it is one of 20 over
visited Malaysian protected areas according to a recent WWF study.
With the large and growing number of tourists arriving in the park,
responsible decisions must now be made with strict procedures and
guidelines to ensure that local people can enjoy greater benefits
without increasing the impact on environment. Attention given to
ecotourism is still patchy. Only few operators have proven ecotourism
records, most have been slow in developing new ecotourism products
mainly due to world instability as well as lack of expertise. How to get there, using public transport: By Road: From Kuala Lumpur, take a bus from the Jalan Tun Razak bus
station in Kuala Lumpur for Jenantut and then take a local bus to
Kuala Tembeling. Taman Negara is a restricted area. Bookings & reservations must
be made in advance at the reservations office in Kuala Tahan,
Telephone: 03-2634434. Activities include Jungle-trekking, white-water
rafting, and guided nature walks. What to
wear: Taman Negara (Pahang) experiences monsoons from mid-
November to mid- January, mean annual rainfall is 2266mm and the mean
midday temperature is about 32 degrees centigrade.
*Bishal Basnet is based in Nepal, and is Head of Marketing
& Promotion of Ecotourism for Pabil Treks Pvt. Ltd,
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ECO
FOCUS
The park, established in 1939, encompasses a protected area of
4,343 sq km with a rainforest that is older than the Congo and the
Amazon, as the region escaped the ice age of some 130 million years
ago. Thanks to undisturbed millennia of evolution, the park is a
biodiversity hotspot with over 10,000 species of plants. Epiphytes
such as orchids and ferns are very common throughout the whole park
.The palm flora in the mountain forest are especially rich and include
the endemic Livingston Tahnesis palm. The most conspicuous feature of
Taman Niagara's wild life is the profusion of bird species. Some 350
species have been recorded so far in the park. The most easily seen
and heard are the hornbills while fire-back pheasants are often
flushed out when walking through jungle trails. Fish Eagles and
Kingfishers are common close to the river areas. From the hides of the
interior of Taman Negara some of the larger animals, which may be seen
include Seladang (Wild Ox), the Samber, Barking Deer, Wild Boar and
Tapir. Other animals which inhabit the park are Elephants, Leopards,
Sun Bears and Sumatran Rhinoceros which is extremely rare. Long Tailed
Macaques are visible on the jungle trails by the river. Leaf Monkeys,
Headed Gibbons and the Siamang are the most often heard animals making
a noisy morning chorus from high in the forest.
Listen to Taman Negara at Night
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