The Habitat Hub is the joint bulletin of The Habitat Penang Hill and The Habitat Foundation. There is always so much going on at The Habitat that we felt that it was really important to create a place to capture it all!
This monthly e-newsletter is a way to chronicle recent events and important milestones for both organizations and to highlight upcoming promotions and activities for our friends and supporters. We hope that it will also provide attractive reasons to plan your next visit! Be sure to check your monthly newsletter to read about forthcoming talks and activities.
Every visit to The Habitat is helping to generate funding to support activities and initiatives related to biodiversity conservation in Malaysia. In the newsletter you will find articles and updates related to the non-profit work of The Habitat Foundation in the areas of conservation, research, education, and sustainable tourism.
The Habitat Hub is emailed to our Inhabitant members and subscribers. Anyone can sign on to our free mailing list. Simply fill in your email address in the form at the bottom of our website. You can access all previous issues of The Habitat Hub below.
Few individuals have given as much to championing the need to address the threats facing biodiversity and the environment as Dr Jane Goodall. Already an icon of conservation for her pioneering work on wild chimpanzees, for the last 20 years, Dr Jane has devoted her energy to inspiring environmental changemakers all over the world through her Roots & Shoots youth-led action programme. This November, she is visiting Penang for the first time to bring her message of hope to you.
The Habitat, in partnership with Roots & Shoots Malaysia, and with the support of Universiti Sains Malaysia and the Malaysian Primatological Society, is honoured to invite you to a special public talk at Dewan Tuanku Syed Putra, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Admission is free but it is important to register your interest to attend early as places are limited and will fill fast. Visit our Facebook events page or our website to find out more.
Happy Malaysia Day Habitat Hub readers!
It has been an exciting month for us with the re-opening of our main entrance and the introduction of new packages. We hope that these developments brings rise to a more tailored, immersive and memorable experience with our much loved rainforest.
We hope to see you soon at The Habitat Penang Hill!
James Hayter is one of Australia’s most respected landscape architects whose work is centred on revitalizing the way in which urban environments are designed. As the founder and Director of Oxigen Landscape Architects, Architects, Urban and Industrial Designers he is leading a movement that is changing the way cities are planned in order to make our living environment more conducive to improved health, well-being and productivity. James Hayter is also a Professor at the School of Architecture and Built Environment, The University of Adelaide.
On 18th August 2019, he will be giving a talk on “Landscape Architectural Design for Nature Conservation & Education – A Perspective of Australian Indigenous Cultures”. Find out more about the event here. To reserve your place, contact inquiry@thehabitat.my or +60 19-645 7741.
The Penang Hill Festival is a celebration of all the best things the hill has to offer – some timeless and familiar, some fresh and exciting! The Habitat is proud to join the Penang Hill community in showing visitors to the hill a great time! Catch some of our free talks, visit our booth highlighting biodiversity and ecosystem services, and learn more about the effort to nominate the Penang Hill UNESCO Biosphere Reserve! Greet the day with an invigorating yoga session, or stay late to meet the diverse night life of the Penang Hill forest! There is something for everyone! Keep track of all the latest event updates via our Habitat Penang Hill Community Group on Facebook.
And, here’s one more thing to celebrate – all through the Festival, enjoy a very special30 percent off tickets to The Habitat and the Flight of the Colugo zipline!
This image of flying foxes was recorded by biologists from
Project Pteropus from Rimba. Their ongoing research, which is
partially supported by The Habitat Foundation, seeks to better
understand the role flying foxes play in pollination in order to
enhance awareness and support for this threatened species.
The International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May 2019 is about nurturing awareness and understanding of biodiversity issues. Biodiversity refers to all life on earth. It comprises a vast number of organisms linked by complex relationships that are part of the productivity of our living ecosystem. Bats, butterflies and bees play an essential role in pollination, while micro-organisms and invertebrates enrich our soils. Squirrels and small mammals disperse seeds and help to promote forest regeneration. Realizing the role biodiversity plays in food production should prompt a mindset shift to consider how our actions are impacting the planet. Reducing waste or excessive pesticide use are just some of the ways we can change to preserve the living habitat that sustains us all.
“From individual species through entire ecosystems, biological
diversity is vital for human health and well-being. The quality
of the water we drink, the food we eat and the air we breathe
all depend on keeping the natural world in good health.”
– Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General
Biodiversity is all around us. Under the rafters. In the treetops. In your driveway – reminding us that we share this habitat, and we have a collective role in keeping it live-able! Come 26 – 29 April 2019, Penang will be among 150 cities around the world engaged in a friendly global competition to see which cities can come up tops in terms of the number of observations made of native biodiversity. The international City Nature Challenge is both a celebration of the biodiversity in our backyards as well as the role citizen scientists can play in collecting data on flora and fauna. The event is made possible by the iNaturalist app which can be downloaded onto your smartphones. In this way, we can use our devices and love for connectivity to get outside, interact with nature, and help to raise awareness and appreciation of the unique biodiversity of our cities. Participation is free, and everyone stands the chance to go home with some great Lucky Draw gifts. There are also cash prizes for the top 3 observers. Visit our website to find out how you can register. Several special walks are also taking place on Penang Hill and at the Penang Botanical Gardens on the weekend. You can also find out more on our facebook event page!
For the March school break we are organizing some special programmes for the whole family at The Habitat. On 23 March, learn more about our under-appreciated pollinators with Dr Cyren Wong from Monash University Malaysia who will be here to give us insights into the world of butterflies and the role they play in our living environment. Children aged 5 – 10 years have the opportunity to go home with their very own set of butterfly wings, while those aged 11 years and up will be able to take part in a field drawing class. Later in the afternoon at 2.00 pm there will be a public Habitalk entitled The Butterflies and I: Malaysian Butterflies and their Conservation. Register early to secure your place.
As we farewell the year that has just passed, we look forward to an exciting year ahead with many new projects and collaborations lined up for both The Habitat and The Habitat Foundation! Despite the devastating landslides of November 2017, with your support, we overcame the challenges faced and managed to have a very successful operational year. We are now readying for the highly-anticipated reopening of the full park in the second quarter of 2019. The Habitat remains committed to connecting all our visitors and Inhabitant members to the majestic rainforest of Penang Island and facilitating encounters with the fascinating biodiversity within it.
Funds generated by The Habitat Penang Hill’s operations are channeled toward biodiversity conservation through the work of The Foundation. This year, the Foundation will expand its programme to include impactful initiatives in Perak, Perlis, and Greater KL. In addition to some significant events to be held in Penang this year (stay tuned for more details!), we will launch two specialized training courses in Penang in partnership with the Southeast Asian Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP). Do continue to keep updated with all these upcoming developments and programmes through our Habitat Hub newsletter, website and social media. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all of you for being part of The Habitat community. We wish you a bright start to the New Year and look forward to seeing you again soon on Penang Hill! ~ Allen Tan, Managing Director, The Habitat
Glide with us and experience Penang Hill on a whole new level!
The Colugo Zip is the latest addition to The Habitat’s Malaysian rainforest discovery experience comprising of 5 zip lines, 1 abseil and 1 rope bridge. Named after the Sunda Colugo aka The Malayan Flying Lemur, the Colugo Zip offers visitors a new way to marvel at the beauty of the Penang Hill rainforest – from an aerial perspective. Visitors will experience gliding from tree to tree through the rainforest canopy like a Colugo. Our specially trained Sky Rangers will take you on a journey through the treetops allowing you to experience the rainforest on a whole new level.
As Inhabitant Members, you can enjoy 50% off the price of the Full Experience valid until 31st January 2019 and for a limited time only the first 10 visitors of the day at 30% discount.
*Train scheduled maintenance from 7th to 12th January 2019
It’s been an amazing month of meeting new people at the Our Shared Habitat exhibition and sharing the exciting conservation initiatives that The Habitat Foundation and The Habitat Penang Hill are supporting. Our Shared Habitat is an exhibition that celebrates the timeless beauty of the Malaysian rainforest and the complex relationships between all living things that have emerged here over millions of years. It reminds us that we are all a part of nature, not apart from it. Our fate is intertwined with that of all living things. A sustainable future begins with each of us and the choices we make each day! The Exhibition concludes on 28 October 2018.
On the 27th and 28th October 2018 we have a number of special Habitalks in the City which feature projects supported by The Habitat Foundation and our associates. Do come to find out more and how you can get involved! Click on the posters below for more event details.
August is the month in which we celebrate what it means to be Malaysian. In addition to our multi-cultural Malaysian society we have also inherited a wonderful array of natural ecosystems and rich biodiversity. Some of this diversity is being showcased in the two Habitalks on Saturday, 11 August 2018. We have two Penang-born nature enthusiasts, who, because of their enthusiasm for their subjects, have come to be regarded as experts in their own right. Rexy Prakash Chako will share his fascination for the orchids of Penang Hill, and Cheong Weei Gan will open your eyes to the delightful diversity of moths that are often right under our noses or hovering under our porch lights! Be sure to take advantage of all the special Merdeka month promotions in this issue of Habitat Hub!
The hills and the coast of Penang have always been important to Penang’s communities. The beautiful biodiversity-rich forest of Penang Hill extends to lowland dipterocarp forest and the coastal zone of sandy beaches and mangroves of Penang National Park. They are beloved recreational areas and provide essential ecosystem services while supporting local economic activities. Penang Hill Corporation (PHC) is leading the Penang state government’s initiative to nominate this area as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with funding support from The Habitat Foundation and The Habitat Penang Hill. Joining the World Network of Biosphere Reserves would provide a powerful impetus for future efforts to achieve greater balance between nature conservation and development.
This July, find out more about the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve nomination at the exhibition at the Astaka Dataran all throughout the Penang Hill Festival. There will also be a public talk by Prof. Dr Siti Azizah Mohd Nor, who heads the dossier preparation team on 28 July 2018 at out ticketing office. Find out more about the nomination process and why this recognition can become a springboard for sustainability for Penang.
Aside from this, there are many other activities which should not be missed. View the full Penang Hill Festival programme.
This July, the hill will come alive with an unmissable array of events, exhibitions and activities in conjunction with the 1st Penang Hill Festival! The week-long festival is spearheaded by Penang Hill Corporation and offers a splendid opportunity to explore the natural and historical heritage of the hill. This Habitat Penang Hill is doing its part by offering Habitalks and walks, and other rainforest activities! Scroll down to view our planned activities over the festival. Be sure to plan your visit and come experience the hill in a whole new way!
You can find out more about the activities on the hill at the official festival website.
Celebrating Mothers’ Day at The Habitat!
This May, we celebrate mothers of all species at The Habitat Penang Hill! It is a great month to visit The Habitat as we have a special promotion till the end of May 2018. Treat your mum to a special lunch or coffee at The Habitat Cafe! Spend RM80 or more in a single receipt and you are entitled to a 50 per cent discount off Habitat merchandise.
22 April is International Mother Earth Day. On this day we remember that the Earth and its ecosystems provide us with life and sustenance. It also recognizes our collective responsibility, to promote harmony with nature and the Earth to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environmental needs of present and future generations of humanity.
