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Activities Report 1999 Sept Newsletter

Belum Forest Reserve as a National Park 
      The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) commends the move by YB Datuk Law Hieng Ding, Minister of Science, Technology and Environment (MOSTE) to protect the Belum and Ulu Muda area and as well as other areas for wildlife conservation. These transboundary reserves with Thailand, are a welcome move, as the artificial international boundaries have no meaning to the animals. The space is suitable for migration and territorial home. The chances of animals travelling out of their home range are reduced and buffer zones such as minimal activity forests surrounding the area will act as a barrier.
      The importance of the Belum Forests (which includes Temenggor, and Grik Forest Reserve) has long been the concern of MNS as well as other NGOs and the public. Since the major MNS Belum I scientific expedition in 1993/4 and the smaller Belum II expedition in 1998, MNS has discovered a unique habitat, and a very rich and diversified range of wildlife and plants. One of the interesting discoveries is the rare Rafflesia flower, which is the biggest bloom in the world. Many big mammals have been sighted in this undisturbed area, such as the seladang, elephants, tigers and tapirs, along
with evidence of the endangered Sumatran rhinoceros.
      With Taman Negara representing the flora of central Peninsular Malaysia and the Endau Rompin, with its affinity to the West Borneo flora representing the southern end of the Peninsula, the third piece of the jigsaw of the northern flora, will obviously be in Belum. Belum with its neigh-bouring Ulu Muda area, is large enough to be a reserve for conservation. However, with the increasing wildlife population as reported by MOSTE there is a need for a larger area and the provi-sion for animal corridors for the migration and expansion of territory within the species. As such, to allow for such migration and better ‘gene-mixing’, ideally, the Belum Forests should be linked with the Stong, Perias and Nenggiri Forest Reserves by a series of more or less protected areas. These reserves will finally be the reality for the posterity of wild animals in Peninsular Malaysia.
      Why protect such a large area? This is an important investment for us, as the forest and animals play a crucial role to our own survival. The forest is a reservoir of pharmaceutical products, wild food stocks, natural pesticide and herbicide, natural fibres, wood products, ecotorism, and perform the natural cycle system of air, water, rain and nitrogen, fundamental to our continued existence.

Letter to the Editor, Kuala Lumpur, 2/8/99  (Star 5/8, NST 6/8) 

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Created on 3rd Sept 1999