It’s World ๐๐บ๏ธย Habitat Day today, every year theย 1๏ธโฃst Monday of October
Yeahโผ๏ธSiennyLovesDrawingย ๐ฉ๐ปย is gonna sharing ๐ฉ๐ปโ๐ป๐ about her recent volunteer participation with Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), a non-governmental non-profit organization (NGO) to learn aboutย ecotourismย ๐ @ Belum Temenggor๐ณ๐ณ, in particularย hornbillย conservation & habitat for its local communities ~ indigenous people aka orang asli ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐ต๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ด๐ฝin Malaysia ๐ฒ๐พโs national language
Since 2004, MNS aims to promotingย hornbills conservation in Belum Temenggor Forest Complex ๐ณ๐ณย (BTFC)(1๏ธโฃof the oldest virgin rainforest on Earth,ย 130 million years old) & to enhancing public awareness of the importance of hornbills to the rainforests’๐ณ๐ณย ecosystem ๐๐ป๐๐ป
Malaysia ๐ฒ๐พ is home ๐ก to ๐ย Malaysian hornbills & dubbed the โHornbill Capital of the World๐โ with its Perak state being recognized as the Land of Hornbills
- Oriental Pied Hornbill, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oriental_pied_hornbill
- Black Hornbill, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hornbill
- Bushy-crested Hornbill, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bushy-crested_hornbill
- White-crowned Hornbill, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-crowned_hornbill
- Wreathed Hornbill, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wreathed_hornbill
- Wrinkled Hornbill, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrinkled_hornbill
- Plain-pouched Hornbill, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plain-pouched_hornbill
- Great Hornbill, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_hornbill
- Rhinoceros Hornbill, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros_hornbill
- Helmeted Hornbill, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmeted_hornbill
Not only Borneoโผ๏ธ Yes โ , in fact Peninsular Malaysia ๐ฒ๐พย with allย ๐ย hornbill species comparatively ๐
This volunteer participation has recalled her memory ofย 1๏ธโฃst hornbill feeding @ Pangkor Islandย early this year
BTFC ๐ณ๐ณ aka Northern Peninsular Malaysia๐ฒ๐พโs Natural Jewels ๐, the only remaining contiguous block to tropical rainforests ๐ณ๐ณ which linking to Southern Thailand ๐น๐ญ i.e. Bang Lang National Park & Hala Bala Wildlife Sanctuary, also part of the Titiwangsa Range ๐
Currently, only BTFC ๐ณ๐ณ & the Greater Ulu Muda Forest Complex ๐ณ๐ณ are on par for the hornbill diversity in Malaysia ๐ฒ๐พ, then together with the Southern Thailand ๐น๐ญ, all made up for the Hornbill Triangle (HoT)๐บ
Hornbills get its name from its horn-like projection i.e. a casque on their beaks (Hmm…Not all hornbill species have them though) ๐
Hornbills are well known as the farmers ๐จ๐ปโ๐พ๐ฉ๐ปโ๐พ of the rainforestsย ๐ณ๐ณ
OhhโฆWhyโโ๏ธ
Hornbills fly long distances looking for fruits๐๐ย & swallow fruits๐๐in whole. Hmm…Some fruits ๐๐ย are with big seeds. As they spit out countless seeds, some seeds find a place to grow & become new ๐ trees ๐ณ๐ณ
However, really dissappointed & sad ๐ง๐ย that some of the hornbill species are experiencing critically endangered & vulnerable.ย In this connection, if lesser โฌ๏ธ hornbills, many rainforest trees ๐ณ๐ณ that depend on them to spread their seeds may disappear from the rainforestย ๐ณ๐ณeventually
Whyโโ๏ธ Whyโโ๏ธWhyโโ๏ธ
Some of the main reasons are destruction/ loss ofย the hornbillsโ habitats & degradation due to deforestationย (Photo ๐ธย below captured from BRAINS Summit 2018), fragmentation of rainforests ๐ณ๐ณ, illegal logging (Photo ๐ธย below captured by SiennyLovesDrawingย ๐ฉ๐ปย during her volunteer trip), poaching & hunting, conversion to agriculture e.g. oil palm plantations, over-development etc. ๐ง๐
As the rainforests ๐ณ๐ณdisappear, so does indigenous peoplesโ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐ต๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ด๐ฝculture too ๐ง๐ย as theirย living style very much depended on theย rainforestsย ๐ณ๐ณ for medicine, shelter, food, other necessities etc.ย They are not known to take more than what they need as this would be seen as a transgression of the rainforest ๐ณ๐ณ & would bring curses to their people. So, the destruction of their prime resource is resulting in the destruction of their traditional ways of life ๐ง๐
You may not aware that BTFC ๐ณ๐ณconsists of 2๏ธโฃ big parts,
- Temengor Forest Reserve ~ the southern part of BTFC is largely a production forestย ๐ณ๐ณ
- Royal Belum State Park ~ the northern part, a protected area๐ณ๐ณ
MNS has been working hard for years to get the whole BTFC a protected area ๐ณ๐ณ with itsย ecotourism ๐ efforts ๐๐ป๐๐ป๐ช๐ปย Hope they will achieve success very soon
โMY forest ๐ณ , MY wildlife, MY responsibilityโ
Curious ๐ค about what SiennyLovesDrawing ๐ฉ๐ป has participated & learnt during her 4๏ธโฃD3๏ธโฃN volunteering with MNSโโ๏ธ
MNS Hornbill Festival๐๐
The 1๏ธโฃst ย festival ๐๐ย & annually every 16 Septto bring awareness & encourage orang asli๐ถ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐ต๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ด๐ฝcommunities to participate for hornbill conservation under the Malaysian ๐ฒ๐พ implementation of the project, My Forest ~ โStrengthening Non-State Actor Involvement in Forest Governance in Indonesia ๐ฎ๐ฉ , Malaysia ๐ฒ๐พ , the Philippines ๐ต๐ญ & Papua New Guinea ๐ต๐ฌ โ which funded by the European Union ๐ช๐บ
She has captured an interview clipย ๐น๐ฅย withย Mr Balu, the Head of Conservation with MNS ~ย “Hornbill Conservation Effort by MNS“
MY forest is a highโฌ๏ธ-impact partnership, as it looks at Malaysia๐ฒ๐พโs natural ๐ heritage ~ rainforests ๐ณ๐ณ & how non-state actors ~ non-governmental organisations, civil societies, local communities, the private sector & the public โ can inform & change policies towards better rainforest governance.ย Under thisย 5๏ธโฃ-year project (2017-2021), MNS is tasked with building the capacity of non-state actors from all around Malaysia ๐ฒ๐พย to engage more effectively with the government in protecting Malaysia๐ฒ๐พโs rainforests ๐ณ๐ณ
She had great interactions with the orang asli kids ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝย & adults๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐ต๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ด๐ฝabout nature awareness, art๐จ๐activities, sumpit, balloons๐๐, survey questionnairesโโetc. by using simple Malaysia ๐ฒ๐พ ‘s national language ~ Bahasa Melayu ๐๐ปโ๐ป๐๐ป
She got inspired by the orang asli hornbill guardians’ passionย ๐ย towards hornbills conservation ๐๐ป๐๐ป๐๐ปย Truly motivated with the positivity ๐๐ป๐๐ปReally wish local communities here with skills gained from ecotourism efforts by MNS to improving their overall living lifestyle & being happy self sufficient ๐๐ป๐ช๐ป๐๐ป
A short clip ๐น๐ฅย about this 1๏ธโฃst hornbill festival ๐๐, do enjoy yaย ๐
Orang Asli Villages Visit
Chuweh Village
Arrival & impressed with its beautiful scenery from this village
SiennyLovesDrawing ๐ฉ๐ปย & team went to visit the Hornbill House ๐กย aka Rumah Enggang ๐ก in Malaysia ๐ฒ๐พ โs national language.ย Each MNS volunteers period only for 4๏ธโฃ๏ธpax due to the limited space
Sheย ๐ฉ๐ปย didn’t stay here due to her volunteer team with 9๏ธโฃ๏ธpax. Communicated to 1๏ธโฃ๏ธย of the volunteer named Ms Christine๐โโ๏ธwho stayed here & she complimented that she really enjoyed thisย 5๏ธโฃ๏ธย star โญ๐๐volunteeringย accommodation ๐ก in this village
A briefing by Mr Yeap & the orang asli hornbill guardians to all volunteers about the hornbills counting
Then, she๐ฉ๐ปhas learnt & experienced the use of blowgun aka sumpitย ๐ย Obviously she failed miserably, perhaps a good reason to volunteer again next Aug/ Sept, Ha…Ha…
Tasted some orang asli traditional dishes as tea time e.g. Perah nuts ๐ฅ(Oppsss…Superb addictive delicious ๐๐คคโผ๏ธ She even has placed next order ๐ย of 2๏ธโฃ๏ธkgs with Mr Woo๐๐ปโโ๏ธ๐คฃ๐),ย cassavaย & wild fern (paku pakis) from forest ๐ณ๐ณetc.
Had a short chat ๐ฃ๐คwith Mr Yeap๐๐ปโโ๏ธ, the Senior Conservation Officer with MNSย on hornbill studies for almost 1๏ธโฃ8๏ธโฃ years & pursuing his PhD.ย Do enjoy an interview clip ๐น๐ฅย with him about his hornbill conservation experiences
Tebang Village
SiennyLovesDrawing ๐ฉ๐ป has went here for the evening ๐ hornbill counting ๐ข
Guess whatโโ๏ธ
She really viewed the flyingย Oriental Pied hornbills twice with binocularโผ๏ธSo so happy๐๐
Also viewed the wild elephants ๐๐ย crossed the river ๐ฆ๐งYeahโผ๏ธ So so lucky ๐ย for herself & volunteers team as the visitors to the rainforest
However, Mr Yeap ๐๐ปโโ๏ธย has alerted that if elephants ๐๐ย are so near to human, it’s bad news to the orang asli as the elephants ๐๐ gonna destroy their housesย ๐ก๐ก & crops planted๐ฑ๐ฟSigh…
She has met the youngest volunteer named Shane ๐ฆ๐ป, 6๏ธโฃ years old & son to Ms Christine (Blueย ๐ t-shirt in the photosย ๐ธ๐ธย below).ย Highly recommended ๐๐ป๐๐ปasย 1๏ธโฃ of the great education opportunities & childhood memories for kids
It was really fun to interact with the orang asli kids, they are just so simple & adorable, missed them a lotย ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ
An interview ๐น๐ฅย clip with Mr Woo Chee Yong, the conservation research assistant with MNS on “Why to participate for Hornbill Volunteer Programmeโโ๏ธ”
Despite learning about hornbill conservation & orang asli ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐ต๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ด๐ฝliving, SiennyLovesDrawing ๐ฉ๐ปย would like to share some exciting moments during her short volunteering,
- Jungle ๐ณ๐ณย trekking๐ถโโ๏ธ๐ถโโ๏ธ& sunset ๐ ย cruiseย ๐ค
- Rafflesia spots (However, it wasn’t the Rafflesia blossom season, so she just got to view some flower buds & dried dead Rafflesia)
- Elephant ๐ย saltlicks aka Sira Gajah
- Observed elephants foot prints & poo poo, sun bear paw prints on tree trunk etc.
You may contact a friendly & helpful nature tour guide with boat services, Mr Muhammad Ali ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธย either his personal FB ๐ย https://www.facebook.com/alie.gowloq or ๐โ๏ธ๐ฑcontact him +6013-4681040, he can customise your tour around BTFC ๐ณ๐ณย accordingly
Yes โ She did it ๐ช๐ปย How about youโโ๏ธ
Letโs sign up for MNS hornbill volunteerย ๐ย https://myforestwatch.weebly.com/my-hornbills.html
It subjects for a fee as MNS is a NGO & unable to fund the volunteersโ transportation ๐๐ค, accommodation ๐ก & meals ๐ฝ๐ด
She also attended the BRAINS Summit 2018 ~ย โForest Biodiversity & Community: A Balanced Approach for Sustainable Developmentโ, the 2๏ธโฃnd iteration bi-annually with 80 delegates i.e. researchers, conservationists, orang asli communities & official representatives from government bodies to discuss pertinent issues affecting the survival & sustainable use of the BTFC๐ณ๐ณ
It was officially opened by the Duli Yang Amat Mulia Raja DiHilir of Perak๐คด๐ฝ, Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain ibni Almarhum Sultan Idris Aโfifullah Shah
โSeeing all these stakeholders ๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌgathered is a good sign ๐๐ป that we as Malaysians ๐ฒ๐พ๐ญ๐ฌ๐ซ are ready to commit to conservation. The themes that will be discussed during this summit have significant ramifications for the future of our rain forests ๐ณ๐ณ We are talking about boosting ecotourism ๐ to assist the local communities ๐ถ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ฆ๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐ต๐ฝ๐ง๐ฝ๐ด๐ฝor a form of funding๐ฐto maintain the rain forests ๐ณ๐ณ
I am confident that given enough time & support from all the relevant parties, we will be able to reduce โฌ๏ธ our dependence on logging & ensure the continued survival of our rain forests๐ณ๐ณโย said Tuan Haji Ahmad Khalif bin Tan Sri Mustapha Kamal๐จ๐ฝโ๐ผ, the Executive Director of the EMKAY Group & a Trustee of the Pulau Banding Foundation
Sharing a clipย ๐น๐ฅย captured by R.AGE & highlighted in the summit ~ Voices of orang asli communities
Conservation NGOs’ stalls, tree planting ceremony, statistics ๐๐๐ & findings relating to rainforests ๐ณ๐ณย were presented too. More details via ๐ http://www.brains2018.com/ &ย ๐ http://www.brainsfeed.org/
In summary, she had a happy volunteeringโ๐ป๐
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