Malaysian wetlands: Resurrection of Paya Indah

New Straits Times 16 Jul 10;

PAYA Indah Wetlands is a tale of man's efforts to bring life back to an inhospitable terrain. The idea, mooted more than a decade ago, was for the creation of a green lung for Putrajaya and Cyberjaya.

Back then, the site was a degraded piece of land ravaged by years of sand, tin and clay-mining activities.

But the effects were slowly reversed thanks to the efforts of the now-defunct Malaysian Wetlands Foundation.

Located in the Kuala Langat District, the 3,200ha wetland was rehabilitated to become a low impact eco-tourism attraction.

The sanctuary encompasses a myriad of ecosystems that include tin mine land, logged peat swamp forests, large open lakes and the Kuala Langat Permanent Peat Swamp Forest totalling an approximately 2,500ha.

When it opened in 1999, Paya Indah was home to more than 130 species of birds, 40 species of fish, 25 species of mammals and reptiles, 220 species of aquatic and terrestrial plants and rare herbs.


The biodiversity of life in the wetlands expanded in 2001 with the introduction of four Nile hippopotami from Botswana.

Motorised vehicles were banned inside the sanctuary. Walking was the only way to admire the beauty of the wetland.

The sanctuary was a model for habitat rehabilitation and a top eco-tourism destination until financial constraints forced the park to be closed in 2005. For three years, it remained off-limits to the public and slowly fell into a state of disarray.


It was only after the Wildlife and National Parks Department engineered a massive regeneration exercise that the park was reopened.

It took 30 months and RM10 million to resuscitate and revive the Paya Indah Wetlands.

The importance of wetlands
New Straits Times 16 Jul 10;

WETLANDS offer a range of benefits, from being a natural flood control system to being a sink retaining nutrients and pollution.

Malaysian Nature Society's head of communications Andrew Sebastian said vegetation around the area could the absorb the nutrients.

"The mangrove in particular protects the river banks and coast lines from erosion, while peat swamps are natural carbon sinks."

Sebastian added that wetlands could support a large variety of wildlife, some of which were endemic or threatened species.

Calling such sites the "cradles of civilisation", Sebastian said wetlands were also an ideal spot for recreation and tourism.

Fishing, bird and wildlife watching can be conducted at wetlands.

"This is why wetlands are important to us."

Sebastian said when a wetland was degraded, it would become "lifeless" and result in an imbalance in the ecosystem.

He cited the example of water contamination in Tasik Chini, Pahang, which led to the "invasion" of lotus and algae as they flourished in the lake.

United Nations Development Programme's Energy and Environment programme manager, Hari Ramalu Ragavan, shared the same views.

He called the wetlands "one of the most important ecosystems in the world".

He said mainstreaming the environment into development was already part of government policies, as found in the 9th and 10th Malaysian Plans, the National Physical Plan and the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry's "Common Vision on Biodiversity" policy.

"For this to succeed there must be strict adherence to these policies.

"State governments must also support the Federal government to create a win-win situation for the development and protection of the environment."