FINAL VERSION FOR APPROVAL - Sdn Bhd - WWF Malaysia

Gunung Stong State Park Preliminary Management Plan
6.15.3 Promotion of GSSP to Scientists
Linkages could be made with local universities and foreign institutions to promote GSSP for
research activities, especially with universities that are near to GSSP, by formal and informal
means. Formal collaboration could be through the establishment of a permanent research
station, or in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) that outlines the sharing
of research benefits including profit-sharing from sales of products developed from resources
of GSSP. Informal means include ad hoc applications to conduct research activities at GSSP
from institutions that do not have formal arrangements with GSSP. Promotion should not be
a one-off effort, but should instead be an on-going process, in order to expand the pool of
researchers at GSSP and therefore widen the information base on GSSP.
6.16 Co-option of BAT Guides
The BAT guides has been instrumental in providing basic accommodation and guiding
services since 1992, and is primarily responsible for promoting GSSP to visitors. With an
average annual visitor number of 5,000 over the last 10 years, some 50,000 people may have
visited GSSP to-date, including locals and foreigners, with diverse skills and backgrounds.
The BAT Guides maintain the Baha Camp and campsites along the trails, disposing of
rubbish, preventing illegal collections, helping in rescue work, and monitoring visitors from
straying.
Since they have been involved in promoting GSSP for the last 20 years, their effort should not
go unrecognised. It is therefore suggested that they be co-opted into the GSSP structure,
though not as permanent staff; maintaining the existing status quo, provided certain
conditions are met:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
(vi)
(vii)
(viii)
(ix)
(x)
The privatisation of guiding services is reviewed annually;
The guiding fees are determined by GSSP, and are reviewed regularly;
The guides are responsible for maintaining the cleanliness of Baha Camp,
designated campsites and trails;
The guides must be registered with the State Park unit of the Kelantan State
Forestry Department and their status reviewed annually;
The registered guides be given the authority to caution visitors and apprehend
offenders, where appropriate;
A roster of guides be maintained at the GSSP headquarters or park entry-points,
and a queuing system be maintained for the guiding services to ensure an
equitable distribution of guiding services;
Visitors must report to GSSP staff at entry-points, and guides assigned
accordingly, based on the guide queue, unless the guide is specifically requested
for by visitors;
The 10 huts and dining hut at Baha Camp should be up-graded and maintained by
the GSSP, and the services outsourced to BAT Guides, at nominal fees, as BAT
guides not only provide guiding services, but also provide rescue, safety and
security services to the campers (there are insufficient numbers of forestry
department staff to handle guiding duties);
The BAT guides must abide by certain codes of conduct as specified by GSSP, or
risk being de-registered;
Baha Camp, campsites, and trails must be regularly monitored by GSSP staff, to
ensure the above conditions are met by BAT guides.
The BAT guides, being locals, help in monitoring GSSP against illegal activities, and they
could be the core site support group for GSSP (that fits into the grand objective of protecting
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