The Belum Forest Reserve

AKA: Royal Belum Rainforest / Royal Belum State Park

Located at the northern parts of Lake Temengor, in northern Perak, Peninsular Malaysia, a vast area of virgin jungle known as the Royal Belum State Park (117,500 ha) and the Belum Forest Reserve (34,995 ha). Whereas Temengor Forest Reserve (147,505 ha) located at the south. The area is one of the largest untouched forest reserves, believed to have been around for 130 million years.

The area has been identified as an Environmentally Sensitive Area and recognized by Birdlife International as an Important Bird Area.

Royal Belum State Park has been gazetted as protected area on 3 May 2007 by Perak state government. The park is internationally recognised for its rich biodiversity of flora and fauna, including:

• 274 species of birds, such as all 10 hornbill species of Malaysia 
• over 100 species of mammals such as the Malayan Tiger, Leopard, Seladang (gaur), Sun Bear, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Asiatic Elephant, Gibbons and Malayan Tapir are amongst the world’s reportedly most threatened mammals. 
• over 3000 species of flowering plants many endemic to Peninsular Malaysia, such as palms, ferns, mosses and balsams, variety of rare orchids and ginger. 
• 23 species of freshwater fishes and 7 species of freshwater and land turtles that inhabit in and around Temengor Lake. 
• large varieties of butterflies and moths, mollusks, insects, amphibians, lizards and ants. 
• 3 out of 8 species of Rafflesia - the world's biggest flower, found in Malaysia 

 ..........................................................................................................................

Mankind himself is not so far evolved or separated from his ancestry as he would like to think, and if placed in an entirely artificial environment removed from the natural scene, he falls prey to a variety of stresses or ills that, while psychological in origin, may be physical in expectation. Small parks and green areas in towns and cities satisfy this urge for quiet places for some people, but incresingly, the urban citizens of all countries are demanding greater relief, a sharper break from the concrete jungle that surrounds them for much of their working lives.

They want to get away from all of it and periodically relax where there is a complete break in environment; quiet broken only by the sounds of birds, the ripple of streams and the murmur of leaves; peace where the passing of an hour or the closing of a day can be lived without tyranny of the clock. In all large cities it is the same - escape to new and different scenes for the weekend; a reluctant return to jobs thereafter.  --  WE Stevens, Canadian Colombo Plan ecologist.