IPOH, Aug 6 — Fresh air, green trees, waterfalls and wildlife galore — with three gazetted state parks encompassing rainforests and the seas, Perak seems to have a plethora of unspoilt nature.
But the silver state’s natural wonders are increasingly under threat due to encroachment, resulting in damage and pollution; and the Perak State Parks Corporation is increasingly being challenged to contain the problem with only 23 rangers to monitor hundreds of thousands of hectares in the field.
“The biggest challenge for any state park is enforcement. Our staff work 24 hours, seven days a week, and they sleep here,” the corporation’s general manager Noor Asmah Mohd Nawawi told Malay Mail in an exclusive interview.
“But it is still not enough. We hope the state can consider increasing the number of enforcement officers, especially since there are plans to make the Kinta Valley Geopark Perak’s fourth state park,” she said.
Perak currently has three state parks: Royal Belum, Kinta Nature Park and Pulau Sembilan.
Last week, the Kinta Nature Park was encroached upon. Noor Asmah said the corporation could only spare two rangers to cover its 395-hectare expanse, as six rangers and six assistants are assigned to take care of Pulau Sembilan; and the 117,500-hectare Royal Belum Forest has 12 rangers and 13 assistants.
She said the corporation’s rangers do not carry firearms and need to work closely with other enforcement agencies when encroachment problems become more than they can handle.
So far, the only park where the rangers need firepower to deal with trespassers is in Royal Belum, she said, adding that the police and armed forces have been called on for help.
Even so, Noor Asmah said the lack of manpower hampers the corporation’s ability to carry out its tasks. The corporation is responsible for the conservation and security of all the parks, and reports directly to the state government.
“The assistants only carry out cleaning and maintenance works. Rangers are responsible for enforcing the security of the parks,” Noor Asmah said.
But encroachment issues have been a bane to the corporation in recent years.
Last year, the Pulau Sembilan park was shut down, after encroachment by tourists was found to have damaged the natural habitat of the magical “Blue Tears” algae. The park has yet to reopen to date.
Despite the corporation’s struggle with encroachment, Noor Asmah said the state parks are worthwhile due to their unique attractions, which also serve to educate the public on Malaysia’s tropical flora and fauna.
“At the Kinta Nature Park for example, you can see a unique bird sanctuary that houses a variety of different species. It will be a pity if the public can’t enjoy this,” she said.
She said the corporation always tries its best to protect the state parks for the public good.
“But we also hope for cooperation from tourists, NGOs and the general public to help solve the problems we have now.”
