This year the dry season came very early and strong - some of the hottest we have experience in Malaysia and it is a clear cut sign of the urgent need to really stop the abuses in whatever natural resources we have in our country. The heat got me thinking...
To escape the heat, it is always nice to be able to stroll under cool shades of deep forests but alas, that might not be anymore left of it if the current rate of logging persists, as well as unabated clearing of forest for farmland - in the case of Raub until mid-elevation (around 600M above sea lavel). From afar, farms can be seen on the mid ridges of Ulu Tranum Forest Reserve as well as all over the foothills of Fraser's Hills (I hope they have permissions to do this). For someone like me who frequents forested roads just to enjoy the scenic drive, it is getting more and more alarming to see first the sign board of a permanent forest reserve and within the next minute durian farms straddling the ridges of the hills. Maybe next time when someone takes a bite at that famous Musang King it actually pays to heed where it comes from, in a word maybe we should practice traceability in our food chain, like in Europe. After all, sustainability is going to be the key word in our nearest future.
On the other side of the valley where Raub sits on, the picture is equally disturbing as the slopes of the Benom Range is clearly denuded for miles and miles unabated, slowly creeping up to mid-elevation and even submontane elevation unchecked because attention is focused to the ills in Cameron Highlands. What all these means is only one thing - where will the water from the current river basin come from once the hills are barren and unable to sustain its water table - not forgetting that the Bilut River and its tributaries actually forms the headwater of the Semantan River- and it has its sources in these two parts of Raub (and is going to be the source for the trans-state water transfer project)! Already, residents in parts of Raub where their water supply comes from the Bilut River is crying foul every time it rains because the river gets too muddy and JBA will have to stop pumping water. All rain and not a drop from the taps!!! Already, the remaining water source from Liang River in Raub is seeing its headwaters penetrated by human activities and farming. It worries me what the future hold for us in this quaint little town, that people can actually be so ignorant - and on general what all these means on a bigger scheme of things in our country...
Phew - happily, my weekends still roll as usual with my forest walks and here are some gems to share...
On the other side of the valley where Raub sits on, the picture is equally disturbing as the slopes of the Benom Range is clearly denuded for miles and miles unabated, slowly creeping up to mid-elevation and even submontane elevation unchecked because attention is focused to the ills in Cameron Highlands. What all these means is only one thing - where will the water from the current river basin come from once the hills are barren and unable to sustain its water table - not forgetting that the Bilut River and its tributaries actually forms the headwater of the Semantan River- and it has its sources in these two parts of Raub (and is going to be the source for the trans-state water transfer project)! Already, residents in parts of Raub where their water supply comes from the Bilut River is crying foul every time it rains because the river gets too muddy and JBA will have to stop pumping water. All rain and not a drop from the taps!!! Already, the remaining water source from Liang River in Raub is seeing its headwaters penetrated by human activities and farming. It worries me what the future hold for us in this quaint little town, that people can actually be so ignorant - and on general what all these means on a bigger scheme of things in our country...
Phew - happily, my weekends still roll as usual with my forest walks and here are some gems to share...
A sulking Amathusia butterfly sits vertically on a quiet trunk of a tree.
monkeys got a shot at this most unusally large and leathery fruit and drop some on the forest floor...
a beautiful jewel beetle in the shades...
When the cicadas cry in the early afternoon, it is a sign of the arrival of the dry season and in days where we were children, it was happy times away from the monsoon rain and wetness and sitting at home, of days catching rock shrimps and fishes by the brooks near our village, and of strange times where huge brown cicadas with transparent wings crashes into our house at night trying to devour the flourescent light...
A Faun, Faunis gracilis, in the shades of a forest trail...
delicate lavender-coloured flowers in the shades...
Who can resists a dip in this pristine water?
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