If you advocate conservation of our natural heritage, your help and support would very much be needed to help protect some of the last remaining treasures from our jungle.
Recent development of the touristic sector, in an attempt to bring in some tourist dollar had adversely affected the three sites of rafflesia in Lata Jarum Recreational Forest Reserve in Raub, Pahang, Malaysia. Reckless and untrained tourist guides had brought thrill seeking tourists to these sites and had resulted in the near destruction of one of the known rafflesia sites. As these unique plants thrive in an extremely delicate and special environment, any disruption to its habitat could result in irreversible damage. As there is only one caretaker assigned to the site, his hands are tied and anyone wanting to visit this site should at least go through the right channel (Raub forestry department) and NOT hiring local tour guides-non are licensed nor trained in handling nature. I have even seen orchids and plants being uprooted by tourists...
So, the next time anyone invite you to visit this place, please go but do it the right way:
Take nothing but photographs
Leave nothing but your footprint
(And THAT includes not trempling where your feet should not be, please)
Recent development of the touristic sector, in an attempt to bring in some tourist dollar had adversely affected the three sites of rafflesia in Lata Jarum Recreational Forest Reserve in Raub, Pahang, Malaysia. Reckless and untrained tourist guides had brought thrill seeking tourists to these sites and had resulted in the near destruction of one of the known rafflesia sites. As these unique plants thrive in an extremely delicate and special environment, any disruption to its habitat could result in irreversible damage. As there is only one caretaker assigned to the site, his hands are tied and anyone wanting to visit this site should at least go through the right channel (Raub forestry department) and NOT hiring local tour guides-non are licensed nor trained in handling nature. I have even seen orchids and plants being uprooted by tourists...
So, the next time anyone invite you to visit this place, please go but do it the right way:
Take nothing but photographs
Leave nothing but your footprint
(And THAT includes not trempling where your feet should not be, please)
a foot-wide bud of the rafflesia cantleyi
a nice row of developping buds
an even larger bud...
the remains of a wilted flower
the bloom of a melanostoma spp.
hoof prints in a puddle of water
leaves of a sappling of meranti, Shorea spp.
pale yellow flower of the lemba, a plant frequently found in forest fringes. The fruit from this plant is a natural sweetener.
wild berries from a shrub
red fruiting bracts of a forest tree- ingkar burung
beautiful orange bloom of a wild mussaenda spp. on the forest fringe...
an insect...
a millipede on the forest floor
white fungi
a fallen fruit of a species of wild durian
intense red flower bract of a terrestrial ginger
encore some wild berries
a bract fungus in salmon pink
fruiting body of a wild ginger
strange white fruits
an ixora spp. maybe?
a fallen blossom from a forest tree.
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