Introduction Taman Negara originated from a Pahang State Legislation in the year of 1925.More than 1,300 sq km of tropical jungle in its natural state was designated as "The Gunung Tahan Game Reserve". In 1938/39, it was declared a National Park through enactments of the States of Pahang, Kelantan, and Terengganu, with the name of King George V National Park. The name was then changed to Taman Negara after Independence in 1957. It has been preserved almost entirely intact to this day. It is Peninsular Malaysia's greatest national park, which the total area covers 4,343 square kilometres (434,340 hectares). Over half of this area is in the state of Pahang. It is here the Park Headquarters has been established, at Kuala Tahan. Situated between 4degree and 5degree north of the equator, Taman Negara receives rain throughout the year - around 2,200 mm annually in the lowlands rising to more than 3,800mm in the mountain. At the Kuala Tahan area, the driest month is February (average 71mm) and the wettest month is October (275mm). Within the lowland forest, temperature varies little throughout the year, being about 26ºC in the middle of the day and 22ºC at night, with humidity constantly above 90%. Topography of Taman Negara is generally hilly. The lowland area covers only about ten percent of the Park, and this is where most of the Taman Negara visitors' facilities are developed. The central of the Park is mountainous, lies on sedimentary rock, whereas the remainder is granite and scattered limestone outcrops. The highest point is Gunung Tahan, 2,187 metres above sea level; and the lowest point is Kuala Atok, which is about 75 metres above sea level.

RAIN FOREST ARCHITECTURE When you are in the rain forest, observe the structure of the forest around you carefully. The big trees usually have broad buttresses at the base to offer extra support. You may not see their crowns because the tangle of climbers up the trunk probably block the view. Beneath them, you can find small trees, and some of them are actually saplings of the forest giants. In the forest undergrowth, you can also find palms, as well as seedlings and small soft-tissued herbs of the forest floor. Thus, the tropical rain forest greenery is multi-layered. You may see plants - often ferns - riding high on a tree trunk or branch, up where the light is brighter in many places. These are called epiphytes. They are unable to survive in the darkness at ground level because they have no connection with the ground. They gather nutrients only from the rain and the debris that collects around the plant. That's why epiphytes do not grow to a large size.

There are climbing plants which range from slender soft-stemmed creepers to giant lianas. Some are as much as 30cm, thick and with many leafy branches spreading out among the tree tops. The rattan - spiny stemmed climbing plants - is among the common one to be found. Strangling figs (Ficus spp), with stems that descend from a high branch of a host tree, and then divide, rejoin and thicken around the trunk, can be seen in a rain forest, too. The fig's leaves crowd out those of the host. Eventually, the host tree dies. There are trees which flower and fruit every year; others only once in every four or more years. Some trees and climbers flower from the main stem rather than from the leafy branches-behaviour. They are called cauliflower. Most rain forest trees replace their leaves progressively; some of the larger trees lose all their leaves once a year, and stand bare for a week or two before the new leaves sprout. Overall, however, the rain forest always maintains an evergreen appearance. The undergrowth in virgin forest is relatively open in most places because of the year-round darkness on the forest floor. What makes the forest uncomfortable to walk through are the spiny stems of palm. Buttresses, climbers, stranglers, palms, epiphytes, cauliflower - all in a multi-layered, evergreen ever-moist forest: this is Malaysia's tropical rain forest, Malaysia's "Green Heart". Back

Copyright © 2000 Small Group All rights reserved. Terms & Conditions This site is best viewed with screen resolution 800x600 pixels and Internet Explorer 5.0.