Tag Archives: rainforest

Climbing Mt. Silam with Sabah Crabs

After enjoying the nice view of Darvel Bay on Tower of Heaven, I went to climb Mount Silam. With a height of 884 Meters, Mount Silam is one of the highest mountains in Lahad Datu. Plant and animal enthusiasts will find that a hike on Mt. Silam is filled with pleasure surprises, due to rich variety of unique and endemic flora and fauna here. Thanks to Sabah Forestry Department, who keeps this mountain pristine in its 698-Hectare Sapagaya fully protected forest reserve.

Pic: Mt. Silam and its Tower of Heaven (Menara Kayangan)

Mt. Silam is classified as an Ultramafic Coastal Mountain. In layman’s terms, the soil in Ultramafic environment is reddish brown in color and formed by ultrabasic rock. The soil has high concentration of heavy metals such as magnesium, iron, nickel, chromium and cobalt, but poor in plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The ultramafic substrates are “toxic” so the plants which can survive here are very different from other vegetations. That’s what makes Mt. Silam so special.

The Summit Trails

Climbing a 884-Meter mountain may sound taxing. But no worry, I started the climb at 620 Meter elevation (near the Tower of Heaven), so going up and down Mt. Silam took me less than 6 hours. Do bring raincoat, water and energy bars with you, as there is no shelter and water station along the way. Wear comfortable hiking shoes, and a trekking pole would help, though the climb is not tough.

Pic: the start of the summit trail is just behind the Tower of Heaven.

Pic: the trail signage. The dig-a-hole instruction makes me laugh. There is no toilet on the mountain.

As shown on the signage above, there are two trails to the summit, i.e. the easy but longer Kalung-Kalungan Trail (estimated 2.5 KM), and the shorter but difficult Kayangan Trail (estimated 1.5 KM). To get the most out of this climb, I did a “loop” climb by ascending via easy Kalung-Kalungan Trail and descending via Kayangan Trail.

The Kalung-Kalungan Trail is fairly easy and I spend most of the time walking. Kayangan Trail is steep and narrow, a bit challenging and it is quite slippery after rain, you need to climb and get dirty, so I only recommend Kayangan Trail to experienced hikers.

Pic: the paved walkway and lower montane forest (cloud forest) at the start of summit trail.

My climb starts at the lower montane forest zone (altitude: 540M – 770M asl), the trees here have relatively shorter and thinner stature than lowland forest. They get even smaller (but denser) when you move up to higher altitude.

Silam Crabs

If you pay attention to the forest floor near the tower, you will see some cute and orange-red Silam crabs foraging among leaf litters. This land crab is endemic to Sabah and only confined to ultramafic forest of Mt. Silam. Personally I call it the “Ruby of Mt. Silam” or you can call it the Sabahan Crab, haha, whatever.

Pic: Silam Crab (Species: Geosesarma aurantium)

Silam Crab can be found up to the peak of Mt. Silam. Isn’t it weird to see seafood living on mountain? The red-orange shell (carapace) of this crab also reminds me of the color of steamed crab served on dish. Most of them are shy and flee to crevices before I can photograph them. A few are bold to face my lens. When threatened, they tap the ground with legs, making sound to warn the invaders.

Pic: boardwalk under construction, watch your steps.

Mt. Silam is open to public in year 2012 so it is still new. Sabah Forestry Department is busy improving the amenities and accommodation.

After 100 Meters of paved walkway and boardwalk, I came to the nature trail, no more man-made structure and support after this point. The air is as cooling as air-cond and I was wearing a thin T-shirt, but I still sweated a lot due to the long hike. The trail is well-maintained and the route is clear, so you won’t lose in the jungle, even without the trail markers. There was no forest leech during my visit. Though the trail is not tourist-friendly, most people won’t find it too hard to hike Kalung-Kalungan trail.

The Animals

Besides Silam Crab, there are some wildlife living in Mt. Silam. However, most of them are small animals.

There are 23 mammal species such as Sambar Deer, Banteng (Wild Ox), Giant Flying Fox, Slow Loris and Bornean Gibbon on Mt. Silam. Bearded pig (wild boar) is the easiest one to spot as they seem to eat day and night. I saw a few groups of macaques on the trees too.

Pic: forest snail that looks like a trumpet

Pic: giant millipede

If you like birdwatching, there is a mix of lowland, sub-montane and coastal birds in this area. A few noteworthy birds are Black-backed Kingfisher, Rufous Piculet, Chestnut-crested Yuhina and Red-bearded Bee Eater. I saw Emerald Dove, Leaf Warbler and Blyth’s Hawk Eagle.

Pic: Black and yellow Broadbill

“Hi!” from a curious warbler.

Pic: Tiger Beetle that looks like an ant

Tiger Beetle is the Olympian runner of insect world. If human is as fast as a Tiger Beetle, he can run at 770 KM per hour, meaning he can run from LA and reach New York within 6 hours on feet.

Pic: an unknown spider

The Plant

The plant biodiversity of Mt. Silam is amazing, as there are 374 tree species in four main forest types on different altitudes of this small mountain, each has its unique characteristics:

200M – 300M: Lowland ultramafic forest
330M – 540M: Upland ultramafic forest
540M – 770M: Lower montane ultramafic forest
770M+: Upper montana ultramafic forest (Mossy Forest)

Keep your eyes on the grass, flowers, bamboo, trees, etc., they can be endemic plant of Sabah and Borneo.

Pic: strange leaves

Pic: (left) Poisonous berries of Flax Lily, (right) Bangkau-Bangkau, the Enigmatic Bornean Tree endemic to Sabah.

Orchids

Orchids are everywhere, especially around the ridge area at 800M and above. Many orchids here are epiphytic, which means they live on trees that provide them support and more sunlight on higher spot.

They grow on the tree, mossy carpet, slope… Too bad I didn’t visit during the blooming months of orchid, which usually occurs in Feb and Mar after rainy season. Anyway, a few were generous to give us a showtime.

Pic: this orchid grows high on top.

Unlike the flamboyant big commercial orchids, native orchids are generally very small and not easy to spot.

Pic: this heart-shaped Jewel Orchid (Species: Corybas serpentinus) is only found in Sabah and the one I want to see the most, but sadly no blooming.. So I only can show its photo from poster. Another tiny orchid that I want to see is Porpax borneensis, which is also endemic to Sabah.

Pitcher Plants

Pitcher plant is abundant on Mt. Silam, you have to be blind to miss it. Some species such as Nepenthes reinwardtiana, Nepenthes tentaculata, Nepenthes macrovulgaris and Nepenthes stenophylla are endemic to Sabah or Borneo.

Pic: pitcher plant in the garden near the Tower of Heaven.

Pic: The top of Mt. Silam is blanketed by this small Nepenthes tentaculata, the most common montane species in Borneo. Note the hairs on its lid.

Pic: the upper pitcher of Nepenthes macrovulgaris (endemic to Sabah)

Pic: the lower pitcher of Nepenthes macrovulgaris in red color

Pic: just to show you how big is the pitcher plant on Mt. Silam.

Pic: some frog species live and grow inside the pitcher plant. Scientists still try to find out why.

Upper Montane Forest (Mossy Forest)

Mossy forest is normally found from 2,000M up to 2,700M above sea level, but you can find Mossy Forest after 770M elevation on Mt. Silam. Mt. Silam is experiencing Massenerhebung effect, a natural phenomenon that different vegetation zonation “compressed” on a small and isolated mountain.

Pic: the mossy forest of Mt. Silam on higher altitude.

The Mossy Forest is characterized by small pole trees and mossy ground. Cushion moss is important for the water balance of ecosystems in the forests by storing large amounts of water. Such wet environment is important for orchids.

Pic: Vivian, our guide standing next to the the trees full of epiphytes.

The ground, tree trunks and branches of Mossy Forest are covered by thick humus layer and enveloped with mosses.

Pic: a mossy stick insect blends into the mossy environment perfectly.

Pic: walking on the ridge near the summit. You can see the exposed reddish-brown ultrabaisc soil. The fern in the photo is Dicranopteris curranii (local name: paku resam), the most abundant fern species, it is ecologically important for moderating harsh surface temperature environment.

For more reading on natural wonders of Mount Silam, you may download the pamphlet below (published by Sabah Forestry Department):

Personally, for hikers in Sabah’s East Coast, I think Mount Silam is the best mountain for an enjoyable half-day climb, because it is easy and rich in flora and fauna. For more info (accommodation, direction, etc.) about Mt. Silam, you may read my earlier post about Tower of Heaven.

Photos taken in Lahad Datu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Poring Canopy Walkway, the highest in Sabah

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Poring Canopy Walkway is not for those who have height phobia. The canopy is over 175 Meters long and 41-43 Meters in height, which is higher than a 8-floor building. I wonder if any 9-life cat can survive the fall. Next to Poring Hot Springs, the Canopy Walkway of Poring is the 2nd favorite activity of tourists.

The entrance to Poring Canopy Walkway is about 835 Meters away from park entrance. It is open from 9am to 4pm daily.

Above: the Ticket Inspection and Registration Counter of Canopy Walk.
Please note this is NOT a ticketing counter. If you didn’t buy any ticket, you will have to turn back to buy it at park entrance, or you can buy the 2-in-1 entrance ticket (Canopy Walkway + Butterfly Garden) from Butterfly Farm about 20 Meters away.

With effect from 1 Jan 2023, the entrance fee of Canopy Walkway is RM5 for Malaysian adult, RM10 (≈USD2.30) for foreigner adult. Add another RM5 (≈USD1.20) camera fee if you bring a camera with you. You can click the signboard picture above for all the fees and detail.

After the ticket inspection, you still need to walk 550 Meters on a gravel trail to go to the starting point of the Canopy Walkway.

The walk to starting point will take about 30 minutes. Just relax and go slow. It will help if you wear comfortable hiking shoes and carry some water. You better bring your umbrella just in case it rains.

Along the way, you will see many trees labeled with species tag. I’m not a botanist, so it’s meaningless to me.

The trail is ascending route but it’s not very steep. As I walk under the shade of dense canopy, I didn’t feel tired.

Above: a tall tree with huge canopy

After 350 Meters, there is a small shelter (named “Pondok Tagaut”, Pondok means Gazebo) for you to sit down and rest.

There was nobody around. I walked quietly, suddenly I heard girls screaming above. I looked up and saw the canopy walkway. No kidding, it’s really high.

Very soon I reached the tower (named “Pondok Manggas”) where the starting point located.

Above: the place where you start your first step
The canopy walkway is narrow and only can take 6-people load at a time.

The canopy walkway is a suspension bridge constructed with ropes, steel cables and a series of aluminum ladders bolted together. Laced with polyester ropes, the open rungs of ladders are covered with walking plank. Netting enclosed both sides for additional security.

The bridge is connected between 3 super-big trees of Borneo rainforest such as Menggaris (species: Kompassia excelsa) and Seraya (Shorea sp). This is the first tree-top platform.

75% of rainforest animals spend their time on forest canopy. Some of them never come to ground, so canopy walkway is great for observing these animals. The tree platform is supposed to be a good spot for bird watching, but I didn’t see much, probably the birds are less active in late morning.

The walkway is an elastic structure, so it will bounce and swing when we walk on it. Some find this thrilling, while some think it’s scary.

Isn’t it exciting to see tree crowns at your eye-level?

Above: My heart skips a beat when I look down
This is what it looks like when you are over 40 Meters off the ground. That’s why people with height phobia, hypertension or heart problem are not advised to try this, though it’s a safe activity. It’s the worst nightmare for height phobia.

However, I notice that kids enjoy canopy walkway more than adults. Most adults just walk carefully and busy imagining that they would fall.

You may watch the 2-minute video below to get a feel of the experience:

Site Map of Poring Hot Springs

You may click the picture above to see bigger map.

More Photos

You may check out my photo album on Poring for more nice pictures:

Other canopy walk in Sabah:
Skybridge of Maliau Basin (longest canopy walk)
Canopy Walk of Danum Valley (award-winning attraction)
Rainforest Discovery Center (best for bird-watching)

Other articles about Poring Hot Springs Park:

Photos taken in Poring, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

DaMaI, the next UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sabah

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Kinabalu National Park is the 1st UNESCO World Heritage Site of Malaysia and the only one for Sabah. The good news is – DaMaI would become the next and second World Heritage Site of Sabah, and the bad news is – we have to wait until year 2017 or later, as informed in the World Heritage Workshop held in Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort & SPA on 4 Dec 2012.

What is DaMaI?

DaMaI stands for Danum Valley, Maliau Basin and Imbak Canyon, which covers 132,640 hectares (about 1,330 Square Kilometers) of Borneo rainforest in the heart of Sabah. You may click the following links to learn each of them:

Danum Valley: 130-million-year old Borneo virgin rainforest
Maliau Basin: Sabah’s Lost World
Imbak Canyon: the green canyon of Borneo

DaMaI is a totally-protected forest reserve managed by Yayasan Sabah Group and is larger than Penang state. Spanning an area of nearly the size of two Singapore and with an altitude ranges from 75 M to 2,000 M, DaMaI contains the richest flora and fauna species of Borneo. It is the home to over 15,000 plant and 350 bird species, and some endemic Borneo mammals such as Orangutan, Proboscis Monkey and Bornean Pygmy Elephant.

Workshop to Nominate DaMaI as a World Heritage Site

The Workshop was officiated by Datuk Masidi Manjun, Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment (Sabah), who stated government would give full support, even financially, to make DaMaI the next World Heritage Site (WHS) of Malaysia. There were about 60 stakeholders from government, NGO and tourism sectors attended this workshop.

Pic: Momento to Datuk Masidi (middle) by Dr. Jamili Nais (right), chairman of DaMaI Working Committee, and Dr. Waidi Sinun (Yayasan Sabah).

The goal of this full consultative workshop is to gather input from stakeholders to finalize the Nomination Dossier for DaMaI, with the aid of Working Committee formed by members from Sabah Parks, Yayasan Sabah, Sabah Forestry Department, University Malaysia Sabah, etc. I’m glad to be part of this.

The first requirement for DaMaI to qualify for WHS application is – DaMaI needs to be accredited as a National Heritage Site by Malaysia government. That’s why Department of National Heritage (Jabatan Warisan Negara) Director-General, Assoc Prof. Datuk Paduka Siti Zurina Abdul Majid was there to explain the process.

Pic: group discussion

After the briefing and presentation in the morning, we split into 5 groups to discuss on different chapters of the Dossier and to give our feedback. I don’t want to go into too much details on this. In simplest explanation, this Dossier is the documentation and management plan of DaMaI, written in format set by UNESCO. The finalized and complete Nomination Dossier will be submitted to Department of National Heritage by 15 Dec 2012, to include DaMaI in Tentative List of Malaysia. Tentative List is an inventory of sites that Malaysia plans to nominate as WHS in next 5 to 10 years. For more info, please visit the web site of World Heritage Center. As the first step of nomination, DaMaI must be listed in the Tentative List.

Status

The WHS application takes about 18 months. FYI, Malaysia becomes a member of WHS Committee in 2011. WHS Committee consists of members selected from 20 countries, and this is first time Malaysia joining this committee. It’s quite a privilege and good experience to learn about WHS application.

However, to avoid conflict of interest, as a member, Malaysia is not allowed to nominate any Malaysian site as WHS. According to Department of National Heritage, the proposal of DaMaI as a World Heritage Site can only be made in 2015, the year our membership ends. That means DaMaI needs to wait until 2017 or later to become a WHS, provided that the application goes well.

As of 2012, there are 962 World Heritage Sites in the world (69% cultural sites and 20% nature sites). Since there are nearly 1,000 WHS now, UNESCO is more selective and they look for sites that can fill in the gap. One of the most important deciding factor is whether DaMaI has any exceptional uniqueness and quality (Outstanding Universal Value) that is different from other WHS. For example, DaMaI has excellent rainforest, but it shares a lot of similarities with Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, a WHS which is nearly 20 times larger (2.5 million hectare) than DaMaI.

Though I’m optimistic, I’m not 100% sure if DaMaI will become our next WHS.

Pic: little souvenir from the workshop, a 8GB pendrive ^_^

Heart of Borneo (HoB)

Anyway, no matter what will be the outcome, Sabah will still carry on with the conservation of DaMaI. In Aug 2012, Sabah Forestry Department re-gazetted 183,000-ha of Class 2 Commercial Forest (for logging & plantation) into Class 1 Protection Forest. Class 1 means fully-protected forest, no logging, no oil palm and no hunting is permitted.

Pic: DaMaI is connected (note c, d and e)

Fragmented forest has been the biggest challenge for conservation in Sabah. The extra forest is really a great news, as it will link up Danum Valley, Maliau Basin and Imbak Canyon, and create a Corridor of Life for wildlife to migrate freely among these forests for more food and resources. This move is in line with Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative, which involves Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei and Kalimantan (Indonesia).

Other UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Malaysia

Currently Malaysia has four UNESCO World Heritage Sites, namely,

Kinabalu National Park (Natural)
Mulu National Park (Natural)
Lenggong Valley (Natural)
Melaka and Georgetown Penang (Cultural)

If DaMaI is inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, it will become the property of the world. It is a sacrifice for Sabah. More $$$ for ecotourism? Well, to be frank, logging and oil palm can generate more income than tourism. If the future generation can read this post after 20 years, please remember we work hard today to keep this Borneo green lung for you.

After DaMaI, do you know which Sabah site will be the next nominated WHS? 🙂

Photos taken in Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Madai Waterfall and Tongkat Ali Hill of Kunak, Sabah

Waterfall is a delightful view and always be part of the painting about paradise. The bigger it is, the happier the visitors. That’s how the 40-Meter Madai Waterfall drew me to Kunak, a small town in Lahad Datu district. In fact, many European and Asian tourists had come for it. I have visited many waterfalls of Sabah, and Madai Fall is one of the most impressive.

The 5-storey high Madai Waterfall is located in 3,436.50-Hectare Madai Baturong Virgin Forest Reserve Nature Center, which is managed by the Sabah Forestry Department and opened to the public since 1999. Madai Cave is also part of this reserve.

Pic: Madai Waterfall is inside Pusat Sejadi Hutan Simpan Madai Baturong (Madai Baturong Forest Reserve Nature Center) of Kunak.

As Madai-Baturong Forest Reserve Nature Center is a public park, anyone can pay a small entrance fee to enjoy Madai Waterfall. Below is the ticket rate:

Malaysian: Adult: MYR2.00 (≈USD0.66); Below 18: MYR1 (≈USD0.33)
Foreigner: Adult: MYR5.00 (≈USD1.66); Below 18: MYR2 (≈USD0.66)

Madai Waterfall

Madai Waterfall is very accessible. It is so near that you can hear it, once you walk into the park. Remember to bring insect repellent, as mosquitoes might be around.

Pic: the wooden staircase to Madai Fall.

It is only a 1-minute walk. The boardwalk is quite steep, be careful..

Pic: huge Alocasia odora next to staircase. This plant has the largest undivided leaf in the world.

Pic: Madai Waterfall in the sight!

Pic: the “twin” Madai Waterfall. After heavy rain, both will merge into one huge vertical fall. Though the water is murky, it is clean and cooling.

Due to the powerful splash, the air was filled with flying droplets. When the morning light shined through them, it created fascinating rays of light. Such a lovely view.

Pic: the warning sign near the Madai Fall.

Any water activity such as swimming is prohibited, because the waterfall pond is deep. Basically, this waterfall is meant to be watched only. Anyway, you can soak your feet in the shallow water, like most people do. Anything beyond that is on your own risk. There is no lifeguard around to stop you or to save you.

However, some visitors can’t resist to take a swim under this beautiful waterfall. A ranger told me that he saw a very deep hole in the center of waterfall pond after a 8-month drought. Madai is in a limestone area, so I wonder if this hole connects to an underground cave or river. Well, I’m just guessing.

Want to see Madai Waterfall in motion? You may watch the 90-sec video below:

During weekends and holiday, many locals come here to swim and picnic. Some of them taking bath (with soap) or washing their dirty plates in the stream, which flows to Tingkayu River. It’s not right.. 🙁

Pic: dense moss behind the Madai Fall.

The park opens from 8am to 5pm every day. The waterfall is quite crowded afternoon.

Pic: gold found at Madai Fall?

Wishing Tree

Besides Madai Waterfall, I found an interesting tree in Madai-Baturong Nature Center. The local calls it a “Wishing Tree” (Pokok Hajat).

Pic: the wishing tree is standing near the entrance of canopy walk.

It is a tall tree, which is locally known as “Kayu Ara” (Ficus species, Moraceae). Many birds will gather on this tree during its fruiting season.

Every ribbon on the tree root is a wish of the asker. Probably it works, so there are hundred of ribbons on this wishing tree.

Whatever, it is a tall and magnificent tree to look at. I wish it will stay strong and healthy forever.

Bukit Tongkat Ali

Bukit Tongkat Ali (Tongkat Ali Hill) is another attraction in Madai Baturong Forest Reserve. This hill is named after a herb Tongkat Ali (species: Eurycoma longifolia, Nicknamed “Asian Viagra”), which is famous for the medicinal properties of its root that can increase testosterone level and treat erectile dysfunction.

Pic: Tongkat Ali tree

Visitors can hike to Bukit Tongkat Ali via a 1 KM trail in the park. When you enter the park, just turn right and follow a small road that leads you to a small bridge and rest shelter. The trail starts at a paved path behind the shelter.

Though the trail is less than 1 KM, it is steep and tiring. The trail is paved with cement. It is supposed to be a good idea. However, the moss cover on the cement becomes so slippery that, after rain, the trail turns into a skating route. In some sections of the trail, I had to hug the hand rail to descend carefully.

Pic: the last shelter on top of Bukit Tongkat Ali (Height: 169 Meters).

I was told that Bukit Tongkat Ali was abundant with wild Tongkat Ali, but I only saw one or two. Probably some impotent visitors pluck it. I was also told that I could see Madai Hill from the top of Bukit Tongkat Ali, but such view was obstructed by dense trees.

Sorry to say, spending nearly 2 hours walking up and down Bukit Tongkat Ali is simply a waste of time.

Public Amenities

Madai Baturong Nature Center have some basic amenities in place for visitors.

Currently (as of Nov 2012), the canopy walk is closed for maintenance until further notice. Too bad, this 119-Meter long and 40-Meter high canopy walk, which is connected to three giant rainforest trees (Seraya Urat Mata, Oba Suluk and Merbau species), is a main attraction of the park, besides Madai Waterfall.

Pic: public toilet

The toilet is very clean and deserves MYR0.30 (≈USD0.10) per entry.

Pic: the Canteen (named Kantin Sri Baturong Madai) in the park

This canteen sells common food items such as fried rice and noodles, as well as cold and hot drink. It was closed for holiday during my visit.

Pic: there is another small food stall near the gate, but they are selling drink and light snack only.

Pic: (left) shower and changing room, (right) Muslim prayer rooms or Surau

Pic: ample parking space for 20 to 30 cars.

Their rest house is closed and the Exhibition Hall is not ready (as of Nov 2012). You still can camp in the park for a small fee (MYR3 for Malaysian, MYR5 for foreigner). I hope they will upgrade the facilities and amenities there ASAP to attract more tourists.

Wildlife

I heard hornbill near Madai Waterfall. At night, there are mouse deer wandering in the park too. The rangers mentioned a bird with a funny local name “Burung Kopi Susu” (Milk Coffee Bird). According to them, this is a small black bird with white stripes on its wings. This bird is common there and can be seen around 5pm. It sings very well, so people trap and trade them as pet. I wonder what bird it is. Magpie Robin?

Pic: Is Magpie Robin the “Milk Coffee Bird”?

How to Get There

Going to Madai-Baturong Forest Reserve Nature Center is easy but far. Madai Waterfall is 15 KM north of Kunak town and 71 KM southwest of Lahad Datu.

Pic: Madai-Baturong Nature Center is just next to the Lahad Datu↔Tawau highway.

By Bus: If you take Long-Distance Bus from Kota Kinabalu city to Kunak or Tawau, you can ask your bus driver to drop you right in front of the park, which is at the roadside (15 KM before Kunak). The bus fare is MYR50 (≈USD16.67) one way and the ride takes 8 hours.

By Flight: Take a 45-minute flight from Kota Kinabalu to Lahad Datu, then spend an hour on taxi to reach the park.

Below is the location map of the park:

View My Sabah Map in a larger map

For more information, you may contact Kunak Regional Forestry Office:
Address: P.O.Box No 2, 91207 Kunak, Sabah, Malaysia.
Tel: +60 89-851863

Photos taken in Kunak, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Borneo Taliban declares war to illegal loggers

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Director of Sabah Forestry, Datuk Sam Mannan, showed a cool video to 600 local and foreign participants, during his speech in International Conference on Heart of Borneo (HoB) yesterday.

Illegal logging is a problem in Sabah. 59% of Sabah is covered by forest, and our trees look like standing gold bars to those greedy illegal loggers. Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) has been confiscating illegal logging dozers. In most cases, SFD will auction off the dozer, so the illegal loggers abuse the auction system by appointing a proxy to buy back the dozer and back to business again.

Penalty is not good enough. Datuk Sam Mannan got a few confiscated dozers at his office, and he decided to do something about it. So he burnt it. Hahaha, I was “pleasantly shocked” watching his video. Hopefully he will post this video on YouTube.

Conservation is a challenging journey and a never-ending battle. Sometimes we win some, we lose some. Borneo earns a bad reputation on deforestation. We are doing whatever we can to protect our forest. We even plant forest. The process is slow, let’s hope our future generation will reap the fruits of our efforts.

He said this is the “Taliban” way of dealing with forest rat. Well, I don’t think he is a terrorist. He just wants to send a strong message (i.e. F*ck You) to those illegal loggers, and show his determination to protect the forest. I fully support you, Datuk Sam.

He acknowledged that his action may have gone too far in a civilized society, but “So What?!”, he added. LOL, I like you man, you really have the gut and attitude. 😀

Now I understand why woman loves bad boy, as our society, company and government are just full of big-mouth chicken men, who think that they are smart for not taking risk. I have seen so many cowards who only move their lips but not their hands. Sometimes, it is not cool being nice, just go kick some assess.

Photos taken in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo

Sepilok Laut Reception Centre (SLRC) in mangrove forest of Sandakan

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Here are some updates of the new upgrade of Sepilok Laut Reception Centre (SLRC) in Feb 2012. If you plan your trip to Sepilok Laut based on my earlier blog about SLRC, you may need to read the following changes.

Pic: Sepilok Laut Reception Centre (SLRC)

1. New Boardwalk of SLRC

Sabah Forestry Department has constructed a 700-Meter Belian (Ironwood) boardwalk to connect existing SLRC to camping ground in Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve in early 2012.

The new boardwalk will allow you to explore the pristine mangrove forest of Sepilok Laut, without walking in this muddy swamp.

Pic: Mangrove Discovery Centre and the new boardwalk

Pic: This 700-Meter boardwalk is built 2 Meters above the ground.

I visited the new boardwalk a month ago and found that this new boardwalk is great for bird-watching, as you can enter deep into the mangrove forest to look for mangrove bird species.

During my 1-day birding tour there, I spotted the following birds along the boardwalk.

Black-and-Red Broadbill
Black Drongo
Bornean Whistler
Buff-necked Woodpecker
Common Iora
Copper-throated Sunbird
Hill Myna
Jambu Fruit Dove
Kingfishers (5 species!): Ruddy Kingfisher, Collared Kingfisher, Oriental-Dwarf Kingfisher, Blue-eared Kingfisher, Stork-billed Kingfisher
Lesser Green Leafbird
Mangrove Blue Flycatcher
Mangrove Whistler
Red-billed Malkoha
White-chested Babbler (not confirm)
Yellow-bellied Bulbul
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

The boardwalk is also a nice way to see mangrove ecology and wildlife upclose. You would see proboscis monkey, macaques, monitor lizard, crocodile and mangrove viper here, depends on your luck.

Pic: Mangrove Reception next to SLRC boardwalk.

The main mangrove species in Sepilok Laut are bangkita (Rhizophora apiculata), tengar (Ceriops tagal), nyireh (Xylocarpus granatum) and geriting (Lumnitzera littorea).

Mosquitoes are active here during dawn and dusk. Do bring insect repellent. You will be deep in the forest, so there is no shop around to sell you this.

After 30 minutes of leisure walk, you will reach a Camping Ground at the end of the boardwalk. In year 2011, I had to walk nearly 1 KM from this camping ground to SLRC on a rugged forest trail. Now hikers can take the new boardwalk to SLRC, which is easier.

2. Trail to SLRC

In the past, for tourists who wanted to do a jungle trekking from Sepilok to SLRC, the trail started at Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre. This trail is poorly-maintained and turns muddy after rain.

Now the new 7-KM trail starts at Rainforest Discovery Centre (RDC) and passes by two waterfalls. I haven’t tried it but I assume it is better. You may click the trail map above for more details.

Other than what I mentioned above, nothing much is changed in Sepilok Laut Mangrove Discovery Centre. The naughty long-tailed macaques are still around. I miss them so much. But I didn’t see Paul, the alpha male this time.

3. Night Walk at SLRC

Again, I did a night walk at SLRC. I started my walk on a rainforest trail from SLRC to Camping Ground, then return to SLRC via the boardwalk. By doing so, I could see nocturnal animals of rainforest and mangrove forest. Cool huh? Unfortunately, it rained that night so I had to rush back. Anyway, I still photographed some interesting flora.

The new facilities of SLRC definitely made my experience there more enjoyable.

After enjoying the view of misty mangrove forest in the morning, I headed back to Sandakan city by speed boat.

If you love being in touch with forest, Sepilok Laut Reception Centre (SLRC) is really worth a visit, as it allows you to see two ecosystems, i.e., rainforest and mangrove, in one place. Have you been there? Please share your experience with me.

Photos taken in Sandakan, Sabah, Malaysia Borneo