FINAL VERSION FOR APPROVAL - Sdn Bhd - WWF Malaysia

Gunung Stong State Park Preliminary Management Plan
5. Oilpalm 5,927.0 2.5
6. Settlements 597.2 0.2
7. Towns 587.1 0.2
Total 235, 689.1 100
Source: JPBD (1996).
Settlement centres like Dabong, Jelawang, and Kuala Balah are focal points that provide the
basic food and recreational needs of settlers, and the good road linking these communities to
Gua Musang, Tanah Merah, and Kota Bharu means that they are increasingly becoming less
isolated. Dabong also has a train station that provides services to Gua Musang and Wakaf
Baharu. These settlement centres have facilities for basic commercial activities, schools,
police station, and hospitals and clinics, while traditional villages are linearly aligned along
roads, railway tracks, and rivers, especially along the roads linking Dabong-Jeli and
Jelawang-Gua Musang. Dabong has been identified as a growth area and a gateway to GSSP
(MDKKS & JPBD, 2000). Facilities and conveniences available at Dabong, Jelawang and
Kuala Balah are described in Table 2.5.
No.
Table 2.5: Facilities Available at Settlement Centres Near GSSP
Settlement
Center
Population
Distance from
GSSP (km)
Facilities
1. Dabong N/A 10 Medical centre, mosque,
market, train station,
secondary school, police
station, boat jetty, post office.
2. Jelawang N/A 7 Primary school, mosque,
government clinic, technical
institute (Giatmara),
multipurpose hall, motor
workshop.
3. Kuala Balah 3,738 15 Market, post office, mosque,
police station, primary school,
medical centre.
There is an Orang Asli post at Sg. Tako, for the Mendriq sub-tribe, with a population of about
20 families, with basic facilities, and at Sg. Kenerong there is a mini hydropower dam
(Musteq Hydro Sdn. Bhd.) which produces 11 kV of power that is connected to the national
electricity grid system.
KESEDAR plays a major role in agriculture and rural development surrounding GSSP.
Formed in 1978, the role of KESEDAR is to develop remote areas of Kelantan through largescale
agricultural development and settlements. Under KESEDAR, there are two schemes:
Rancangan Pemulihan Tanah (RPT) and the Rancangan Kemajuan Tanah (RKT). In the RPT
scheme, development schemes originally under the state is transferred to KESEDAR, while
under the RKT, primary forestland is cleared and replanted with rubber or oilpalm. In the
RPT, each settler is allocated 10 acres of oilpalm or rubber, with 0.25 acre for a dwelling,
while under the RKT, six acres are allotted for oilpalm or rubber, two acres for an orchard,
and 0.25 acre for a housing lot. Soft loans of RM45,000 are offered for seedlings, fertiliser,
and pesticides, with RM10,000-12,000 for house construction (pers. comm.. Mohamad bin
Husin, KESEDAR, 2005).
In relation to the area around GSSP, in 1983, KESEDAR acquired state-owned agricultural
schemes under the LKTN (Lembaga Kemajuan Tanah Negeri) and TAKDIR (Perbadanan
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