FINAL VERSION FOR APPROVAL - Sdn Bhd - WWF Malaysia

Gunung Stong State Park Preliminary Management Plan
1.4 The Peninsular Malaysia Context
1.4.1 Brief History of Protected Areas in Peninsular Malaysia
Conservation in Peninsular Malaysia is not new, as evidenced by the promulgation in 1902 of
the Wild Animals and Birds Protection Enactment, that was used by the Federated Malay
States of Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, and Pahang to form wildlife and game reserves,
with the first wildlife reserve at Chior, Perak, in 1903. The Unfederated Malay States of
Kelantan, Terengganu, and Johor, had their own legislation, but only Johor was active,
gazetting 360,000ha as wildlife reserves between the 1933 and 1937. Kelantan and
Trengganu, together with the Federated Malay State of Pahang through their own separate
state enactments, formed the 434,700 ha Taman Negara (formerly known as the King George
V National Park) that straddles the 3 states. Pending independence, it was realised that there
was a need for standardisation, and the different state wildlife enactments were then replaced
with a uniform legislation, the Wild Animals and Birds Protection Ordinance 1955 that was
applicable to all states.
In terms of conservation, the period between 1940 and 1960 was generally quiet, as the
Second World War, followed by the Malayan Emergency of 1948-1960, necessitated the
declaration of forested areas as security areas that were off-limits to the public, much less, for
development. Only after this period, was there a concerted effort in conservation, with the
Stevens’ report on wildlife conservation (Stevens, 1968), where some areas were suggested to
become protected areas. After 1960, there was greater relaxation towards access into forests,
with only a few remaining security areas.
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, with development assistance from the World Bank, largescale
land conversion of natural forests into monoculture plantations of rubber and oilpalm
were conducted by private plantation interests and also by FELDA, the Federal Land
Development Authority.
Increasing concerns over the deteriorating status of the environment led to the formation of
the then Division of the Environment through the Environmental Quality Act (1974) and in
1972, the Protection of Wild Life Act was passed by the Federal government and
consequently the Department of Wildlife and National Parks was formed. All existing State
Ordinances and Enactments pertaining to wildlife protection were repealed and wildlife came
under Federal jurisdiction. It was also during this period that a comprehensive protected area
plan was included into the Third Malaysia Plan (1976-1980), which recognised the role of
Taman Negara, while also proposing the formation of two new national parks and 22 other
wildlife reserves (Government of Malaysia, 1976).
By the early 1980s, Malaysia’s improved education and standards of living meant that greater
numbers of Malaysians had the means to indulge in leisure activities (which includes
communing with nature through camping, fishing and trekking) and attained greater
awareness of the profound ecological damage caused by Man. This, coupled with the
realisation that most of the peninsula’s lowland rainforests have been converted to plantation
agriculture, led to greater pressures for the formation of protected areas.
In forestry management, the Matang Forest Reserve, established in 1903, was one of the first
in the system of forest reserves initially managed by the MUS (Malayan Uniform System),
and later, by the SMS (Selective Management System), forms of sustainable harvesting of
timber products. The National Forestry Act, 1984 (amended in 1993) recognised the many
functions of forests and categorised forest reserves into 10 categories, but within two broad
categories of either production or protected forests. The classification is as follows:
i. Production Forests under Sustained Yield
ii. Soil Protection Forests
iii.
Soil Reclamation Forests
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