Belum-Temengor

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Belum-Temengor is the largest continuous forest complex in Peninsular Malaysia. Specifically, it is located in the Malaysian state of Perak and crosses into Southern Thailand. Belum-Temengor is divided into two sections. Belum is located up north right by the Malaysia-Thailand border while Temengor is south of Belum. The Royal Belum State Park is entirely contained within the forest complex.

Belum-Temengor is believed to have been in existence for over 130 million years making it one of the world’s oldest rainforests, older than both the Amazon and the Congo..[1] In the heart of the forest lies the manmade lake of Tasik Temenggor, covering 15,200 Hectares which is dotted with hundreds of islands.

The area has been identified as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) Rank 1 under the Malaysian National Physical Plan and recognized by Birdlife International as an Important Bird Area. The Malaysian federal government has labelled the area as a whole as an essential water catchment area and part of Central Forest Spine and plans to protect the forest under the Malaysian National Forestry Act.

Despite that, between the two, only part of Belum Forest Reserve has been gazette as a State Park while the rest are production forest open for development. Temenggor in particular is facing considerable deforestation due to logging. Environmental organizations such as Malaysian Nature Society and the World Wildlife Fund have been lobbying both the state and the federal government to gazette the area as a park. The state government of Perak however has resisted the effort citing that logging provides the state with more than RM 30 million in revenue. Nevertheless, the state government gazetted 1,175 square kilometres, part of the Belum forest reserve as state park on May 3 2007.[2]

There is a plan to convert natural forest to plantation forest along the East-West Highway.

Belum-Temenggor's relatively untouched forest is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna including 14 of world's most threatened mammals including the Malaysian tiger, Asiatic elephant, white handed gibbon, Malaysian sunbear and tapir. Other animals that also roam freely include seladang, wild boars, numerous species of deer, pythons and cobras. Belum Temengor is ideal for bird watcher with over 300 avian species including the hornbill. It is the only existing forest where you can spot all 10 species of hornbill that inhabit Malaysia consisting of the white-crowned hornbill, bushy-crested hornbill, wrinkled hornbill, wreathed hornbill, plain-pouched hornbill, black hornbill, Oriental pied hornbill, rhinoceros hornbill, great hornbill and helmeted hornbill.[3] In the forest you can also find 3,000 species of flowering plants, including 3 species of Rafflesia, the world's largest flower.

References

  1. ↑ Malaysian Nature Society. Belum-Temengor. Extracted October 19 2006
  2. ↑ Bernama. Perak Gazettes Royal Belum State Park. Extracted May 23 2007
  3. ↑ Malaysian Nature Society

Other references

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