Zulkifly Ab Latif follows an expedition to document the flora and fauna of Pangkor Island
I AM feeling somewhat overwhelmed. There is a cacophony of activities around me — much of which is a mix of the strange with the familiar.
A man walks by wearing neoprene scuba diving boots, carrying on his back an electronic-looking pack attached to a rod that reminds me of that 1980s Ghostbusters movie.
Others are busy stacking steel cage traps, the kind I’ve used to catch rats at home, outside the resort’s main entrance.
A woman in hiking boots is carrying a steel rod with a drill on one end. And there’s even a man walking around with snake catching tongs.
I am at Panvill Resort and Training Camp, within picturesque Teluk Nipah in Pangkor Island, Perak for the Pangkor Island Scientific Expedition 2017.
This is a seven-day expedition involving 115 researchers from 14 local institutes of higher learning organised by the Ecotourism and Conservation Society of Malaysia (Ecomy ) and supported by Vale Minerals Sdn Bhd.
It is the first day of the expedition and much of what I’ve seen so far has been quite scientific as PISE’s name implies, which aims to document the flora and fauna of Pangkor Island.
Andrew Sebastian, Ecomy co-founder and chief executive officer, walks up to me, claps his hands cheerfully and asks: “So which group are you following?
His eyes search for the answers on my face while my eyes scan the groups of researchers around us.
Having attended the briefing prior to the start of the event, I choose the activity I am most familiar with – trekking.
OFF INTO THE FOREST
Led by two foresters of the Perak Forestry Department, the expedition’s research area is at Sungai Pinang Permanent Forest Reserve, just behind Teluk Nipah.
The aim is to observe Balau Putih Shorea Lumuntesis, a rare timber tree that is unfortunately now on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species.
I start the trek with Ismadi Din, a Pangkor local who is under Ecomy’s nature guide mentorship programme along with Dr Manohar Mariapan, an associate professor in the Department of Recreation and EcoTourism of the Faculty of Forestry, Universiti Putra Malaysia.
Dr Manohar (or Dr Mano, as the others call him) is a pleasure to trek into a jungle with, as the length and breadth of his knowledge is astounding.
His apparent enthusiasm for nature is endearing and infectious, as he stops us in our tracks every few metres or so to point out an interesting species of flora.
“That’s a Jenjulung plant. Very fibrous and tough stalk. I’m always fascinated with plants that have Malay names, that’s an indicator that they might have had some use back then,” Dr Mano says. Throughout the trek, I can see Ismadi listening intently to Dr Mano, trying to absorb every bit of information.
Interested in becoming a certified nature guide, Ismadi is keen in promoting the rich biodiversity of Pangkor Island’s pristine jungle as an ecotourism product. Ecomy’s mentorship programme as well as PISE are the perfect stepping stones to achieve that.
The trek to the site of the endangered Shorea Lumuntesis is surprisingly not that difficult. The trail meanders along the ridge of a hill and the ascent is barely noticeable.
Standing near one of the majestic Balau Putih trees, I am struck by their close proximity to civilisation.
Somewhere down the hill, near the beaches of Teluk Nipah are throngs of tourists oblivious to trees’ (threatened) existence, of which I am told can only be found in three places in the state of Perak. One of them is Pangkor island.
NIGHT HUNT FOR SNAKES
After getting to know the expedition researchers a bit more during lunch, I find out that the man with the snake-catching tongs is Dr Teo Eng Wah, a senior lecturer at University of Malaya.
Preferring to be called Vincent, he is passionate about reptiles, particularly snakes and photographing them. The snake tongs are merely to help him handle the snakes safely in the wild if the need arises.
I ask Vincent if I can tag along during his search for snakes and he generously agrees.
It is on the second night of the expedition that I am back at the Sungai Pinang Permanent Forest Reserve, wading through a small stream with only a torch light for illumination.
Vincent is up front, walking and scanning the area for any signs of the reptiles. It is a surreal experience, actively looking for the snakes when previously I would hope to avoid them while trekking or camping.
As we wade farther down the river, the vegetation gradually becomes more dense, with vines and even fallen trees hampering our path.
Vincent suddenly stops and says: “This place feels snaky. Let me check it out first. Don’t follow too close.”
Despite all the suspense, we emerge from the jungle with only two lizards anda frog on our checklist.
INTO THE WATERS
About 4.5km from Teluk Nipah is Pasir Bogak Beach, a scenic stretch of powdery white sand and rock formations.
It is here where I meet Dr Affendi Yang Amri and Dr Jillian Oii from University of Malaya. They are here to research the biological diversity of the Pangkor Island’s marine habitats.
Along with them is O.G, another Pangkor local who is under Ecomy’s Nature Guide Mentorship programme. O.G is more inclined towards the island’s marine environments and he even offers boating and snorkelling tours.
Spotting something that looks like the body of a pangolin stuck to the rocks, I ask Dr Affendi what it is.
“Oh, that’s a chiton. A marine mollusk,” he says. He stops to examine it closer. “There’s quite a few here and they’re big.”
He asks his research assistants to take pictures and catalogue them. While watching the researchers work, O.G tells me that the locals call it tenggiling laut which means sea pangolin.
Striking me as an introvert, I find that O.G is quite passionate about Pangkor Island’s natural heritage.
Clutching the notebook that he has been filling with information since perhaps the start of his mentorship, I can see he sincerely wants to know more about his own home so that he can better inform the tourists as well as conserve its beauty.
As we walk back towards the main road near Pasir Bogak, O.G points towards a patch of trees near the island’s Curriculum Centre.
“Sometimes you can see great hornbills there,” O.G says.
“You should follow Mohammad, he’s our resident expert on the hornbills “ he adds, referring to another nature guide mentorship participant.
CHECKING THE TRAPS
The meeting point is Pangkor Island Amenity Forest, a recreational forest next to a secluded beach. It is located within Pangkor North Forest Reserve which is separate from the Sungai Pinang Permanent Forest Reserve and five kilometres away from Pangkor’s town centre.
In the team are Dr Jayaraj Vijaya Kumaran and Mohamad Faiz Mohd Zainuddin from the Faculty of Earth Sciences, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan and Azuan Roslan from Kenyir Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu.
Traps have been laid in the bushes along the main road of the forest the previous night and I follow Mohamad Faiz as he inspects each and every trap for any small mammals. Tagging along is Vincent, who is still on his quest to photograph the island’s snakes.
The team’s catch for the day is meagre, with only two species of rats and a single squirrel. Dr Jaya observes the squirrel and recognises it as a plantain squirrel, also known as a tricolored squirrel due to the coloration on its belly and stripes along its abdomen. It is a species of rodents that can be found in abundance throughout the region.
Vincent finally gets a substantial find as one of the other researchers point him towards a snake barely a few metres away from the footpath.
It is a Wagler’s Pit Viper and it is venomous. Also known as the Temple Viper due to its abundance at the famous Snake Temple in Penang, it is almost entirely arboreal, which means it spends most of its time up in the trees.
With Vincent’s encouragement, I muster enough courage to view the reptile closer. Perched atop a branch, the pit viper is well camouflaged with its green scales and patterns.
I begin to understand Vincent’s fascination with snakes, as there is an elegant beauty in their forms and posture.
Dr Mano, who happens to be guiding a few local Pangkor secondary school students, stops by and the viper becomes the next educative subject of their walk.
TO KNOW IS TO LOVE
With its slogan of Tak Kenal Maka Tak Cinta or loosely translated to If Unknown Then Unloved, Pangkor Island Scientific Expedition is a concerted effort by Ecomy as well as Vale Minerals to study and document all biodiversity in strategic terrestrial areas of Pangkor and its selected surrounding marine sites.
The findings will provide valuable information to help manage human-wildlife areas and ecotourism activities for a sustainable future.
Although I am only able to participate throughout half of the seven-day expedition, I have gained a substantial knowledge on the island’s flora and fauna, far exceeding my expectations or what I could have hoped to gather if visiting the island alone as a tourist.
And with passionate people such as Ecomy’s Andrew Sebastian and his dedicated team, as well as Pangkor Nature Guides members Ismadi, O.G and Mohammad, the true natural beauty of Pangkor Island will soon be known and loved.
FAST FACTS
Established two years ago, Ecotourism & Conservation Society of Malaysia (ECOMY) is a non-governmental organisation that focuses on sustainable ecotourism practices as the way forward to ensure that conservation values are upheld at all key natural heritage sites in Malaysia.
It is founded by leading naturalists with four main objectives:
1. Conserve Malaysia’s unique habitats, plants and wildlife.
2. To actively promote and pursue sustainable tourism as one key element in conservation.
3. To support like-minded local communities and initiatives.
4. To celebrate Malaysia’s unique wilderness and the unique features it supports.
Among its activities are volunteer training, nature guide mentorship, talks and presentations and scientific expeditions.
Contact Ecotourism & Conservation Society of Malaysia (ECOMY) at No. 28, Jalan Spekrum U16/21, Taman Bukit Subang,
Shah Alam, Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel: 019-3745246
Fax: 03-67316783
Email: ecotourismmalaysia@gmail.com
Website: www.ecomy.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/EcoMsia
About Vale in Malaysia
VALE in Malaysia is an iron ore distribution centre consisting of a deep-water jetty and an onshore stockyard.
Its distribution centre is located in Lumut, Perak and aims to enhance the company’s capabilities in generating customised solutions for local and regional clients by shortening the distance between the core mines in Brazil and their consumer markets in Asia.
Vale’s distribution hub is aiming to serve as a platform in boosting the local economy as well Perak’s social development.
The Pangkor Scientific Expedition is in line with one of Vale’s main Community Development Programme pillars, which is to engage in and promote community-based conservation biodiversity programmes.
For guided activities within Pangkor Island, contact Pangkor Island Nature Guides at 013-4444655 (Mohammad) or email pngnatureresources@gmail.com.
Pictures by Zulkifly Ab Latif