Where environmental conservation is concerned, ecotourism can be the light at the end of the tunnel, writes Intan Maizura Ahmad Kamal.
AS lightning zig-zagged above our heads, tearing across the blanket of darkness, a sudden hush descended upon the group.
The boisterous bravado that we, media practitioners from various parts of the world, had displayed as we followed our guide deep into Lamington National Park in Australia’s Gold Coast Hinterland, abandoned us.
Silently praying that the heavens would not suddenly decide to open on us, we continued our trek into the darkness, ears peeled intently on our guide’s every word as he excitedly prepared us for what he enthused would be the “most magical thing we’d ever set our sights on”.
“Don’t worry... your eyes will adjust to the darkness soon enough. Then you’ll be able to see just how magical the forest is at night,” he whispers, audible enough for those who’d huddled around him.
And he was right. Suddenly, twinkling like stars in front of us, creating a criss-crossing thread of silver, are fireflies flitting with abandon. On the forest floor, wild mushrooms glowed.
As I stared transfixed at the magical scene around me, our guide continued his story — of ancient forests, crystal clear creeks and the abundant wildlife that make up this World Heritage-listed National Park.
This night trek into Lamington National Park took place a few years ago as part of a media visit to the Gold Coast.
To this day, I haven’t forgotten the experience, thanks in part to the guide who impressed me so much by his communication skills and the ability to interpret for us the significance of the environment and motivating us to consider our own lives in relation to larger ecological concerns.
“That’s what we’re trying to do — create and nurture quality guides,” says Andrew Sebastian, formerly of the Malaysian Nature Society, and today, speaking to me in his capacity as one of the co-founders of ECOMY or Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia.
His words slice into my reverie and jolts me back to the present — of being driven back to Kuala Lumpur by Sebastian after having spent a few nights in Pulau Pangkor, Perak for a glimpse into a nature guide mentorship programme currently being organised by ECOMY there.
Founded early this year by a group of like-minded environmentalists, naturalists and educators, ECOMY is the premier national non-governmental organisation whose focus is on sustainable ecotourism as the way forward to ensure conservation values are upheld at all key natural heritage sites in Malaysia.
Well-known 80s tunes blare softly from the car radio as I listen intently to Sebastian sharing ECOMY’s plans to train a group of local community members to improve their ecotourism potential.
“We want to make sure that their business thrive because of ecotourism,” he confides. “We want people to say, ‘wow, nature sells and ecotourism works’. That’s why we’re investing time with these individuals.”
Important role
Malaysia, says Sebastian, has so much to offer in terms of nature and heritage. Unfortunately, it is suffering in terms of interpretation.
“We need quality guides who can tell visitors the kind of stories that make Malaysia unique,” says Sebastian.
“Understanding that there’s a big gap or void in quality guides in addition to the growing disconnect between people and their surroundings and nature, ECOMY got together to discuss about what we could do.”
The opportunity, he adds, came when Vale Malaysia Minerals Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Brazil-based global mining company, approached ECOMY to help conduct a series of nature interpretation courses for their volunteers at the Vale Eco Centre on Pangkor Island.
Says the popular bird guide: “Quality interpretation is an issue. We need people to sell nature because when nature is sold well that’s the silver bullet that can actually get us beyond conserving nature for the sake of conserving nature.”
He points to the fact that government agencies and communities tend to focus more on where the money will come from.
“So we keep telling them that ecotourism will be the answer. But not if it’s served wrongly. So yes, there was an opportunity for us to tap into. We also have the added advantage of knowing people in this ‘business’ who can deliver quality services and are willing to share information and knowledge.”
As Sebastian continues with his driving and I lean back into my passenger seat to recall events of the last few days in Pangkor, my mind drifts back to the night when I first got acquainted with the individuals on whose shoulders ECOMY’s early vision rests.
The mentees
In the fluorescent-lit make-shift dining area of the Pangkor Fish House, a ‘resort’ located on the waters off Pangkor’s shores at Jalan Kilang Ais Lama, an earnest-looking group sits around a table, eyes trained intently on the guy holding court at the head of the table.
Sebastian is in his element as he shares his stories about his experience in the environmental arena.
Hammocks, made of old fishing lines and sewn together, swing softly from the blast of a huge fan in the corner. All around us is inky darkness and somewhere in the distance, alternating with the sounds of the waves lapping against the stilts holding up the resort’s structure, are the sounds of dogs howling.
The group assembled that night comprises the four individuals that ECOMY has identified as being the pioneer group on which the nature guide mentorship programme, supported by Vale, will kick off with.
Together with Sebastian is mentor Othman Ayeb, a Langkawi Geopark guide, an expert on wildlife and plants, and the man who’s name is in the Guinness Book of Records for being the first ever world champion in the first-ever snake-handling competition in the world.
The other two mentors, Irshad Mobarak, a celebrated naturalist with over 30 years’ experience in the ecotourism and nature guiding field, and Dr Ghani Hussain, a well-known traditional medicine herbalist, are not able to join due to work commitments.
The four pilot mentees, Mohammad Pin (Mat), Shaiful Joha Sabarudin (Joe), Lua Kuan Peng (Jack) and Joyce Guok Mee Hoon (Joyce), were selected based on their interest, background and their willingness to avail temselves for training, mentoring and openness to new ideas.
“It was Vale who introduced us to Joyce,” recalls Sebastian. “We knew that she had great potential. She had good products but needed help. We actually went around the island and asked who was doing what business.
“For example, we enquired about who was doing trips into the forest. Then we heard about a guy called Mat so we reached out to him. We told these individuals that we were interested in offering training and experience to people who’d be interested in harnessing their skills or want to improve.”
Adding, Sebastian shares: “It was the same thing with Joyce. She has a nice operation but she said she needed help because she’s doing the business all alone, or just with her husband. When people stay at her resort and start asking nature-based questions, she wasn’t able to answer them.”
It was Joyce who went on to recommend Jack to Sebastian and his team. Jack is in the business of running tours on his boats around the island.
“Then Mat introduced us to his friend Joe, who was also doing a similar thing to him, i.e. Nature walks. Now its a matter of splitting Joe and Mat into different disciplines. Joe is interested in medicinal plants, having gone to Langkawi and met Dr Ghani. Mat will focus more on his jungle trekking and outdoor pursuit activities.”
The mentors, meanwhile, just like Irshad and Othman, are island-based, operating out of the fair isle of Langkawi.
“What better formula to have than to have mentors who work on the same landscape as the mentees,” says Sebastian, smiling broadly.
Challenges ahead
Suffice to say, Sebastian anticipates challenges moving forward. One would be the ‘handholding’ aspect.
“I know that the mentors would want to offer as much help as possible to the mentees. But the point of this whole programme is to give only calculated assistance and not 120 per cent.”
With the mentees, it’d be about changing mindsets. “They’re the product of their environment. They grew up on an island where it’s okay to feed fish, it’s okay to feed birds, and it’s okay to pick up corals.”
So the challenge, confides Andrew, is to ensure that the mentees are open to receiving the awareness that what they’ve been doing all this while may not be right.
“So we introduce them to the concept of ecotourism. We highlighted the fact that wildlife feeding is not ecotourism, for example. We took them to Langkawi Island and exposed them to the pros and cons of wildlife feeding.”
There are phases to the programme. The first phase — of selecting four mentees — has been completed. Next is to develop these individuals so they can be the next batch of mentors for subsequent mentees.
Phase Three will take longer to complete. “This is where we get the mentees to go all out with their new found knowledge and skills, which will be an evergrowing process.”
The mentees, explains Sebastian, will be monitored. They’ve been asked to draw up their own basic ecotourism plan.
“We need to see what they’re currently doing and how they’re going to improve on their current practices. We’ve broken it up loosely into three categories, namely, self improvement, for example, in the way they dress and talk.
“The second category is on information and knowledge. What are the packages they’re offering and what are the stories they’re telling to interpret to their customers. We’ll look into how we can improve on that info.”
ECOMY will also be monitoring the materials that these mentees are using, for example, equipment. The mentees also need to report to the mentors and alert them of any assistance that they might need.
Adds Sebastian: “It’ll take some time for them to stabilise and actually be an inspiration to themselves and to each other. We hope that eventually they’ll be able to formalise themselves as a single official group, be it as a club or some sort of organisation so they can become stronger in terms of structure. When they’re comfortable with the idea and with themselves, we’ll have a serious discussion about this.”
The slivers of light emanating from the homes of fisherfolks, which had been casting streaks of silver onto the waters, have long disappeared. The dogs too have abandoned their howling. To Sebastian, I pose my final question: What’s the whole point of this?
“To use ecotourism to champion conservation causes,” he replies, smiling. “To use ecotourism as the light at the end of the tunnel. Ecotourism must connect people to nature and once people connect, it’ll be easier for us to conserve the natural things around us. And people will at last be in harmony with nature.”
Concludes the engaging 40-something: “We’re in the business of changing mindsets. And one thing I know for sure is mindset change takes time. But you have to be consistent and do it for a long time because there is light at the end of the tunnel. It’s just us reaching it. The light IS waiting for us.