What Is Belum-Temengor Forest Complex?

Belum-Temengor Forest Complex (BTRC) is surrounded by three pristine forest reserves namely the Belum Forest Reserve, Grik Forest Reserve and Temengor Forest Reserve as well as a man-made lake; Temengor Lake as an essential water catchment area. Belum is one of the world’s oldest rainforests, believed to be 130 million years old, which would make it older than the Amazon rainforest. Belum Forest Reserve is an initiative from the government to preserve this forest as a permanent nature reserve for research. It presents an incredible richness in animal life and lush vegetation. This pristine environment, where biodiversity is practically intact, is also home of the 'orang asli' with their unique traditional lifestyle of totally depending upon
Belum is rich beyond any comprehension and is already a heritage worth saving. However, in the light of the recent events, this complex ecosystem faces threat due to the proposed intentions to degazzete certain areas of the forest for further development. Considering the importance of this ecosystem, and wealth of information that can be garnered, not to mention the threats it is facing, it is timely for USM to embark into a holistic research approach, so that issues related its sustainability can be addressed. Research conducted can provide insight into processes of crucial Earth’s environment and climate that may provide an early warning of important global changes. This exciting world ecosystems and habitats are so much more to be explored for the benefit of mankind and towards advancing the cause of human
The term is an amalgam of interests arising out of environmental, economic and social concerns. In practice, the types of ecotourism can be classified according to their tendency to be consistent with their degree of impact on the natural environment, and this classification is linked with a consideration of ethics in ecotourism and is seen by a number of authors as an integral part of any discussion on ecotourism. Over the last three decades, ecotourism has assumed a global presence and has been acknowledged as a potential tool to improve sustainability in protected areas by modifying human social behaviour in regard to environmental conservation. In other words, ecotourism incorporates a strong commitment to nature and a sense of social responsibility. There are examples of successful ecotourism ventures, which are making a real and significant contribution to the conservation of the natural resources as well as the development of impoverished communities. However, these examples are extremely rare because they have generally been peripheral to tourism planning and management especially in developing countries including Malaysia. It can be contested that ecotourism is still at the very early and fragile stage in its development. The overall concepts and principles of ecotourism are continually beset by larger-scale interests