Engaging People in Sustainability: Fraser’s Hill

 

HSBC Bank Malaysia Bhd -WWF-Malaysia

Joint Project 2004 – 2006

 

 

 

 

Fraser’s Hill, located slightly over 1,200 meters above sea level and covering an area of 2,804 ha of ridges and steep valleys, is a botanical treasure trove, boasting of a rich diversity of flora & fauna, cool weather and pristine forest.

Despite being a relatively small area, the flora size of Fraser’s Hill (Kiew 1998) comprise of 952 species of seed plants (out of which 36 species are endemic to Fraser’s Hill), which is more than 10% of the total Peninsular Malaysia flora – indicating its substantial contribution and importance towards highland plant species diversity in Malaysia.

Fraser’s Hill also supports some 24.19% (52 species) of mammals, 42.44% (275 species) of birds, 12.62% (27 species) of reptiles and 29.55% (26 species) of amphibians from the total faunal species in Peninsular Malaysia.

 

It is an offence to shoot, kill, trap, remove or keep any wildlife, birds, butterflies and insects in Fraser’s Hill. Offenders will be fined or jailed in accordance to the Protection of Wildlife Act 76/11972

KETUA PENGARAH
JABATAN PERLINDUNGAN HIDUPAN LIAR
DAN TAMAN NEGARA

The Project : Engaging People In Sustainability

Fraser’s Hill is part of the Central Main Range of Peninsular Malaysia, an area that represents the last vestiges of pristine forests in Malaysia. Conservation of this area is crucial to safeguard the rich biodiversity within, its important ecological functions and water resources for the benefit of all Malaysians.
But, no man can sustain conservation without the involvement and commitment of the local community. Thus, to achieve this, the first step towards this would be to educate the local community on environmental issues and build their capacity for
environmental conservation.
Thanks to generous funding from HSBC Bank Malaysia Berhad, WWF-Malaysia embarked on an ambitious path to spur and build up the capacity of the local community of Fraser’s Hill to take an active role in conserving Fraser’s Hill, a heritage that they can proudly call their own.

The ULTIMATE GOAL of this project is the continuing conservation of Fraser’s Hill and its rich biodiversity. Through the participation of the local community, this project AIMS to achieve a “Green” Fraser’s Hill, where the people are consciously environmentally friendly and practice the “green” lifestyle with proper waste management and recycling, composting, water & energy conservation.

 

 

 

 

The participation and commitment of the local community spells the ultimate success of this project. Thus, FRESH, acronym for Fraser’s Hill Environmentally Sustainable Heritage was born in May 2004.

The OBJECTIVES of this 3 year project are:-

1. To educate community groups on conservation and environmental issues related to Fraser’s Hill

2. To form a community group to carry out activities related to waste management and recycling, biodiversity protection and conservation of water and electricity for a “greener” Fraser’s Hill

3. To upgrade the current Bishop’s Trail with proper signs, learning stations, activity sheets as well as safety measures.

FRESH has just celebrated its second birthday and has been registered with the Registrar of Societies in August 2005 – signaling their commitment towards their cause. A new committee has been elected, and the blog that you are now accessing proves their passion, dedication and seriousness in their undertakings to achieve the ultimate goal.

Photo credits: WWF-Malaysia & Ezanee Tawil (FRESH)