After an amazing experience in Kuala Terengganu, we were bound toward the north side of Malaysia, our crosshairs locked upon the fourth largest state in the country, Perak. Along the journey, my mind was consumed by thoughts of digging into a delectable serving of Nasi Dagang. It was to be my first time having one, so please excuse my fascination. Every adventure isn’t just about having fun; what’s crucial is to take something home and share it with everyone, be it stories or general knowledge.
My experience in Perak is definitely the most educational chapter in this journey. What I learned was that forest fragmentation is a huge issue. As whole forests are reduced to fragments, important wildlife corridors are disconnected and forests are reduced to patches, effectively turning into islands. Isolated and detached, both wildlife and plants are exposed to higher risks of species loss and habitat degradation. The Central Forest Spine Initiative is a Malaysian project to reconnect all these fragments along the Titiwangsa range. Increasing the protected area of our forests ensures the long-term safeguarding of important ecological corridors, but where damage has already been done long-term restoration needs to be carried out.
This is where TRCRC comes in. They are reconnecting the Northern Banun forest complex to the Southern Temmengor forest complex in an attempt to re-establish important wildlife corridors. The Gerik-Jeli highway cuts through these two forests, and the state has recently built a fly-over called a viaduct to allow wildlife to cross. TRCRC will be restoring the forests around this viaduct over the next few decades, working with local agencies, communities and other NGOs to conserve threatened plant species from around the state, and to reconnect corridors for elephants, tigers and all the other wildlife in the area.
To put everything in a nutshell, conservation isn’t just important for animals but for all living organisms. Conservation is also very critical in preventing natural disasters such as floods and fires. I think the younger generation should get interested in conservation because it is important for us to realise how rapid the world is changing and if we’re not aware of it, there will be dire consequences.
In conclusion, Perak left me baffled at the beauty of the scenery and it was truly amazing to be out there. Sleeping under 100 million stars and gazing at it wishing the world would be peaceful just like that single moment. The landscape accomplishes beauty on its own and we’re here to witness it. Discovery is the heartbeat of every explorer and we venture on to seek with honesty.
