Taman Negara Pahang National Park - Malaysia's first and oldest protected area
Year of Declaration: | 1984 |
Area (hectares): | 4,343 |
Area and Location: |
States of Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu, Malaysia.
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Description: |
One of the world’s oldest rainforests; boasts the most extensive protected area of pristine lowland, evergreen rainforest in the country; the highest point in the Park is Gunung Tahan at 2,187 meters above sea level; most important center of endemicity in Malay Peninsula.
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Habitat Types: |
Generally hilly and mountainous; lowland dipterocarp forests dominate the Park; limestone hills; limestone caves; montane and ericaceous forests of the higher elevation; riparian forests; lower montane forests; and heath forests.
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Unique Flora: |
Wild durian (Durio sp); Pucukpaku (Athyrium esculentum), the edible fern; bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus); staghorn fern (Platycerium coronarium); Aquilaria sp; rattans and bamboos. The Park is rich in woody tree species like the dipterocarps and the tall, buttressed tualang (Koompassia excelsa),known as the tallest tree in Southeast Asia.
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Unique Fauna: |
Seladang (Bos gaurus); elephant (Elephus maximus); Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus); Leopard (Panthera pardus); tiger (Panthera tigris); sun bear (Helarctos malayanus); white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar); langur (Presbytis sp.); great argus pheasant (Argusianus argus); Probarbus gulieni and Rasbora dusonensis are rare species.
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Ecotourism Destination and Activities: |
River cruises and laid out jungle trekking activities; the world’s longest canopy walk; bird watching; other activities include canoeing, fishing, camping and swimming; or visit the Orang Asli settlement and observe their traditional hunter-gatherer life.
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Biological Richness: | • 8,000 species of flowering plants • 185,000 species of fauna • 250 species of resident birds • 58 species of reptiles • 56 species of amphibians • 109 species of fish |