650ha of Rafflesia Kerrii clusters found in Kelantan

Yes, almost 6.5 sq km, this site is perhaps the largest colony of Rafflesia Kerrii. I've been there and at any time of your visit, you will see at least one flowering rafflesia. There are many tours from Cameron Highlands to this site. Exploitation by 4WD to this site has damaged the trail and causing hardship to the locals who ply the trail to the forest to gather forest's produce. Tour guides have been damaging large clumps of bamboo to demostrate the water retention capability of the bamboo. Ecotourism without benefiting the local orang asli should not be encouraged. Right now, the annoucement of this potential could wake up the state government of Kelantan...but would the orang asli be given jobs in this lucrative tourism? The establishment of this potential natural heritage will not benefit the local orang asli if political will is lacking. As expected, exploitation for economic benefit will see the orang asli being sidelined again.

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Wednesday May 19, 2010
Star

KOTA BARU: A 650ha site with many clusters of Rafflesia Kerrii has been found in Lojing Highlands, about 260km south of Kelantan.

The area has a potential to be a world heritage site but is threatened by encroaching development from neighbouring Cameron Highlands.

The site was discovered by a Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK) research team headed by its senior lecturer Zulhazman Hamzah in 2008.

UMK vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Zainai Mohamed announ­ced the find at a two-day National Conference on Natural Resources here yesterday.

Dr Zainai said that with the discovery, the area could be developed for the agro-tourism industry, but it needed to be gazetted as a national and world treasure.

“Nowhere else in the world can we find clusters of such species and it should be gazetted as soon as possible to protect its natural habitat. Otherwise, development will destroy the area,” he said.

He also said more research would be done on the area, including the economic spin-off, natural habitat and potential conservation.

Zulhazman said after a two-year study of the area, he concluded that it has a vast tourism potential.

“I discovered 26 spots using the Geographic Information System. I have plotted three different sites – Kampung Cedau, Kampung Kuala Rengi and Kampung Gedik.

“All the Rafflesias were located outside the Lojing Highlands forest reserve and therefore it is vulnerable to development unless they are protected,” he said.

Rafflesia Kerrii is the second largest flower after Rafflesia Arnoldii.

He said serious efforts must be done to conserve the area that has no fewer than 260 pods scattered all over, adding that a working paper had been sent to the state government proposing that the area be gazetted but they have yet to receive any response.

Changes to curb illegal logging

The Star
Friday August 24, 2007
By C.A. ZULKIFLE

TUMPAT: Tagging trees with radio frequency identification (RFID) devices and raising the reward for information are two of several sweeping changes being considered to curb illegal logging.

Natural Resources and Environment Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah said other moves being considered included allowing the ferrying of timber only during the day.

He said on his road journey back to Kota Baru from Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, he counted 70 trailers ferrying logs at night.

He said he would also propose that the movement of trailers be done on a fixed schedule to enable effective monitoring of their cargo.

The proposed hours would be from 10am to 5pm daily, he said after opening a Merdeka carnival at SK Kampung Laut here.

Sazmi said previously, forest rangers faced difficulty in determining if the logs chopped down were from restricted zones, so RFID technology could help them overcome the problem.

He would propose that RFID tags be fitted to tree trunks in selected zones of forest reserves, especially in areas prone to illegal logging.

“Some of the logs obtained illegally are sent extremely fast to wood processing factories, before the authorities can react.”

He said the ministry was studying how the mechanism of illegal logging worked, from the modus operandi of loggers to the transporters and factory operators.

Sazmi acknowledged that illegal loggers continued to operate beneath the radar of detection imposed by the authorities.

He said the ministry would check to determine if there were insiders aiding illegal logging syndicates.

Public information was also crucial, and the ministry hoped to increase the rewards offered, he said.

He added that illegal logging must be stopped immediately because its effects on the environment were lingering. Most of the rivers in Kelantan, he said, were polluted due to siltation caused by over-logging in hilly terrain.

He was also worried that floods, a usual occurrence during the year-end monsoon, could worsen due to excessive logging.