Langkawi: Filled with natural wonders

The Star 1 Jan 11;

LANGKAWI is the only place in the country to spot the Mountain Hawk Eagle and Brown Winged Kingfisher and it is the easiest place in Malaysia to see the Wreathed Hornbill, Great Hornbill and Oriental Pied Hornbill.

Naturist and birding enthusiast Irshad Mobarak said that on Gunung Raya, avid bird watchers were guaranteed to catch a glimpse of the hornbills on any given day.

“There are 10 hornbill species in Kedah,” he said, adding that five years ago, an astonishing 142 Great Hornbills were seen at one location, creating a national record for Langkawi.

He said Langkawi boasted more than 226 species of birds and in the last decade, was popular among bird watchers from Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, England and Scandinavia.

Of the world’s 54 hornbill species, some 20% can be found in Malaysia.

“In Langkawi, you can find low-land forests, mangrove swamps and wetlands within minutes of each other,” he said.

“Because of the diverse landscape, you have myriad birds and creatures.

“That is why it is important for us to conserve Langkawi’s nature — our full tourism potential has yet to be realised.”

Irshad, who has been conducting birding and nature tours for the last 20 years, said mangrove river tours at the Kilim Geo-Forest Park is a “must-do” for nature lovers.

“Two decades ago, I was among the pioneer group who started bird watching tours here. Then, there was only one long tail boat to ferry passengers but now there are more than 100 fibreglass ones zooming past.”

He cited speeding boats as a major threat to the ecology as they caused soil erosion.

There are about 55 mangrove tree species in the world and more than 26 species can be found in Langkawi.

“It’s heartbreaking when the tide is low and you can see how much of the mangrove roots are exposed due to erosion. The carrying capacity for tourists aboard boats must be regulated,” Irshad said.

He said regulations were needed to ensure that boat and tour operators were respectful of nature and mindful of the destruction they could cause.

Irshad said the mangrove river where the Hollywood blockbuster ‘Anna and The King’ was filmed was “the most beautiful coastal river in Malaysia”.

“This is an unbeatable world-class attraction but we need to make it sustainable so the locals will continue to benefit for generations to come,” he said.

“Nowhere else have I seen such a scenic landscape of 450-year-old limestone forests and many diverse plants along one river ride.”

Otters and water monitors are common sightings.

“The Bryde’s Whale and Pink Dolphins in the open sea were sometimes seen back in the day but with the many boats now, they have rarely been spotted,” he said, adding that Langkawi had more than 500 butterflies species.

“We will lose all of these precious attractions if we fail to protect our natural habitat,” he warned.

The dollars and sense of going green
The Star 1 Jan 11;

RUNNING an eco-friendly resort makes “perfect business sense”, an environmentalist and entrepreneur says.

By 2030, businesses that are not green will not be able to survive, The Frangipani Langkawi Resort and Spa owner Anthony Wong said.

“In the next 20 years, our natural resources will be gone and you will be out of business if you don’t practise sustainability,” he said.

“You can make money if you are eco-friendly because tourists these days are willing to pay more to help conserve Mother Nature,” he said.

Wong, who is also the managing director of Asian Overland Services (AOS), a tourism and hospitality group of companies specialising in eco-tourism activities, said it would cost more in the initial stages to run a green hotel but it would be cheaper in the long run.

“Your initial investment may be about 20% more and you’ll need more staff but at the end of the day, the profits justify the effort and you are doing your part to help save the environment,” he explained.

“Langkawi has about 90,000 inhabitants and 2.5 million visitors yearly – the main benefactors are the locals because 90% of the population depends on the tourism industry to survive,” he added.

Recycling and energy-saving are practised at Wong’s resort at Pantai Tengah.

He relies on the wetland system to treat sewage and waste water.

The water treatment system uses plants to turn stinky, dirty sewage into clean water,” he said.

“The first step is to identify the main pollutants in the water which we channel into a pond near the resort.

“Next step is to find the most suitable plants that can soak up the pollutants.

“I took three years to find the perfect combination of plants that could effectively treat the water,” he said.

Wong uses the water mimosa, thalia genicula, water hyacinth, water lily, water vetiver and water spinach at his pond.

Laboratory tests have shown that the treated water from the pond is of grade A quality.

“You can actually drink the water once it goes through the ultraviolet light and water filtering process although we only use the treated water for cleaning and watering the plants.

“At least 45% of the water used at the resort is recycled,” the Kuala Lumpur native said.

He is especially proud of his Zero Waste Eco Farm where ducks and chickens roam and organic vegetables grow.

“Those interested in learning more about how we do things here are welcome,” he said.

Other eco-friendly practices at the resort are worm composting, waste separation, solar heating and using natural sunlight and ventilation for the buildings.

Wong stresses the importance of grease traps.

“We re-use the cooking oil to make soaps and bio-diesel.

“There are old bathtubs everywhere and these are planted with organically grown vegetables and ulam,” he said.

“The frangipani flowers from our trees are dried and used to make tea and keropok (chips).”

Wong said future guests would be intrigued by a toilet made from used bottles next year.