Batu caves at the heart of mckc
Batu caves at the heart of mckc
Embedded Files
The Takun Scientific Expedition Symposium will be held on April 24th. Registration is now closed. See you there!
Scientists and researchers have been visiting Batu Caves for over a century, ever since the first major expedition in 1896-7 yielded the discovery of new species. Through their cumulative efforts, there is ample evidence to show that Batu Caves is a biodiversity hotspot of global significance. Many of the caves here (in particular the Dark Cave) support a unique web of life fueled exclusively by guano, while on the exterior, there exists a rich plant life which includes specialists that do not grow anywhere else on Earth. As the most extensively researched cave site in Southeast Asia, Batu Caves is key towards furthering scientific knowledge of tropical speleological biology - there is still so much to be discovered.
On an almost parallel timescale, Hindu pilgrims have also been visiting Batu Caves for over a century now. Especially for workers from South India who came to Malaya in search of a better life, Batu Caves quickly became a sacred site, a familiar dwelling for their deities, where they could go to offer prayers, to obtain blessings, and to turn to for spiritual protection.
In more recent times, since around the 1970s or thereabouts, Batu Caves became a must-see tourist attraction in the vicinity of Kuala Lumpur. Today, busloads of people from around the world throng Batu Caves every day of the week. For the more adventurous, Batu Caves has also become a genuinely world-class caving and rock climbing destination, with highly professional operators manning the caves and rock walls.
Clearly, Batu Caves is many things to so many people on many different levels.
Unfortunately, however, this famous site is threatened on multiple fronts - quarrying, the invasion of alien species of plants and animals, urban sprawl on all sides, and unregulated infrastructure development that destroys sensitive limestone habitats.
The Batu Caves Guidebook is written in the hope that it may help visitors gain a deeper appreciation of Batu Caves, and all of the intrinsic values it holds. Ultimately, the wish is that this deeper appreciation will translate into the kind of actions needed to conserve and sustainably manage Batu Caves and, subsequently, other tower karsts throughout Peninsular Malaysia that are in need of tender love and care.
batu caves scientific expedition (2019)
batu caves scientific expedition (2019)
MCKC organized the Batu Caves Scientific Expedition (BCSE) from January until December 2019. The scientific expedition took a holistic approach aiming not only for scientific excellence by experts from local universities and institutes but also to engage with the local community so that they understand and value the importance of conserving Batu Caves, to create awareness about the importance of protecting Batu Caves biodiversity and to advocate responsible tourism and promote proper management of caves and karst resources among the general public.
The published research from all participants can be found here.
batu caves scientific expedition symposium (2020)
batu caves scientific expedition symposium (2020)
On the 26th of September 2020, the Batu Caves Scientific Expedition Symposium was held at Perpustakaan Awam Gombak, Selangor. This symposium was organized jointly by Majlis Perbandaran Selayang, Malaysian Cave and Karst Conservancy and Perpustakaan Awam Gombak.
The symposium began with the presentation of BCSE scientific findings by 13 presenters from various disciplines including flora, fauna, geology, and paleontology. Besides slide presentations, posters were prepared by the BCSE participants and displayed in the exhibition area. The findings are very important as the data can be used to ensure Batu Caves is protected and managed sustainably. The Malaysian Cave and Karst Conservancy thanks the Batu Caves Scientific Expedition participants, presenters, symposium secretariat, and the co–organisers for making this event a success. The findings were published in a special issue of the Malayan Nature Journal in March 2023 which can be found here.
The recording of the symposium can be found below:
forum: future of batu caves (2020)
forum: future of batu caves (2020)
The Batu Caves Scientific Expedition Symposium was followed by a forum entitled “Future of Batu Caves”. This forum aimed to highlight issues and ways forward for the conservation of Batu Caves. During the forum some suggestions were made on how to safeguard the multiple values of Batu Caves, actions to be taken to address immediate threats and long term protection measures of Bukit Batu.
The forum was moderated by Mr. Surin Suksuwan, the Southeast Asia Regional Director of Proforest & founding member of Malaysian Cave & Karst Conservancy and the panelists of the forum were :
1. Prof. Dr. Mohd Shafeea Leman - Retired Professor, Langkawi Research Centre. Expert in conservation geology and paleontology.
2. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sarah Aziz Abdul Ghani Aziz - Associate Professor, Senior Fellow, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. Expert in law, environmental law, governance, sustainable development.
3. Mr. Haider Kamarudin - Managing Director, Cave Management Group
Prof. Dr. Shafeea Leman said “the rock is hard to bend but once broken it would not be the same”. He also highlighted the importance of educating the public, particularly those in the vicinity of the Batu Caves to conserve the whole limestone massif.
Meanwhile Assoc. Prof Sarah said the Batu Caves is unique because it keeps a silver of the Earth’s memory. It serves multiple purposes which includes sanctuary for the wild, spiritual space, recreational space, geological wonder and heritage marker. However before action is taken to protect Batu Caves, the state authorities will need to determine the class or category of the area, the threat and associated risks, the geological diversity, biodiversity and ecological services that will need to be protected, and the systems available present to be leveraged on.
On the other hand, Mr. Haider Kamarudin called for the establishment of a Management Authority to manage the Batu Caves Reserve as a protected area. He suggests for the state to position the Batu Caves as a Regional Tropical Cave and Karst Research and Education Center. These can help the Selangor state to manage and strategize important actions, conduct continuous research, enhance Batu Caves protection, promote community engagement and eco-tourism.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse