About
Originally known as Hutan Simpan Belum (Belum Forest Reserve), the Royal Belum State Park in Perak, Malaysia, was gazetted as a state park in 2007 in accordance with the Enakmen Perbadanan Taman Negeri Perak 2001 Sek. 6 (Section 6, Perak State Park Corporation Enactment 2001). It is formally referred to as the Crowning Glory of the Peninsula. The highest distinction given by the Malaysian government, the Enakmen Perhutanan Negeri Perak (Perak State Forestry Enactment) and National Heritage Site designations were also given to it in 2012.
The Colombo Plan Report recognised the significance of the Belum Forest Reserve for biodiversity conservation in the 1970s, and the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Peninsular Malaysia made additional recommendations for biodiversity conservation under the Third Malaysia Plan (1976–1980) and in 1988.
A prospective transfrontier park with a potential extent of around 300,000 ha is formed by the Royal Belum State Park’s borders with the Halabala National Park in Thailand to the north and the Peninsular Malaysian state of Kelantan to the east.Enakmen Perbadanan Taman Negeri Perak 2001 Sek. 6 No. 519) for biodiversity conservation to support biodiversity education, research, and ecotourism. The Royal Belum State Park was established in May 2007. The public jetty at Pulau Banding (Banding Island), which is located at the southern section of the State Park, is the only way to access the Royal Belum State Park by boat.
Geography
The Royal Belum State Park spans 117,500 ha of undisturbed, pristine lowland dipterocarp, hill dipterocarp, and lower montane forests in northern Peninsular Malaysia, up to about 1,533 m above sea level, and serves as the park’s northernmost and most strategically important segment of the Central Forest Spine (CFS).
The State Park is a remnant of the geological confluence of the southern Gondwanaland supercontinent and the northern Laurasian supercontinent, and is one of the oldest, most protected, undisturbed, and pristine land masses in Peninsular Malaysia. It is thought to be more than 130 million years old. Geographically, around 57% of its land is found between 80 and 300 metres above sea level, and 41% between 300 and 1,533 metres above sea level.
The Sungai (River) Perak, which rises at the Perak-Kelantan boundary in the northeast and flows south to the Straits of Malacca at Bagan Datoh, is the only major river system in the country. Sungai Kenarong, Sungai Tiang, and Sungai Kejar, as well as more than a thousand other smaller tributaries and streams that feed Lake Temengor, are just a few of the smaller rivers that are found in the State Park that drain the majority of the lands.
Geology
The Royal Belum State Park is located near the tectonic boundary of two continental plates, on the eastern side of Peninsular Malaysia’s Western Belt (Sibumasu and East Malaya plates). The Baling Group’s Early Silurian-Devonian marine sedimentary rocks, which date from 440 to 400 million years ago, and the Triassic granites make up the variety of rock formations in this region.
The region was raised by the igneous body intrusion that took place in the Late Triassic age (about 220 million years ago), transforming it into the land mass and physical landscape that we see today. The Baling Group was transformed into what it is now as a result of this intrusion and other related tectonic processes caused by the collision of two supercontinental plates.
Outstanding Universal Value
As previously mentioned, the State Park is a component of the 27,891 ha Peninsular Malaysian Central Forest Spine (CFS). As it supports a variety of ecosystems and habitats for the numerous species of flora and animals, many of which are endemic, uncommon, vulnerable, or otherwise threatened in Malaysia and the region, it has been regarded as Malaysia’s biodiversity hotspot. These portend well for biodiversity study and scientific education about the ecosystems therein, not just for Malaysians but also for others in the surrounding area and around the world. It can be seen as yet another natural gift to humanity’s heritage.
The Royal Belum State Park is the northernmost point of the Main Range (Banjaran Titiwangsa), which is the spine of Peninsular Malaysia. For more than 200 million years, exogenic or surface processes have been responsible for sculpting the landforms. The mountain range, which stretches more than 480 kilometres to the North Johor region, divides Peninsular Malaysia’s west and east coasts. A 25 km wide strip of extensively metamorphosed rocks was intruded by the granitic rock of the Main Range to the east.
These metamorphic rocks were thought to have come from shallow to deep marine Ordovician to Permian deposits that belonged to the East Malaya Block and had a significant affinity for Cathaysia. The southern Gondwanaland supercontinent and the northern Laurasia supercontinent met here at a special geological location. This is the most important continent in South-east Asia for the development of tropical geology and biodiversity. The oldest, richest, and most diverse flora and fauna of the tropical humid biome were housed in the forests, which served as the substratum or the blueprint for the ever-pristine vegetation of that age till today.
Bio diversity
FLORA
The enormous rafflesias, which have the biggest flowers in the plant kingdom, are among the most recognisable species of plants. There are roughly 26 species in the world, eight in Malaysia, and four in the State Park and its surroundings, including Rafflesia cantleyi, R. kerri, and R. azlanii, the latter of which was named in 1998 after the patron of the Malaysian Nature Society Heritage Expedition. As far as is known, R. sumeiae, the Peninsular Malaysia’s fourth species, can be found south of the State Park. The presence of four endemic species of Rafflesia in the protected State Park is crucial for the preservation of biodiversity worldwide.
More than 3,500 different varieties of seed plants may be discovered in the State Park, many of which are rare in Malaysia and the surrounding area and are endemic to the area, meaning they cannot be found anywhere else in the world. More than 374 species in 84 families of flowering plants, including 15 endemic species, were listed and recorded, including more than 89 species of mosses, 48 taxa of ferns and fern-allies (or lycophytes), and Drypetes oxyodonta (Euphorbiaceae), among other species.
These species include Etlingera triorgyalis (Zingiberaceae), Ternstroemia evenia (Theaceae), At least 32 species of the Dipterocarpaceae, the foundation family of tropical flora, including the enormous and endangered Shorea foxworthyi, S. acuminata.
Dipterocarpus costatus, D. kerri, Hopea helfer, H. odorata, H. sublanceolata, Parashorea stellate, Shorea faguetiana, S. ovata, S. parvifolia, and S. platyclados are just a few other threatened dipterocarps that can be found in the State Park. More than 150 species of orchids, including the rare and imperilled Cleissostoma complicatum, C. williamsonii, Plocoglottis javanica, and others, make up the Quenn of flowering plants. Aroids are also well-represented, with more than 80 species known as of this writing. Some climbing Gnetum species, such as the dinosaur-era cycads Cycas macrocarpa and C. clivicola that are found in the State Park, are examples of gymnosperms.
The number of plant species and individuals reflects what is likely the world’s highest biodiversity density per unit of area. The Royal Belum State Park’s vegetation is representative of the Sunda Shelf’s perpetually moist and evergreen tropical rainforest, which may also be categorised as lowland dipterocarp, hill dipterocarp, sub-montane forests, and deciduous monsoon forests.
The southern Asian impact is shown by the monsoon forest, which displays deciduous phenomena in the dry season. Thus, the plants and flora show the fusion of southern Malesian and Australian characteristics with northern Asian elements from Thailand, Burma, and Indochina. The diversity of plant floras will hopefully be preserved thanks to this mixing.
FAUNA
The State Park has the most iconic hornbill species per unit area in the nation, the region, and maybe the entire globe, with a total of 10 different species present. As far as is known, hornbills have been using the State Park as both a breeding and nesting site as well as a place to gather food supplies, namely fruits.
80 different species of mammals are also found there, including the endangered Asian elephant (Elephas maximus maximus), the renowned and endangered Malayan tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni), the Malayan gaur (Bos gaurus hubbacki), the Malayan tapirs (Tapirus indicus), and others. Since Malaysia began practising intensive agriculture, these main four have faced serious threats.
The State Park also has 67 species of snakes, 18 species of frogs and toads, 132 species of beetles, 28 species of cicadas, maybe three new species, 97 species of moths, and 41 species of dragonflies and damselflies that have been identified during a few previous scientific excursions.
Two new species of thrips, which pollinate tropical timber trees, have recently been identified and described from the region. These thrips have the names Biltothrips perakensis and Scirtothrips temengorensis, which are both derived from the names of the state and forest reserve, respectively. It is clear that the insect fauna’s biodiversity is both underappreciated and understudied.
Only conservation will ensure that the State Park’s richness is determined because there are probably still more bug species to be found and identified there. The State Park’s ecosystems and habitats have long interacted with the plants and animals that live there, paving the way for the preservation of biodiversity in the humid, tropical environment. The aforementioned quotes highlight the importance of biodiversity preservation and the state park’s scientific worth, not only to Malaysia and possibly South-east Asia but also to the old world tropical regions. The State Park’s flora and fauna have not yet gone extinct, as far as is currently known and recorded.
Authenticity and Integrity
Since Malaya’s independence in 1957, the woodlands complex of Belum-Temengor, which make up the State Park’s central region, have remained untouched for security reasons. But since 1971, it has been overseen and managed as a Permanent Reserved Forest by the Perak State Forest Department. The National Forestry Act of 1984’s provisions had preserved the park’s primary conservation area. Except for a small, central portion that was submerged by the Temengor reservoir in 1978, the entire land had not been degazetted, and the buffer zones all around it are more than sufficient and have remained pristine ever since.
A Permanent Protected Zone for Malayan tigers had been established, namely in the region north of Sungai Tiang. Additionally, BirdLife International has designated the Park as an Important Bird Area since 2004. However, the area that has been inundated has greatly enriched the State Park with aquatic life, particularly freshwater fish and aquatic invertebrates. In this regard, the Royal Belum State Park is the region with the most biodiversity, making it the most important place for biodiversity protection in the nation.
Since the area has been strictly protected by the Forest Department, no aspect of the State Park’s authenticity has been compromised as a result of demands from socioeconomic growth. When there are disturbances in the State Park, they are usually brought on by natural disasters like lightning strikes, the natural extinction of plants and animals, and even flash floods. The State Park has remained untouched, protected, and in perfect condition.
Checklist for a trip to ROYAL BELUM
- Personal medicine and first aid kit
- for your camera, a tripod (to make pictures in low light conditions)
- anti-mosquito spray
- umbrella, poncho, and/or raincoat
- the flashlight or headlamp
- Dry clothing in a bag of water
- a pair of relaxed walking shoes
- angling rod (for those that plan to fish)
Travel
Northeast of Ipoh, Malaysia’s third-largest city, is Belum. Belum can be reached in a variety of ways. You can go by train, bus, and (rental) automobile. Pulau Bindang is a tiny village that serves as the entrance to Royal Belum State Park. There is a jetty point nearby from where you can take a boat to your resort.
By Rental Car
Renting a car is probably the most convenient way to go to Belum because it gives you more freedom both on the road there and inside the state park. For instance, Hawk Malaysia offers pick-up and drop-off services in Penang and Kota Bharu. In other words, it’s simple to combine a vacation to Belum with either Penang or Kota Bharu as your final stop. Kota Bharu is close to Kuala Besut, the place from where one travels to Perhentian Island. Belum can be reached by car in around 5 to 6 hours from Kuala Lumpur. Reach get to Ipoh from KL, take the North-South Expressway. After Ipoh, you’ll leave at Kuala Kangsar (exit 143).
Travel by Train
The most daring approach to reach the state park is by taking the train to Belum. However, trains only run as far as Ipoh train station; you must travel from there to the bus terminal to board a bus that travels to Pulau Banding. Another option is to take the rail to Kuala Kangsar (a few stops after the Ipoh train station), where you can then catch a bus. Be aware that buses don’t run very frequently, so leave from KL early.
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