Taman Negara is a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia, historically known as Malaya and also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, is the western part of Malaysia that comprises the southern part of the Malay Peninsula on Mainland Southeast Asia and the list of isla ...

. It was established in 1938 and 1939 as the King George V National Park after Theodore Hubback lobbied the sultans of

Pahang {{Infobox political division , name = Pahang , official_name = Pahang Darul Makmur , native_name = , settlement_type = States and federal territories of Malaysia, State , image_skyline = , imagesize ...

Terengganu Terengganu (; Terengganu Malay: ''Tranung'', formerly spelled Trengganu or Tringganu) is a sultanate and States and federal territories of Malaysia, federal state of Malaysia. The state is also known by its Arabic honorific, ''Dāru l-Iman (c ...

and

Kelantan Kelantan (; Kelantan-Pattani Malay, Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate''; ) is a state in Malaysia. The capital, Kota Bharu, includes the royal seat of Kubang Kerian. The honorific, honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' ("The Blissful Abode"). ...

to set aside a piece of land that covers the three states for the creation of a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

. After independence, it was renamed Taman Negara, which means "national park" in Malay. Taman Negara has a total area of 4,343 km² and it is one of the world's oldest

rainforests Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...

, estimated to be more than 130 million years old. Mount Tahan, Peninsular Malaysia's highest point with an elevation of 7,175 ft (2,187 m) above sea level, is within the park's boundaries. Taman Negara is an important

conservation area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewoo ...

for the Peninsular Malaysian rain forest and montane rain forest ecoregions, is rich in

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

and home to several endangered species such as the

Malayan tiger The Malayan tiger is a tiger from a specific population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies that is native to Peninsular Malaysia. This population inhabits the southern and central parts of the Malay Peninsula, and has been classified ...

and

Asian elephant The Asian elephant (''Elephas maximus''), also known as the Asiatic elephant, is the only living ''Elephas'' species. It is the largest living land animal in Asia and the second largest living Elephantidae, elephantid in the world. It is char ...

. The park exists on the traditional lands of several

Orang Asli The Orang Asli are a Homogeneity and heterogeneity, heterogeneous Indigenous peoples, indigenous population forming a national minority in Malaysia. They are the oldest inhabitants of Peninsular Malaysia. As of 2017, the Orang Asli accounted f ...

groups, such as the

Batek people The Batek (or Bateq) people are an indigenous Orang Asli people (numbering about 1,519 in 2000) belonging to the Semang group, who live in the rainforest of peninsular Malaysia. As a result of encroachment, they now primarily inhabit the Taman N ...

, whose use rights are recognised in the park's legislation. A popular

tourist attraction A tourist attraction is a place of interest that tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited natural or cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, offering leisure and amusement. Types Places of natural beaut ...

, the park is found near Kuala Tahan (where the Park headquarters for Pahang is located) and features a canopy walkway, the Gua Telinga cave system, and the Lata Berkoh rapids. Visitors can experience the tropical rainforest,

birdwatching Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device such as binoculars or a telescop ...

, jungle trekking, and the river views along the Tahan River, with many local resorts and hotels for visitors located nearby.

Geography

The park encompasses three states,

and

, each with its own legislation. The Taman Negara Enactment (Pahang) No. 2 of 1939 is enforced in the state of Pahang, the Taman Negara Enactment (Kelantan) No. 14 of 1938 in the state of Kelantan and the Taman Negara Enactment (Terengganu) No. 6 of 1939 in the state of Terengganu. The enactments have similar contents. Taman Negara Pahang is the largest at 2,477 km², followed by Taman Negara Kelantan at 1,043 km² and Taman Negara Terengganu at 853 km². At an estimated age of more than 130 million years old, it is reputed to be the "oldest tropical rainforest", although the title more accurately belongs to the

Daintree Rainforest The Daintree Rainforest, also known as the Daintree, is a region on the northeastern coast of Queensland, Australia, about , by road, north of the city of Cairns. Whilst the terms "Daintree Rainforest" and "the Daintree" are not officially def ...

in Queensland, Australia, estimated to be between 135 million years old and 180 million years old. Taman Negara is mostly located on ancient,

sedimentary rocks Sedimentary rocks are types of rock formed by the cementation of sediments—i.e. particles made of minerals (geological detritus) or organic matter (biological detritus)—that have been accumulated or deposited at Earth's surface. Sedim ...

and the oldest part of the continent, it features mostly gentle rolling hills where about 57% of the total land area of the park are located below 300m above sea level due to a long time erosion. Despite that, it also features some mountainous parts of the Tahan Range, a subrange of the

Tenasserim Hills The Tenasserim Hills or Tenasserim Range (, ; , , ; ) is the geographical name of a roughly 1,700 km long mountain chain, part of the Indo-Malayan mountain system in Southeast Asia. Despite their relatively scant altitude these mo ...

. The Tahan Range is home to Mount Tahan, the highest and most prominent point in

at about 2,187m above sea level. The park acts as an important headwater for the states of Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang. There are three main river systems that originated from The park, which are the Lebir,

and Tembeling Rivers. The Lebir is one of the tributaries of the Kelantan River, flowing northward passing through Kelantan Delta, while the Terengganu River flows eastward toward Kenyir Lake and is one of the primary inflow for the lake; and Tembeling River is one of the tributaries of the Pahang River, flowing southward towards the central valley of Pahang. These rivers ultimately discharge into the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by South China, in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan island, Taiwan and northwestern Philippines (mainly Luz ...

. The park has been developed into an

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

destination in Malaysia. There are several geological and biological attractions in the park. Gunung Tahan is the highest point of the

Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...

; climbers can use Kuala Tahan or Merapoh as their departure point. All visitors to the park must obtain permits from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

Indigenous people

Taman Negara is part of the traditional territory of several groups of

, the indigenous people of Peninsular Malaysia. In particular, several groups of

still live on the periphery of the park. The park legislation recognises use-rights of Orang Asli within Taman Negara (e.g. section 15(c), Pahang En. 2/1939). In this regard, six "aboriginal tribes" are listed (Ple, Temiar, Ple-Temiar, Senoi, Semang, and Pangan).

Flora

Taman Negara features a largely

virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

, lowland

dipterocarp Dipterocarpaceae is a family of flowering plants with 22 genera and about 695 known species of mainly lowland tropical forest trees. Their distribution is pantropical, from northern South America to Africa, the Seychelles, India, Indochina, Indo ...

rainforest as well as Peninsular Malaysian montane rain forests on the higher elevation parts of the park.

Fauna

Taman Negara is home to some rare

mammal A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence of milk-producing mammary glands for feeding their young, a broad neocortex region of the brain, fur or hair, and three ...

s, such as the

, Malayan gaur (''seladang'') and

. Additionally, some biologists also believe that a small population of Northern Sumatran Rhinoceros live in the park. As well as

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class (biology), class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the Oviparity, laying of Eggshell, hard-shelled eggs, a high Metabolism, metabolic rate, a fou ...

s such as the great argus,

red junglefowl The red junglefowl (''Gallus gallus''), also known as the Indian red junglefowl (and formerly the bankiva or bankiva-fowl), is a species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the a ...

, and the rare Malayan peacock-pheasant are still found here in some numbers. Tahan River has been preserved to protect the Malaysian mahseer (''ikan kelah'' in Malay), a type of game fish. Species found in the park include 10,000 plants, 150,000 of insects, 25,000 invertebrates, 675 birds, 270 reptiles, 250 freshwater fish and 200 mammals at the national park, including some of which are rare or indigenous to Malaysia.

Transportation

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) (; Jawi: ) or colloquially referred to simply as KTM, is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was first built to transport tin. ...

(KTM)'s

KTM Intercity KTM Intercity () are diesel-hauled intercity train services in Peninsular Malaysia, operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB). Services operate along the East Coast Line between Tumpat and Gemas and on towards JB Sentral on the Wes ...

and Express trains stop at Jerantut railway station. Visitors to Taman Negara can disembark here. Local tour operators arrange transportation from Kuala Lumpur to the entrance of the Park at Kuala Tahan. This may involve a 3-4 hour bus journey to Jerantut and Kuala Tembeling Jetty followed by a 2.5 hour river boat ride to Kuala Tahan. Entrance permits and park tours are often included in the package. From

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

, buses may depart from Terminal Bersepadu Selatan and Hentian Pekeliling going to the nearest town, Jerantut. From here travel to Kuala Tembeling Jetty and Kuala Tahan.

In the media

Taman Negara was featured in cartoonist, Lat's 1980 compilation of ''

New Straits Times The ''New Straits Times'' is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print (though not the first), having been founded as a local offshoot of Singapore-based ''The Straits Ti ...

'' cartoons, ''With a Little Bit of Lat'', published in 1980 by Berita Publishing. The park also became the subject matter in 1998 documentary film, ''Taman Negara: Destinasi Alam Semulajadi'', produced by Filem Negara Malaysia.

References

External links

*
Tourism Malaysia - Taman Negara

Department of Wildlife and National Parks

{{authority control National parks of Malaysia ASEAN heritage parks Birdwatching sites in Malaysia Geography of Pahang Geography of Kelantan Geography of Terengganu Tourist attractions in Pahang Tourist attractions in Kelantan Tourist attractions in Terengganu Protected areas established in 1939 1939 establishments in British Malaya Old-growth forests