Friday, 12 March 2010

National Parks & Reserves in Sarawak

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There are 18 National Parks in Sarawak, of which I had only visited 5 of them. Not yet even to include another 5 Nature Reserves and 4 Wildlife Sactuaries. I think I may not have the chance to at least pay a brief visit to all of the existing Totally Protected Areas.

Compare to other states of the Federation, Sarawak surely championed other states in regard to total land area and numbers of TPAs.

However, if we look at total area of Sarawak, which is 124,450 km2 ( 12,445,000 ha ), total TPAs of 492,973.47 ha is merely a 3.96% !
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Area (ha)
%
Total National Parks
299,793.00
2.4089%
Total Wildlife Sactuaries
945.07
0.0076%
Total Reserves
192,235.40
1.5447%
Total TPAs
492,973.47
3.9612%
Total State Area
12,445,000.00




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NATIONAL PARKS
No
Name
Area (ha)
Division
Date of Gazettement
1
2,727 ha
Kuching
4-May-57
2
Gunong Mulu NP
52,865 ha
Miri
3-Oct-74
3
3,138 ha
Miri
2-Jan-75
4
6,949 ha
Miri
26-Jun-75
5
7,064 ha
Bintulu
20-Apr-78
1,932 ha
2-Jun-00
6
4,196 ha
Kuching
3-May-88
7
2,230 ha
Kuching
11-May-89
8
24,040 ha
Sri Aman
11-May-89
9
10,736 ha
Miri
29-Aug-91
10
1,379 ha
Kuching
19-May-94
11
0 ha(19,414 – water bodies)
Kuching
4-Nov-99
12
Bukit Tiban NP
8,000 ha
Bintulu
31-May-00
13
Maludam NP
43,147 ha
Sri Aman
31-May-00
14
Rajang Mangrove NP
9,373 ha
Sibu
3-Aug-00
15
Gunung Buda NP
6,235 ha
Limbang
18-Jan-01
16
Kuching Wetland NP
6,610 ha
Kuching
10-Oct-02
17
Pulong Tau NP
59,817ha
Limbang, Miri
24-Mar-05
18
Usun Apau NP
49,355ha
Miri
29-Sep-05
TOTAL
299,793 ha

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NATURE RESERVES
No.
Name
Area (ha)
Division
Date of publication
1
6.16 ha
Kuching
4-Nov-99
2
Sama Jaya Nature Reserved
37.916 ha
Kuching
23-Mar-00
3
653 ha
Kuching
20-Apr-00
4
Bukit Hitam Nature Reserve
147 ha
Limbang
22-Jun-00
5
Bukit Sembiling Nature Reserve
101 ha
Limbang
22-Jun-00
TOTAL
945.07 ha

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WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES

No.
Name
Area (ha)
Division
Date of Publication
Effective Date
1
Samunsam Wildlife Sanc.
6,092 ha
Kuching
22-Mar-79
1-Jul-78
Samunsam 1st Extension
16,706 ha
3-Aug-00
29-May-00
2
Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary
168,758 ha
Sarikei, Sibu, Kapit
3-Mar-83
2-Feb-83
3
Pulau Tukong Ara Tukong Sanctuary
1.4 ha
Kuching
29-Aug-85
28-Feb-85
4
Sibuti Bird Sanctuary
678 ha
Miri
3-Aug-00
29-May-00
TOTAL
192,235.40




Thursday, 4 March 2010

Edible Zingiberaceae



Ginger - 薑 – Halia (Malay) – Zingiber officinale

Origin : probably India

Cultivation : S.Asia, SE.Asia, tropical Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia

Part Used : rhizome

Usage : spice, medicine, liquor & drinks, candy,

Chemical : zingerone, shogaols, gingerols, (-)-zingiberene, β-sesquiphellandrene, bisabolene, farnesene, β-phelladrene, cineol, citral


Turmeric - 黃薑 – Kunyit (Malay) – Curcuma longa

Origin : SE.Asia

Part Used : rhizome

Usage : spice, food colouring (E100), medicine, dye

Chemical : volatile oils ( odor and flavor ) : curcumin, turmerone, zingiberene


Galangal - 藍薑 – Lengkuas (Malay) – Alpinia galanga
Origin : south Asia
Cultivated : SE.Asia
Part Used : rhizome

Usage : spice, medicine, liquor & drinks

Chemical : galangin, b-sitosterol, emodi, quercetin, methyl cinnamate, cindol, camphor, a-pinene, eugenol, sesquiterpenes



Kantan (Malay) - Etlingera elatior

Origin : SE.Asia

Part Used : flower bud

Usage : spice, garnish

Chemical : quercitrin, isoquecitrin, catechin, chlorogenic acid




Cardamom - Pelaga (Malay) -- Elettaria cardamomum

Origin : SEAsia, southern India

Part Used : seed pods

Usage : spice, drinks

Chemical : a-terpineol, myrcene, limonene, menthone, b-phellandrene, sabinene






black cardamom - 沙仁 - Amomum subulatum

Origin : eastern Himalaya

Part Used : seed pods

Usage : spice, medicine



Black cardomon - 草果- Amomum costatum

Origin : southern China, northern India

Part Used : seed pods

Usage : spice, medicine

Chemical : cineol, limonene, terpinene, terpineol, terpinyl acetate, sabinene




Myōga - 茗荷 Zingiber mioga

Origin : Japan

Part Used : flower bud, shoots

Usage : garnish

Chemical : pinene, phellandrene, elemene




Grain of Paradise -天堂椒- Aframomum melegueta

Origin : West Africa

Part Used : seeds

Usage : spice, medicine, liquor

Chemical : (6)-paradol

Dragonfruits 火龙果



Dragon fruits are from the family Cactaceae, of subfamily Cactoideae, of tribe Hylocereeae. They are mostly epiphytes or hemi-epiphytes, which means they grow upon another plants non-parasitically.

They are adapted to extremely arid or semi-arid hot environments, as well as tropical environments. Their stems have adapted to become photosynthetic and succulent, while the eaves have become the spines.

Most members of Cactaceae family are nocturnal blooming



Hylocerous undatus – White Dragon fruit

Its origin is uncertain, but somewhere in South America.

The flowers are 25 – 30cm long, 15 – 17 cm wide, nocturnal, scented, greenish yellow or whitish in colour.
The fruits are oblong to ovoid, 6 – 12 cm long, 4 – 9 cm thick, red, with white pulp.



Hylocereus costaricensis – Purple Dragon fruit

Native to Central America and northwestern South America. Its named after Costa Rica where it was first discovered.

The flowers are 22 – 30 cm long, strongly perfumed,
Fruits are broadly ovate to globose, brightly magenta, purple pulpa.

The fruits contain indicaxanthin, an type of betalain, a plant pigmant also present in beets, which is a powerful antioxidant.




Hylocereus setaceus – Red Dragon fruit


Originated from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and Paraguay.

Fruit red with red pulpa.



Hylocereus megalanthus – Yellow Dragon fruit

Native to northern South America. The name megalanthus, in Greek, means large flowered.

The flowers are nocturnal, 32 – 38 cm long, white in colour.

The fruits are ovoid, yellow with white pulpa.

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

The Rubber Economist : Oldest rubber tree in Malaysia




Tuesday, 16 February 2010

Standing tall outside the Department of Lands And Mines in Kuala Kangsar is one of the oldest rubber trees in the country, grown from an original seedling brought into the country (New Straits Times (Malaysia) 16 February 2010).

Before palm oil, Malaysia's "golden crop", the country was blessed with rich "milk" that never ceased to flow - latex that oozed from rubber trees.

But it has been decades since rubber was the No 1 or even a major contributor to the economy though it was rubber and tin that laid the foundation for the country's economy.

Although rubber prices have improved and many smallholders are returning to their plots to collect latex, the days of rubber as a pillar of the country's economy are unlikely to return.

Nevertheless, rubber will always have a special place in our history. Museum Negara, for instance, has a special mention of it. The story of rubber and how it came to the then Malay Federated States is a fascinating one, starting with a "crazy Englishman" Henry Nicholas Ridley. The botanist earned his "crazy" reputation because he was always stuffing rubber seeds into the pockets of everyone he meets, hoping they will plant the seeds.

The English had smuggled rubber seeds out of Brazil (then under Portugal) for planting in their colonies so that they would have their own supply of rubber.

Today, one of nine seedlings brought to this country by Ridley is still standing tall in Kuala Kangsar, the royal town of Perak. The tree is located just outside the office of the Department of Lands And Mines (Federal). It was planted there in 1877 and is said to be one of the two oldest rubber trees in the country.

This tree signalled the start of the rubber plantation era in the late 19th-20th Century, and turned the country into the world's largest producer of rubber at one time.

The story began in the 1870s with British administrators in India. Henry Wickham collected 70,000 rubber seeds from the Amazonian rainforest in Brazil and sent them to London's Kew Gardens to be germinated.

The seedlings were sent out to the British colonies and in 1876, nine were planted in Kuala Kangsar. The trees that came from the original Wickham stock were used to start the first plantation. For this, credit must go to Ridley, then director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The "rubber revolution" of the early 20th Century saw virtually all other cash crops being brushed aside to make way for rubber plantations. In the 1930s, our rubber industry dwarfed that of Brazil's. The demand then for natural rubber worldwide, notably for making tyres for the newly-invented motorcar, gave the industry room to expand and rake in huge profits.

If you have difficulties locating the oldest rubber tree in the country, make your way to the Kuala Kangsar Tourist Information Centre right in the heart of town. Or call 05-777 7717.


If you're in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, visit the Kiara Park where there are many rubber trees. You can even pick up rubber seeds to plant in your garden... or be a Ridley and give them to your friends as a reminder of what an important role rubber played in the history of this country.







Saturday, 30 January 2010

Sarikei : Rare Local Fruits

Salak, Snake fruit
Salacca zalacca
Arecaceae

Asam Paya
Eleiodoxa conferta
Arecaceae


Tematuk, Apong, Nipah, Atap zi
Nypa fruticans
Arecaceae


Tebulus ( Melanau ), Engkalak ( Iban )
Litsea garciae
Lauraceae


no idea...


Melinjau
Gnetum gnemon
Gnetaceae


Embawang
Mangifera pajang
Anacardiaceae


Limau Madu, 蜜柑
Citrus suhuensis
Rutaceae

terung iban
Solanum macrocarpon
Solanaceae


Thursday, 7 January 2010

Sagittaria sagittifolia - Arrowhead 芽菇

Sagittaria sagittifolia ( also called arrowhead due to the shape of its leaves, ) is a flowering plant in the family Alismataceae, the water-plantain family. The Sagittaria genus consists of about 20 species worldwide. It is native to wetlands throughout the temperate regions of Europe and Asia.


The name derived from Latin word sagitta, means an arrow.


It is a herbaceous perennial plant, growing in water from 10 – 50 cm deep. It forms 3 types of leaves : submerged ( ribbon-like ), floating leaves ( transitional in shape ), and above water ( arrow-head-shaped ). The arrowhead-shaped leaves’ blade 15 – 25 cm long and 10 – 22 cm broad, on a long triangular petiole holding the leaf up to 45 cm above water level. The flowers are monoecious, 2 – 2.5 cm broad, with 3 small sepals and 3 white petals, and numerous purple stamens. Fruits are achenes.


It requires a moist or wet loamy soil in a sunny position. Due to its C3 photosynthesis pathway, it cannot grow in the shade. It prefers shallow, still or slowly flowing water up to 30 – 60 cm deep. The plants are fairly cold tolerant, surviving temperatures down to at least -10°c, though the top growth is damaged once temperatures fall below zero. Average yield maybe 12 – 15 t/ha. Reproduction by floating seeds or vegetatively.



Sagittaria is a general nuisance in the crops’ irrigation systems, drains and waterways of more than 50 countries.


The tuber is edible. It is know as cígū (慈菇, literally mean "benevolent mushroom") or ya( 芽菇 ).









Tuesday, 5 January 2010

The Gardener #1


SERVANT . Have mercy upon your servant, my queen !

QUEEN . The assembly is over and my servants are all gone. Why do you come at his late hour?

SERVANT . When you have finished with others, that is my time.

I come to ask what remains for your last servant to do.

QUEEN . What can you expect when it is too late ?

SERVANT . Make me the gardener of you flower garden.

QUEEN . What folly is this ?

SERVANT . I will give up my other work.

I throw my swords and lances down in the dust. Do not send me to distant courts; do not bid me undertake new conquests. But make me the gardener of you flower garden.

QUEEN . What will you duties be ?

SERVANT . The service of you idle days.

I will keep fresh the grassy path where you walk in the morning, where your feet will be greeted with praise at every step by the flowers eager for death.

I will swing you in a swing among the branches of the saptaparna, where the early evening moon will struggle to kiss your skirt through the leaves.

I will replenish with scented oil the lamp that burns by your bedside, and decorate your footstool with sandal and saffron paste in wondrous designs.

QUEEN . What will you have for your reward ?

SERVANT . To be allowed to hold your little fists like tender lotus-buds and slip flower chains over your wrists; to tinge the soles of your feet with the red juice of ashoka petals and kiss away the speck of dust that may chance to linger there.

QUEEN . Your prayers are granted, my servant, you will be the gardener of my flower garden.




A poem translated from the original Bengali by the author in 1915
Rabindranath Tagore
1861-1941