FINAL VERSION FOR APPROVAL - Sdn Bhd - WWF Malaysia

Gunung Stong State Park Preliminary Management Plan
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Aims and Objectives of the Preliminary Management Plan
In 2004, the state government announced the intention to establish Gunung Stong State Park
(GSSP), corresponding to the 21,950 ha area of forest reserve known as the Gunung Stong
Tengah Forest Reserve managed by the State Forestry Department, Kelantan. Not yet
formally gazetted as a State Park, it will follow the Perlis State Park model, with management
responsibilities retained by the State Forestry Department and reporting to a State Parks
Management Committee which ultimately reports to the State Parks Steering Committee
under the chairmanship of the Mentri Besar of Kelantan.
A protected area like the GSSP needs a management plan, especially if it is also promoted as
an eco-tourism destination. Thus the needs, responsibilities, and functions must be clearly
defined, to provide direction to the agency responsible for its management and planning.
Nonetheless, a detailed management plan may take a few years to complete, and the State
Parks Committee cannot wait that long; it is the intention of the preliminary management plan
to provide a rapid, stopgap measure in the interim period, especially in addressing some of the
pertinent issues that should be resolved.
Thus, the objectives of the preliminary management plan are as follows:
• To provide a framework for an efficient management system for the park;
• To enable the effective protection of GSSP and its resources;
• To promote the recognition of the biological and economic resources of GSSP, by
scientific means; and
• To provide recommendations for improving the standard of living of the local
community, and their level of conservation awareness.
1.2 Study Method
Literature review was conducted following the compilation of secondary data obtained from
universities, NGOs, consultants and government agencies. The information obtained relates to
the history, socio-economy, land-use, biological, physical and geological resources, and
tourism of the Stong area. Interviews and discussions were conducted with government
officers, academics, researchers, consultants and NGOs, for other pertinent information.
Where necessary, rapid biodiversity studies were conducted to fill existing gaps in
information, specifically on plants, bats, birds and the Dabong caves.
Ground-truthing exercises were also conducted in March and August 2005, respectively, in
order to verify information obtained through secondary sources, particularly those pertaining
to land-use, vegetation types and environmental impacts by human activities.
Based on the analysis of the secondary data and primary data from field studies, this
preliminary management plan was produced to guide GSSP managers. Perhaps GSSP could
be a precursor for other protected areas in Kelantan, and this management plan provides a
conceptual framework for other management plans for other protected areas that may be
formed in the future.
The scope of this preliminary plan is limited to GSSP and the adjacent forest reserves, the
limestone hills of Dabong, and the areas within the Jeli-Dabong road corridor (principally the
communities and settlements of Dabong, Kemubu, Jelawang, and Kuala Balah).
1.3 Protected Areas in the Global Context
Historically, protected areas are areas that have been set aside against human intervention,
serve various purposes, and have been known under different names in different cultures.
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