JERANTUT: AS the first and oldest official protected area in the country, Taman Negara has received millions of visitors since it was gazetted a national park on June 23, 1939.
Seventy-five years later, Taman Negara is still a favourite among locals and foreigners, although it has seen fluctuations in tourist arrivals in the past few years.
Taman Negara was originally named King George V National Park, a decision made by the sultans of Kelantan, Pahang and Terengganu to commemorate the silver jubilee of the accession to the throne of the ruler of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions.
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) director-general Datuk Abd Rasid Samsudin said the decision was made to help preserve the land’s natural splendours.
Taman Negara includes Taman Negara Pahang, Taman Negara Terengganu and Taman Negara Kelantan.
He said Taman Negara Pahang had been deemed a wildlife reserve, namely the Gunung Tahan Game Reserve, in 1925 with land area covering 142,449ha.
“It was established as a result of a study and proposal made in the Wildlife Commission Report headed by an English engineer T.R. Hubback in 1932 under the Taman Negara Enactment Pahang.
“However, the Federation of Malay States, upon achieving its independence in 1957, renamed it Taman Negara in 1960.”
Taman Negara covers 434,351ha, or 4,343 square km, with Taman Negara Pahang making up 57 per cent of the total area, Taman Negara Kelantan (24 per cent) and Taman Negara Terengganu (19 per cent).
Located in the heart of the peninsula, Taman Negara is considered one of the oldest virgin tropical rainforests in the world and is a genetic bank for biodiversity resources.
“Besides being a part of the Titiwangsa Range, it is also home to Gunung Tahan, the tallest peak in Peninsular Malaysia,” Rasid said.
He said Taman Negara was home to 150 species of wild mammals, such as gaurs, elephants, tigers, the Malayan tapir, leopards and sun bears. It is also home to more than 100 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 53 fish species, of which 15 are endemic to Taman Negara.
It is also the habitat of more than 400 bird species and about 3,000 species of flowering plants.
Despite the various attractions in Taman Negara, the number of visitors does sometimes drop because of various reasons.
State Tourism Committee Chairman Datuk Mohd Sharkar Shamsudin said there was a slight drop in tourist arrivals last year compared with the previous year.
“The reasons vary and include things like competition from other national parks, such as Royal Belum in Perak, and lack of promotional activities. We have identified the problems and will cooperate with the Federal Government on this as Taman Negara is under their jurisdiction.”
On the park’s 75th anniversary, he said various programmes had kicked off, including the first National Protected Area Managers Conference early this month and the “Off to Nature on Two Wheels” programme in Sungai Relau last month. A bird race is set to be held in September.
He said official celebrations for the diamond jubilee would be held in September, under a collaboration between federal and state agencies, local tourism industry players and the community.
-NST
