Nov 21 2018

Gunung Perlis Sustainable Forest Trail

Several recces were needed to identify the most suitable alignment for the new sustainable trail. Yong Foo Chuen of My Changkul with local guides.

Boundary markers at the top of Gunung Perlis.

Training in session: In the MyChangkul training workshop participants learned how good design is the secret to engineering forest trails to withstand the high rainfall of the Malaysian rainforest.

Rainwater is effectively channelled off the trail to enable it to dry quickly. Meanwhile, the construction of waterbars helps to control the velocity of the water and the installation of armouring helps to shore up key sections.

Justine Vaz of The Habitat Foundation explaining the significance of the project in fulfilling the promise of public participation which is enshrined in Malaysia's National Policy on Biodiversity.

The trails are constructed with simple tools – rakes and changkuls mainly.

Typically, no outside materials are added to the forest environment; only fallen trees and rocks in the immediate vicinity are pressed into service.

En. Jamili of the Perlis Forestry Department sharing his support for the project.

At the end of the workshop, there was an opportunity for everyone to say something about what they had learned from the workshop and their thoughts on participating in the trail -building initiative.

The final requirement of building sustainable forest trails is engaging a community of builders and users that will provide the backbone of trail upkeep in the years to come.

All the participants in great spirits at the conclusion of the trail building workshop.

Some of the participants at the trail building workshop, such as Othman Ayeb and Aiyu had come all the way from Langkawi to join in.

Trail builders with changkuls ready on the day of the inaugural start to building the new trail!

Justine Vaz of The Habitat Foundation and Ahmad Zafir of The Habitat Penang Hill join in the building of the new trail.

Meet the core team of trail builders: local forest guides Man, Shukri, Along and Zam.

No trees are removed during the build. Instead, young saplings along the trail path are dug up and relocated to the side of the trail.

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Habitalk: Selami dan Dekati bersama Husni Che Ngah

Husni Che Ngah is a Penang-based macrophotographer whose images of Malaysian wildlife have come to captivate and mesmerize us with their detail. Through his lens we gain a new appreciation of creatures so small that we often miss noticing them at all. Husni will be taking us another special journey this March! Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy the visual feast and to interact with Husni. This free Habitalk will be in Bahasa Malaysia and will be streamed live on Facebook and our YouTube Channel.