Responsible Tourism

Articles Tagged with: Responsible Tourism

25 October, 2007

MNS at Royal Belum

I had heard of the Save Belum-Temengor Postcard Campaign but had no idea where Belum-Temengor was. An invitation to join the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Bird Group trip to Belum was a great incentive to find out more. The sum of my knowledge was that MNS had successfully motivated the Malaysian public to lobby the government on an issue of environmental conservation. The cessation of logging in Temengor and the gazettement of Royal Belum as a State Park are remarkable achievements and a source of optimism for protection of other threatened ecosystems. I couldn’t wait for the opportunity to explore a tiny part of this 117,500ha ParkMy initial observation was disappointment at the disturbed forest and low quality development at Banding. This faded as we took to the water and an MNS flotilla buzzed toward the upper reaches of Temengor Lake. Here I was quickly lulled into the beauty of the landscape characterised by an intact jungle canopy with many tall emergent trees. I couldn’t quite shake the feeling however of floating above a submerged forest. Bleached white tree trunks at the lake margin are eerily photogenic and a nagging reminder of the many more skeletal branches reaching for the underside of our fragile craft.

As the lake narrowed I kept a keen eye out for Belum’s most famous resident, the Malayan Tiger. Apparently not constrained by water, it would be my ideal scenario to meet a wild tiger while it was swimming and I was on a boat with the engine running. For birdwatchers Belum-Temengor has the cachet of being the only place where you can see all ten of Malaysia’s Hornbills, of which the writer recorded a paltry five. I like to think of it as leaving some for next time.

Of those ten species it is the Plain-pouched Hornbill which is most appealing as it cannot be seen anywhere else in Malaysia. This vulnerable Hornbill was until recently considered conspecific with the Wreathed Hornbill. Although visually almost identical, it differs significantly in its habit of gathering in large flocks occasionally over 1000 strong. To add to the mystique, nobody knows where these birds roost and no one has ever found a nesting site. As the Hornbill’s habitat is being lost to deforestation there is urgent need to answer these questions if we are to come up with an effective conservation strategy.

Conserving Belum is a great first step to securing a contiguous area of old-growth forest that might just be large enough to sustain populations of large charismatic mammals and birds. As a conservation model however it is compromised by the fact that it necessitated the destruction (through flooding) of over 15,000ha of forest.

The conundrum is that in the current political climate it is difficult to argue for conservation for its own sake. It also helps to have an economic incentive. In this case conservation of forests in the catchment area will slow down the rate at which Temengor Reservoir will silt up. Another powerful incentive is that the creation of a large man-made lake provides far more recreational opportunities which appeal to a broader spectrum of people than a simple rainforest reserve could on its own.

As a purist birdwatcher I might claim that being stuck on a boat can not compare to sweating it out on steep muddy trails and being torn by rotan. But on the other hand, there is something civilised about watching ospreys whilst sitting amongst friends with your binoculars in one hand and a parasol in the other.

If the convenience of boat travel helps to encourage more people to visit the rainforest, be they bird-watchers, fishermen or day trippers, then on balance it could be a good thing. From a conservation point of view, visitors create more than just an economic incentive. People, especially locals, who come to value nature for recreation and as part of their heritage, are more likely to sign a postcard saying ‘Save Belum-Temengor’.

In all it was a most memorable trip and gives me hope for more Nature Conservation in Malaysia. And while I am being optimistic – I will see a Plain-pouched Hornbill next time.

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25 May, 2007

Borneo Rainforest Lodge – Chalet Photos

Here are some photos of the first completed refurbished chalets.

The general idea of the refurbishment was to improve the environmental performance of the buildings and to raise the standard of comfort and facilities available to guests. The layout of bedrooms has been modified to enhance the feeling of privacy and provide a better view of the rainforest, ensuite bathrooms are now more spacious and luxurious and selected chalets feature a private spa bath on the veranda with uninterrupted views of the Danum River.

To maintain the interior of the rooms at a comfortable temperature a number of sustainable design principles have been followed to help ensure that we do not need to rely on energy intensive air-conditioning:

– Good passive solar design means that no direct sunlight can enter and heat up the room.
– Thermal insulation in roof and walls to reduce indirect heat transmittance into the room
– New and increased areas of cross ventilation in both the bedroom and ensuite bathroom
– Mechanical roof extract fan to remove accumulated hot air from the ceiling space
– Floor ventilation inlet to bring in cooler air from underneath the building.

Additional energy saving is achieved through the use of solar water heaters and more intelligent control of all electrical installations. Finishes and fixtures have also been completely overhauled to a much higher standard and where possible either locally sourced and/or recycled materials have been specified.

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28 April, 2007

Eco Tourism

Above is a photo of work in progress at BRL. This ‘mock-up’ chalet is now complete and all remaining 8 rooms should be ready by the end of June. We deliberately programmed construction to complete one twin chalet ahead of the others. This approach has proved very useful and has allowed us time to tweak the design without big cost penalties.The photo shows the concrete base of a spa bath which has been installed in six of the ten chalets. As well as being the area of design which as been most ‘tweaked’, this bath also provokes debate about the nature of eco-tourism lodges.

Ecological tourism (eco-tourism) is a form of tourism which aims to be both ecologically and socially conscious. It is usually associated with travel to areas with a rich cultural heritage, outstanding natural beauty and high biodiversity. Due to the fragility of such environments there is a risk that tourism may damage exactly the characteristics that attract the tourists in the first place.

Therefore any would be eco-tourism resort should demonstrably minimize the adverse effects of traditional tourism on the natural environment and enhance the cultural integrity of local people. Currently the implementation of eco-tourism principles is mostly voluntary and there is little regulation within the industry or local governments. This has led to claims that some tourism operators use the term eco-tourism as a marketing tool without accountability for their claims.

As a result regulation is now starting to be driven by organisations such as Wild Asia who use both the internet and mainstream media to promote the concepts of Eco-tourism and/or Responsible Tourism. The result of this is that any would be eco-tourism resort must adhere to the principles of eco-tourism

As commendable as these principles are, they ignore a more fundamental debate about how luxurious should an eco-tourism lodge be. There is a strong argument which says that eco-tourism should promote more modest, less consumerist ways of living.

By this argument the above mentioned principles of eco-tourism are devalued to a ‘retrofit kit’, serving only to minimise the impact of our actions rather than questioning the existence of these actions in the first place.

A 33m² (110ft²) ensuite bedroom with veranda and private spa is not modest. Each spa bath requires the use and subsequent disposal of 800litres (210gallon) of water and has necessitated the installation of large solar water heaters with additional electrical backup heating.

If I apply the above question I can’t help thinking that the environment would be better served by not having the spa baths in the first place, rather than trying to mitigate their impact with the use of solar water heaters and biodegradable soap.

My client however would be quick to point out that all aspects of this refurbishment will make BRL more competitive in a rapidly expanding market. A successful Borneo Rainforest Lodge is currently one of the best incentives to conserve the Danum Valley and Ulu Segama rainforest.

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25 March, 2007

Borneo Rainforest Lodge

This is Borneo Rainforest Lodge, otherwise known as BRL to the cognoscenti. It’s marketed as ‘An exclusive facility for natural history tourism’. It is exclusive because it is relatively small, relatively expensive and difficult to get to.

Size is a key issue when talking about eco-tourism. The Danum Valley Conservation Area is virgin lowland rainforest, far too fragile to put up with hordes of tourists trampling through the undergrowth. Besides, the uncomfortable two and a half hour 4WD journey should be enough to dissuade the mass-market.

Once here though, you realise what you are paying for. The hotel is on a bend in the Danum River and the rainforest is in your face. There are orang utans feeding on the opposite river bank, a wild pig called Moustache raiding the kitchen and endangered species of birds knocking themselves out by flying into windows.

The guests that I have spoken to are all overwhelmed by the place, although most also have some useful feedback that is helping me with my brief. For example, there is roughly a 50:50 split between those who think that there should be air conditioning in the rooms and those who are happy without. The other main comments, luckily, mostly tally with what my client has asked me to have a look at. Guests all stay in individual chalets, the oldest of which are starting to get a little tired now. My work is therefore mainly a refurbishment job, but also includes improving the natural lighting and ventilation and installing ‘Balinese’ baths on the verandas of the best chalets.

An important consideration is to try to reduce solar gain in the chalets so that we can continue to resist the calls for air conditioning. Unfortunately timber heats up rapidly during the day and the interior can quickly become uncomfortable. The challenge would seem to be to try to keep the sun off the building but things are never that simple. In this high humidity environment timber rapidly deteriorates if it is not baked dry by the sun for a few hours every day. A combination of a well insulated over-sailing roof, masonry in the shaded parts and timber in the sunny parts would seem to be the ideal combination.

I am also looking at their main lodge and trying to improve its layout and create more space for guests, both around the edge of the building where they can watch the wildlife and in the high open central space where they can keep cool. My job of recommending improvements to the lodge is made a lot easier by the fact that there are some easy to spot fundamental cock-ups with the planning. For example; front of house and back of house are hopelessly confused. In this refurbishment I am also indebted to the months and months spent drawing hotels for Weintraub Associates.

The Chalets and the Main Lodge are the meat of my work here, but there are also some fun projects on the side including a tented camp in the jungle and a tree-top observation hide. My biggest fear is that the months here will pass all too quickly.

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16 February, 2007

Arkitrek – Everyday Junglists

Text by Andrew Lo
Photos by Andrew Lo and Ian Hall

ARKITREK – setaip hari dalam hutan (everyday junglism)

I have just returned from a 5 day expedition through Borneo’s finest rainforest… What a trip! The landscape is truly magnificent, the terrain is rough, rugged – physically and psychologically demanding, but the places I have been have made all the blood, sweat and cursing all the worth while J We walked several kilometres everyday visiting different camp sites which need developing. At the same time we observed the condition of the trails through the jungle (where trails existed!) and identified different sites along the way for potential rest stops for future visitors. The challenge will be to make the architecture as unobtrusive as possible, respecting the existing terrain and maximising spectacular views through and across the rainforest.

One of the highlights was visiting the Maliau Falls, deep in the heart of the basin – absolutely beautiful. The waterfall cascades 7 tiers – I was lucky enough to be swimming beneath and between the final 2. It felt so good to be refreshing myself in the river’s clear water, knowing that when this place is developed the visitors will not be allowed such privileges.

After visiting the falls we trekked 3 kilometres uphill to Lobah Camp. It was hard work, especially as I suffered a hunger attack just before we reached camp! I needed to stop and replenish myself with emergency biscuits as my knees went wobbly 1 km before our destination. As I climbed the final makeshift ladder I encountered Ian sitting on a rock, chewing a straw of grass and grinning. ‘What took you so long?’ ‘Munchies man…’ I then took notice of where I had arrived and with a big smile on my face, got snapping with my camera. From here I had a 360-degree panoramic view of the basin rim, looking down onto the forever-sprawling forest canopy – stunning.

View from Lobah Hills at sunrise.

The following day, I spent the best part of it falling arse over heel downwards! It rained overnight and so it was wet and slippery underfoot. My shoes let me down, as they are not proper junglist footwear… I wasn’t helped by the fact that no-one had walked this route for 3 years and so the trail was non-existent in some parts.

I soon realised after much rolling around in mud whilst shouting out obscene profanity that this was part and parcel of being a true-junglist. Life in the jungle is not about jumping around the club around waiting for the next wicked bass-line to drop – It’s about picking yourself up after each fall and getting on with it! It goes hand in hand with other everyday inconveniences i.e. leeches in your shoe, other bugs that bite, being followed by a swarm of bees who want nothing more that to lick the sweat off your skin, wearing the same minging t-shirt everyday, sleeping in hammocks that are 12 inches too short, the list goes on… but I’m not grumbling (much;) at all – a TRUE junglist, fights for survival!

So we soldiered on through the wilderness and visited two more sites. Our final destination before heading home was the Camel Trophy camp. This was the first camp to be built by a team of volunteers in 1993, ‘the for the benefit of ongoing scientific research and conservation within the Maliau Basin…’ or something like that. It is set in a clearing of beautiful heath forest, 1085m above sea level. It was the most comfortable of all the camps we visited, with proper toilets and beds! And we really appreciated these luxuries after 6 gruelling hours of relentless uphill trekking.

We headed home next morning, which was all downhill and the terrain was thankfully dry! On the way, one of the rangers spotted something rustling in the trees and started running after it… We were quick to follow and Ian is 99% convinced he saw through his binoculars an orang utan swinging through the trees! How cool is that!? They are not a common sight here, so to see one in the wild is a real treat. We reached Agathis Camp in good time and were rewarded by cold beers and cokes on our return.

It’s now Tuesday (I think) and we’re at the studies centre working as our generator is still caput! It’s lunchtime now and I’m ready for my packed lunch – fried chicken rice J So I’ll sign off now! (We’ve just had a power cut here too!).

Best Wishes,

Your Everyday Junglist

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