Rainforest Journal

Rainforest Info, Images, and Adventures.

September 30, 2014
by JungleBoy
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Kuala Sepetang

Kuala Sepetang (Kuala means “estuary”, in Malay) is a small fishing village located off the Taiping, Perak state coast, and the gateway to the largest unbroken expanse of mangrove swamp forest remaining in Peninsular Malaysia – The Matang mangrove forest (40,537 ha), a truly fascinating place to observe a natural wetland ecosystem at work. Recently, I spent some time there, which included staying at one of the government built chalets. The Forestry Department has established a (well run) eco-educational centre at the Kuala Sepetang site. If you are in the vicinity of Taiping town, the Kuala Sepetang Wetlands is a must visit. Continue Reading →

September 25, 2014
by JungleBoy
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Forest Reserves are not “Permanent” in Malaysia

It is with a heavy heart that I post this blog post, after waking up today and reading this piece of news concerning the massive destruction of the lowland forest at the Lesong Forest Reserve in south Pahang. As you can see from the video, this is actually rare forest habitat on lowland, undulating terrain, and contrary to the Pahang State Government’s excuse that “the forest is low quality forest” you can actually see that the logs being pulled out are HUGE (The best yield forests are always lowland forest below 300m altitude). This apparently contradicts their “low quality timber” statement! What is more depressing is this area is adjacent to the northern part of the beautiful Endau Rompin National Park, that I recently came back from. Continue Reading →

July 5, 2014
by JungleBoy
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Endau Rompin Selai

Background

Endau Rompin National Park is an expanse of mainly primary tropical rainforest in the south of Peninsular Malaysia, named after two major rivers, the Endau and Rompin Rivers which derive their watershed from here, and occupying a total area of 87,000 ha. The park straddles the states of Pahang and Johor, with the Johor side being gazetted as a national park (49,000 ha), while the Pahang side (38,000 ha) is still a state park (if not mistaken) and managed separately by the Pahang state authorities. Continue Reading →

April 10, 2014
by JungleBoy
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Gunung Telapak Buruk

Gunung Telapak Buruk is a mountain located near Seremban town, Negeri Sembilan, and stands at a height of 1193 meters ASL, making it one of the tallest mountains in the state. The mountain and adjacent hills (including a nearby peak, Gunung Berembun, from which the forest reserve derives its name) form part of the Berembun Forest Reserve, an extensive forest area (around 50,000 ha) in the middle of Negeri Sembilan – that is mainly harvested for timber. Continue Reading →

February 23, 2014
by JungleBoy
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A walk through the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve

Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve (now called KL Forest Eco-Park) is a small patch of rainforest sited in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, at the base of the towering KL Tower, one of the tallest telecommunications structures in the world. Unknown to many, it is a small green patch that still preserves many species and features of the original rainforest that covered Kuala Lumpur at one time. Continue Reading →