Zulkifly Ab Latif checks outthe majestic and pristine Berembun Forest Reserve
THE leaves of the jungle canopy above us begin to rustle loudly as the wind picks up speed, reminding me that we are in the hills above the valleys of Jelebu.
Farizah and Mizan, foresters from the Negri Sembilan Forest Department, warn Irham and I to be more aware of the swaying trees, for fear of falling tree trunks or dead branches.
After lunch, I decide to follow Irham, my tent neighbour and his colleagues on a search for the creepy crawlies. We walk along the gravel access road while scanning the small ridges that lines it.
We are in the forest reserve of Berembun,a20,605-hectaresitesome80kmaway from Kuala Lumpur.
But my adventure in the forest reserve begins when I arrive by an off-road vehicle to a temporary base camp within the northern area of the forest reserve and near to Gunung Telapak Buruk, a modest 1,193-metre-high mountain.
Set up and maintained by the forest department, the base camp serves as the forward base for various scientific researches and naturalists during their excursions into the reserve, as part of a year long programme called Berembun Forest Reserve Bio-Diversity Scientific Expedition.
MEET THE TEAM
My arrival is met by Hardy Adrian Chin Abdullah, a nature photographer and collaborating researcher at SEENature, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Although looking somewhat tired after weeks within the forest, Hardy cheerfully greets and thanks me for accepting his invitation to spend a few days with his group of researchers and foresters.
I tell him the pleasure is all mine, since participating in a scientific expedition will perhaps give me a better grasp on the pristine natural beauty of the area.
After the meet-and-greet session, I look for a clearing near the base camp to setup my one-man tent. It’s evident that I am not on some leisurely camping trip since the group is briefed that there will be an excursion into the forest after lunch.
Hardy also briefs the group that one researcher is leaving the base camp and another will arrive later in the day.
Evidently the scientific expedition here is on a rotating basis, with researchers coming and going while Hardy and a team of foresters from the Negri Sembilan Forestry Department stand by to provide assistance and logistics.
Setting up his hammock besides my tent is Irham, who’s passionate about arachnids and who will head the after-lunch excursion with two others on a search for the creepy crawlies.
Irham is clearly an expert in his chosen interest since he immediately spots a small hole, virtually invisible to my untrained eye.
This is the burrow of a trapdoor spider, and as its name implies, the burrow is covered with a trap door made of vegetation, soil and silk spun by the spider.
Peeking into the tiny opening of the burrow and illuminated by a headlamp, I spot the slender hairy legs of the spider, slowly retreating farther into the tunnel having sensed our intrusion.
Having only seen trap door spiders at the highland area of Fraser’s Hill in Pahang, my interest in what other creatures we may find in the Berembun forest reserve begins to peak.
FLORA AND FAUNA
It is the second day of my participation in the Berembun forest reserve scientific expedition and the amount of flora and fauna discovered is staggering, at least to my novice eyes.
Over a much welcomed hot cup of coffee at basecamp, Hardy tells me that the forest reserve has not been scientifically explored to this extent, his point made even more clearer by the sight of the many collected samples in containers arranged on tables behind him.
Gazetted as a forest reserve more than 100 years ago in 1910,the area within Berembun has been spared from any significant logging and is also an important water catchment area for the district of Jelebu and nearby areas.
Thanks to its pristine state, the possibility of discovering new species of flora and fauna makes it an attractive site for researchers and naturalists.
Immediately after breakfast, we head further up from the base camp towards a peak that is marked by telecommunication towers.
This is the northern trail head of Gunung Telapak Burok towards a WW2-era plane crash site, which is some one and a half hours hike away.
Although we are still looking for specimens along the way, I am somewhat relieved that we are doing an activity I am more familiar with, hiking.
An hour into the hike and having covered only a third of the way, I realise that hiking with researchers is an entirely different experience.
The group stops every few metres or so, peeking and looking up into the canopy above or into the shrubs around us. Occasionally, a researcher would veer off the well beaten path before emerging smiling and carrying a plant or an insect.
It will take almost three hoursbefore we finally reach our destination, by which my legs have grown more tired if compared to a more normal hike.
Even so, the hike is a fulfilling experience, since although I am unfamiliar with the types or species of the soaring trees above us, I can still appreciate their magnificence and majestic beauty. The Berembun forest reserve is undeniably pristine.
HISTORIC WRECK
Having taken a short break on a ridge, we make our way down a nearby slope towards the crash site of an ill-fated World War II B-24 Liberator bomber.
Rediscovered and identified in 2006, the plane was a British Royal Air Force aircraft that had flown out from Cocos Island on Aug 23, 1945, a few days after the end of World War 2.
Tasked with searching for POW camps and dropping emergency supplies above
the dense jungles of Kuala Pilah, the bomber disappeared. Its whereabouts and the fate of its crew remained a mystery for more than 60 years.
It has been said that the plane was discovered by local Orang Asli as early as the1960s, but no actions were taken out of fear of communist activities around the area during that time.
Today, the crash site is one of the main attractions for hikers visiting Gunung Telapak Buruk and the Berembun Forest Reserve.
Down the slope at a small ravine, I spot rusted engine parts half embedded in the clay dirt.
It’s only after making my way further down that I begin to realise how enormous the plane had been, looking unto a large torn off aircraft wing with its engine still attached.
Peeking under the crumpled wing I can spot its large rubber tyre, still tucked away in its compartment from the day it took off from its ill-fated flight.
Less than 100 metres away down the valley, a small stream leads the way to a section of the aircraft fuselage, the biggest piece of the plane wreck discovered.
It’s only when I peer into the mangled interior of the wreck that a sombre feeling engulfs me, reminding myself that I am standing on a site where people lost their lives.
The only comforting thought is that in the end, the crew of KL654 were identified and buried with full military honours.
Having explored the crash site, we make our way back up towards the small ridge. One of the foresters jokingly suggests we hike further up towards Gunung Berembun, roughly 2km away.
Most of the group begin to groan, which tells me that they are just as tired and eager to return to basecamp.
Gunung Berembun will have to wait, but from what I’ve seen in terms of the rich bio diversity as well as the historic crash site, Berembun Forest Reserve is indeed worth more than just one visit.
TRAVEL FILE
THE MOST PRISTINE
Sandwiched between the states of Selangor and Melaka on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Negri Sembilan boasts mesmerising landscapes, ranging from picturesque plains, beaches and gently undulating hills and forest mountains.
The Berembun Forest Reserve is perhaps the most pristine amongst Negri Sembilan’s other forest reserves, and one of the most easily accessible from Kuala Lumpur.
The Berembun Forest Reserve Scientific Expedition is a wonderful example of the state’s commitment in preserving its natural heritage and bio diversity, and who knows what new species of flora and fauna are waiting to be discovered.
Permits from the Negri Sembilan Forestry Department is required to visit the Berembun Forest Reserve. For details, visit http://forestry.ns.gov.my.
The trailhead to Gunung Berembun is located next to the Pantai Water Treatmeant Plant, near Kampung Pantai in Jelebu. Those taking the Northern trailhead to Gunung Telapak Buruk are required to register at the station in the kampung.
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