Unearthing treasure trove of flora, fauna

A red-tailed green ratsnake (Gonyosoma oxycephalum) found in its habitat in Panti Forest Reserve. — Photo courtesy of Hardy Adrian A. Chin

AS part of efforts to safeguard its astonishing beauty and biodiversity, the Panti Forest Reserve in the Kota Tinggi district of Johor will be gazetted as a research and wildlife protection forest.

Johor Forestry Department director Datuk Salim Aman said the flora and fauna in the 13,512ha forest reserve would be better protected as part of the state’s Panti Conservation Area (PCA) initiative.

He said the area would be gazetted under Section 10 (1) of the National Forestry Act (Adoption) Enactment 1985.

The move, he said, would also hopefully cut down cases of poaching and wildlife trafficking in the area.

“We are working very closely with the Wildlife Protection and National Parks Department (Perhilitan) and other enforcement agencies under ‘Ops Bersepadu Khazanah’ to curb poaching.

“We have a special dedicated 10-member team consisting of veteran soldiers, policemen and Orang Asli at Panti Forest Reserve who have been given special training by Perhilitan,” Salim said, adding that the special team had been successful in putting a stop to poaching activities there.

The Forestry director said this after a three-day seminar jointly organised by the department, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) and Malaysian Nature Society.

The seminar was to present and discuss the results of a research expedition in August last year which unearthed a treasure trove of rich flora and fauna in the forest reserve.

The expedition involved 126 participants consisting of researchers from public and private higher education institutions, research institutions, government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

“There were a total of 44 oral presentations and 11 poster presentations by researchers and lecturers from universities, government agencies and NGOs,” said Salim.

The seminar also featured an exhibition highlighting details and photographs of some of the forest reserve’s flora and fauna.

A total of 427 species of flowering plants were recorded during the expedition, including 13 endemic species in peninsular Malaysia such as simpoh putih (Dillenia albiflos), meranti pasir (Shorea), damar hitam sengkawang putih (Shorea maxima) and minyak berok (Xanthophyllum vitellinum).

Salim said the expedition also managed to record the presence of some unique mammal species such as lotong cenekah (pale-thigh langur) and some highly endangered wild cat species.

“Panti Forest Reserve, famous as a bird sanctuary, is a habitat for hundreds of birds including unique species such as kuang raya (Great Argus), bayan puling (Blue-rumped Parrot), cenok kecil (Chestnut-bellied Malkoha), kesumba puteri (Scarlet-rumped Trogon), pekaka rimba besar (Rufous-collared Kingfisher) and takau selawit (Green Broadbill),” he added.

The team also recorded 49 species of arachnida group consisting of the spiders, scorpions and harvester families such as the Malaysian Blue Femur Tarantula.

“In addition, dragonflies from 25 genera and 10 families have been successfully recorded, with 12 species being unique to the Panti Forest Reserve,” said Salim.

“This represents 13.6% of the species found in peninsular Malaysia.

“The richness of dragonfly species shows that the water quality in Panti Forest Reserve is still good and this is proven by the presence of 49 species of freshwater fish.

“Among the interesting ones is Johor Thick Scale fish which is very endangered and endemic in the state,” he said.

Salim reiterated that placing the forest reserve under the PCA would give better protection to the various wildlife.

Committed to initiative

The department’s move to place the forest reserve under the PCA initiative has won Johor government’s support.

State tourism, environment, heritage and culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar said Johor was committed to ensuring the protection of wildlife and preservation of areas rich in biodiversity, especially in Panti Forest Reserve.

“Under Johor Budget 2023, the state government allocated RM300,000 for the upgrading of the Panti area for conservation, research, education, eco-tourism and community involvement.

“Johor Forestry Department has also applied to Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry for a RM16mil allocation for development under the 12th Malaysia Plan to construct the Panti conservation area management complex,” he added.

Raven Kumar said he hoped the department’s application would be approved by the Federal Government.

He said Kota Tinggi and other nearby districts had seen many cases of human and wildlife conflicts being reported, and it was hoped that the PCA initiative would help to reduce such cases.

He noted that Johor was especially rich in biodiversity in its forested areas.

Raven Kumar said gazetted forest reserves and national parks spanned approximately 408,512ha, which was 23% of the state’s land area.

“The Panti Forest Reserve, which was gazetted as a permanent reserve forest on Sept 19, 1949, is located at the end of the Titiwangsa Range.

“This forest has always been able to attract local and foreign tourists, especially those who prefer outdoor activities such as hiking up Gunung Panti, Gunung Muntahak or Bukit Sisek, or visiting Pelepah Kiri Waterfalls and Batu Tenggek,” he said.

Various events, such as the Ultimate Trails of the South (Utos) Kota Tinggi, which took place last November, also saw participants in two distance categories running through the Panti Forest Reserve.

The event is set to feature in Johor Forestry Department’s annual calendar of eco-tourism events.

Raven Kumar said Panti Forest Reserve was very popular among bird watchers from various countries, and had received global recognition from the Bird Life International organisation as an important bird area.

“I am confident and believe that there are still more flora and fauna species that have yet to be discovered here,” he said, adding that further steps would be taken to protect the Panti Forest Reserve to help research and conservation efforts.