By Ashley Sim
KUCHING, Oct 23: The Sri Aman Development Agency (Sada) has approved seven development projects for the Gunung Lesong Ecotourism Complex, which will significantly improve the tourism industry in the Sri Aman Division once completed.
The projects, according to Dr Victor Luna Amin, chairman of the Gunung Lesong Community-Based Ecotourism Development Committee (GLCBET), include enhancing the forest road leading to the summit of Gunung Lesong and constructing four terminal buildings and jetties in Engkeranji, Banting, Lingga, and Pantu. Additionally, there are plans for the establishment of a GLCBET One-stop Heritage Centre cum Indigenous Heritage Interpretation Centre, a GLCBET-managed camping site, a GLCBET-managed KampungStay, a Research and Development Centre, and the development of facilities in the seven waterfalls area.
“If completed by 2030, these infrastructures will greatly support the tourism activities in that area later on, whereby the community will have a say together with the government agencies in operating and managing these facilities for our tourism in that area.
“So that’s basically the forum that we are organising now. At the same time also, we are trying to select a new committee who will contribute toward our objective and mission in this area,” he told DayakDaily following the GLCBET committee meeting held today at a hotel.
When asked if any orangutans have been spotted recently in Gunung Lesong since the camera traps set up by WWF-Malaysia for wildlife surveying captured images of orangutans in August of this year, Dr Victor responded that more orangutan nests have been spotted in the area, which is a positive sign.
“(The villagers) in Kampung Menuang, they always heard the orangutans just in the vicinity of their longhouse. They even know what the orangutans sound like when they are sick.
“So the orangutan is the most important asset in Gunung Lesong that we want to protect. Because that is the one that will most likely attract a large number of visitors.
“And we want our community to be involved in protecting and promoting this area, not only for our own community but also for the rest of Sri Aman and Sarawak.”
Furthermore, Dr Victor stated that the Gunung Lesong Festival is still in the planning stages because it requires the approval of all community leaders.
For the record, GLCBET was established to protect the socio-cultural traditional and natural heritage resources in and around Gunung Lesong National Park, to provide alternative sources of income through responsible tourism to address poverty issues affecting the local community, which is heavily reliant on forest produce, and to instil awareness of biodiversity and environmental conservation in members of the community as well as tourists.
Gunung Lesong and the Gunung Lesong National Park are surrounded by four protected areas: Ulu Sebuyau National Park (orangutan conservation), Maludam National Park (peat forest and rare red banded langurs), Pulau Seduku Nature Reserve (crocodile sanctuary), and Sabal National Park (water catchment and reforestation). — DayakDaily
