Developments may help the country move forward but it can be damaging to the ecosystem as well. With that being said, The Federal Government has promised to protect the last mangrove forest on Penang island.
The Last Mangrove Forest In Penang Is Protected For The Importance Of The Ecosystem
As the country is moving forward with all the developments, the ecosystem can sometimes be neglected during the process. In order to prevent the ecosystem from failing on us, we have to do what we can to protect the things that are important to the ecosystem such as the mangrove forest. The Balik Pulau mangrove forest is currently being protected by the Forestry Department as part of the Penang National Park.
To educate and raise awareness to the public about the importance of the mangrove forest to the ecosystem, a sum of RM5 million has been allocated to upgrade the jetty facilities in Teluk Bahang and Kuala Sungai Pinang for easy access to the park. This mangrove forest covers 23sq km of land and it’s known to be the smallest national park in Malaysia. While it may be the smallest national park in Malaysia, it offers a variety of attractions to the public such as a turtle sanctuary and golden beaches.
Furthermore, there is a meromictic lake that the public needs to check out because there are only five in Asia and this is the only one in the country. A meromictic lake has distinct layers of water that do not mix. Freshwater that flows out from the jungle does not mix with the saltwater that lies at the bottom.
During the Balik Pulau festival that was held from 19 July 2019 – 21 July 2019, a three-hour guided tour was organized by Tourism Malaysia. Little-known treasures that can be found on the rural west coast of Penang island was highlighted during the three days festival. Besides that, there was a fundraising performance by Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza. There were fun contests during the Balik Pulau festival as well such as cooking competition using durian-based recipes and durian eating contest.
If you’re interested in checking out the mangrove forest, you are required to register at the park’s office that is located beside the Sungai Pinang fishermen’s jetty. The departure time will be allocated depending on the sea’s tide. A boat ride will take 20-minutes passing the 160ha mangrove forest and visitors will be able to see various different coastal wildlife.
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