FINAL VERSION FOR APPROVAL - Sdn Bhd - WWF Malaysia

Gunung Stong State Park Preliminary Management Plan
Ayam or G. Stong, to G. Tera, or the montane wetland on
one of the un-named peaks.
11. Tera Camp 10 At the base of G. Tera, water is available from a small
stream. The steep slope limits the number of campers.
12. Gua Ikan 50 A much over-used cave visited by locals for weekend
picnics, this could be promoted as a public cave. There is
a patch of Cryptocoryne affinis, just some 10m
downstream of the favorite dipping spot, which could be
applied as a biological monitoring tool on the impact
from tourism.
13. Gua Keris 30 The large chamber can accommodate more than this
number, but larger volumes may result in disturbance to
the bats. Some smaller chambers with interesting
formations should only be shown to smaller groups.
12 Gua Puteri
and Gua
Pagar
20 Gua Puteri can be approached through a small passage
(Gua Pagar) passable to one person at a time, and larger
numbers will take a longer time to traverse the passage.
As the passage is low, overcrowding may disturb the
roosting bats. Gua Puteri is a smaller chamber than Gua
Keris, with several deep gour pools that are filled with
water in the rain season. The limitation of 20 is to reduce
the impact on a population of trap-door spiders that could
be a new record, or new to science.
Carrying capacity is part of the planning process, a means to regulate visitor numbers with the
objective of sustainable ecotourism in relation to the size of the protected area, environmental
(and behavioural) sensitivity, biological resources, ecological services, topography, and the
presence or lack of buffers.
When carrying capacity is breached, there are two management responses: one is to increase
the pricing, thus reducing the number of visitors. This is a pricing mechanism that limits the
nature and recreational experience to those who value them more, and thus, willing to pay
more for them, while screening out those who are less appreciative.
The second response is to increase the total carrying capacity, to create new trails, to redistribute
visitors to other less visited areas, or (for over-used areas), to harden trails by using
more durable materials (eg. concrete surfaces on trails) to reduce erosion, especially in the
development zones. Zoning is one option (see section 6.9), where the development zone,
with the largest carrying capacity, has the largest concentration of infrastructure, with
adequate information and activities, together with interpretive trails. Another option is to
promote greater use during off-season.
Nevertheless, there is a caveat in exercising the second response: increasing carrying capacity
will lead to greater sewage loads, greater rubbish generation, and greater production of noise.
Increasing carrying capacity will compromise the self-regenerating properties of nature. There
must be procedures to be followed in construction and use of facilities, followed by adequate
monitoring to ensure that they are sustainable. Otherwise, the first response (pricing
mechanism) is the better alternative.
With respect to GSSP, except during the occasional peak periods, current visitor numbers
within GSSP have always been within the suggested carrying capacity limits.
6.12 Biological Monitoring
The health of a forest can, to a certain extent, be determined through general observations of
the habitat and its wildife and plants. In areas where the habitat has been disturbed, a general
sign of forest regeneration is the gradual replacement of pioneering or colonising species by
the primary forest species. Likewise, with regard to wildlife, increased observations of prints
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