Updated 20 July 06
We need more. Special screening of "Temengor-Biodiversity in the face of danger" documentary will be held.
The Campaign
Older than the Amazon and the Congo, richer than both in biodiversity. The Belum-Temengor Forest Complex is a 130 million year old forest in Perak. It is also our last significant remnant of unprotected rainforest. The Belum-Temengor Forest Complex consists of the Royal Belum State Park (yet to be officially gazetted) and the Temengor Forest Reserve (classified as a 'forest reserve' but not totally protected.
This rainforest is now under threat from both legal and illegal logging. Therefere, this campaign strongly urges the State of Perak Darul Ridzuan to conserve the Belum-Temengor Forest Comaplex through:
1. Gazettement of the Royal Belum State Park
2. Extension of the Royal Belum State Park to include the Temengor Forest Reserve
3. Immediate stopping of all logging activities in the Belum-Temengor Forest Complex
4. Developing a site conservation management plan for the State Park
5. Stopping the conversion of natural forests to plantatino forests along the East-West highway. |
Why Conserve?
There are 192 countries in the world but only 12 have been classified by the United Nations as "mega-diversity countries" that hold 75% of more of the Earth's species. Malaysia is one of these 12.
Belum-Temengor Forest Complex:
-has been identified as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) Rank 1 under Malaysia's National Physical Plan (NPP) and as such, no development or logging should take place, and urgent measures must be taken to protect it.
-is internationally recognized as an Important Birding Area (IBA). The Belum-Temengor Forest Complex is vital for the survival of the Plain-pouched Hornbill, which is globally threatened. These hornbills fly in flock of more than 2,000 individuals, a phenomenon not found anywhere else in the world.
-is the last unprotected refuge for at least 14 globally threatened mammals, including the Malayan Tiger and the Sumatran Rhino.
-is home to various species of flora - from the Rafflesia, the largest flower in the world, to Cycads, the oldest plants on earth.
-is a water catchment area for major rivers in Perak, Kelantan & Pahang
-is home to many tribes of indigenous people, who are an integral part of our natural heritage.
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What you can do
Sign the postcards to YAB Dato' Sri DiRaja Mohammad Tajol Rosli Mohd Ghazali Menteri Besar of Perak, and to YAB Dato' Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi Prime Minister of Malaysia. RIKL will be supporting this cause. Postcards can be obtain at all our activities.
Visit www.mns.org.my for more reading materials.
Materials above reproduced with the permission of Malaysian Nature Society.
