I
recently made a trip to the western side of Taman Negara, which is the
flagship protected area of Peninsular Malaysia. Its an area of magnificent,
pristine lowland rainforest with crystal clear rivers and an abundance of
wildlife. On my third day I chanced upon a Hairy-nosed Otter, perhaps the
rarest of the world's 13 species of otter. Prior to this encounter there
were no documented records of the species in Taman Negara and only 2 records
of this species in Peninsular Malaysia in the last 50 years. It really was a
great day. Click here to
read more.
On the way back from Taman Negara we had to drive across the main range,
passing through Cameron Highlands. What a contrast. Cameron Highlands
has evolved into a depressing area of rampant forest clearance, and an ugly
scarred landscape dominated by industrial-scale vegetable farming protected
under vast sheets of plastic. Refuse litters the area and the streams are
bright orange with silt caused by erosion of unprotected hillsides. We
humans have to eat, and vegetables are good things, but what on earth is
going on in Cameron Highlands ? Clearly there are no environmental
controls to speak of and the $$$ rules there. It really was quite a
sickening sight, which contrasted so much with the magnificent natural
beauty that once stretched across the peninsula from coast to coast, and
which still exists in Taman Negara.
(For links to older news articles,
search the news links)
What else is new ? Oh yes, I got to see my first Asian wild cat, a
humble Leopard Cat. At this
rate, with 11 species of felid making their home in Southeast Asia, its
going to take me until I'm 605 years old before I get to see them all which
is, of course, impossible given the precarious position many of the regions
cats are in. Some will most definitely be extinct before I hit 605, unless
we humans get our act together and treat this planet with the respect it
deserves !
Thanks to : Sophia Sak Baker, Chan Kwok Wai,
Vilma D'Rozario, Christine Fletcher,
Horst Flotow, Con Foley, James Gan, Graeme Guy, Dave
Haylock, Tim Jackson,
Leong Tzi Ming, Joseph Lim, Kelvin Lim, Norman Lim, Celine Low,
Shawn Lum,
Ng Bee Choo, Tony O'Dempsey,
Mark O'Shea, Bruce Paterson, Timothy Pwee,
Subaraj Rajathurai, Stephen Richards, Morten Strange, Ria Tan, Andrew Tay,
Robert
Teo, Sivasothi, Yeo Suay Hwee ... I
get by with a little help from my friends.
"Both science and
the teachings of the Buddha tell us of the fundamental unity of all
things. This understanding is crucial if we are to take positive and
decisive action on the pressing global concern with the environment. "
Extract from His Holiness the 14th
Dalai Lama's Acceptance Speech, on the occasion of the award of the
Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, December 10, 1989
