Sustainable travel – MALAYSIA WORLD HERITAGE TRAVEL SITE

Ethical travel destination: Malaysia

Multi-ethnic, rich in culture and biodiversity, Malaysia is both a place you want to visit and don’t want to spoil by being an “ugly tourist”.

By “spoil” I mean contribute to overdevelopment, thereby watering down the traditional culture or even destroying the nature that brought you here in the first place. “Ugly” tourism fails to respect the local culture or environment and rather draws people solely for its weather, waves and lightness on the wallet.

Bako National Park, Borneo. Pic: tbSMITH (Flickr CC).

Ethical travel, on the other hand, does the reverse. The ethical tourist wants to give something back – and I don’t mean empty beer bottles or even some duty free shopping. The idea of ethical tourism is not only to minimise the tourist’s negative impact on the destination, but to try to make things better. An ethical holiday in Malaysia can take the form of volunteer vacations (volun-tourism), eco-tourism and sustainable travel. These categories can be distinct, but can also overlap considerably.

Let’s start with an ethical holiday activity in Malaysia that doesn’t involve its incredible natural beauty. Hard to believe? Read on.

Ethical business

The Downtown Night Market in the capital Kuala Lumpur features hundreds of market stalls which employ or are owned by recovering drug addicts. It was started by a recovered addict who wanted to create a project to help ex-addicts stay clean. KL Downtown has now become the city’s largest night bazaar.

From the BBC:

“The bazaar (open from 10 pm to 4 am) is a huge draw for tourists […] offering everything from local, handmade batik fabrics to street food to foot massages to five-minute haircuts. On weekends, the market invites local dancers and musicians to perform on its stage. A portion of all proceeds go to Kuala Lumpur’s Pengasih rehab centre.”

The Downtown Night Market is a great way to do your holiday shopping and help the locals help themselves.

Volun-tourism

Malaysia has different options for volun-tourism including working on organic farms, volunteering at organizations that protect endangered sea turtles from poachers, educational stays at orangutan rehabilitation centers and more. These stints can be combined with eco holidays. A stay at an organic farm might follow or precede a jungle trek or river expedition. Some diving schools incorporate working with turtle conservation projects into their activities.

Turtle in Malaysian Borneo. Pic: LKEM (Flickr CC).

Other examples of volun-tourism include teaching English in combination with environmental awareness and there are internships/positions available that can last several months. Alternatively another example would be to visit an uninhabited island to observe seahorses and spread awareness of their plight.

A fantastic organization and resource for volun-tourism as well as ethical travel and eco-travel in Malaysia is Wild Asia. Other helpful links include Kahang Organic Rice Eco Farm and Bubbles Dive Resort.

Homestays

A homestay in a traditional village is a great way of experiencing the authentic, rustic lives of Malaysia’s tribal cultures. Your appreciation and financial support encourages these villages to preserve their way of life. It’s also a great way to see how these traditional communities live harmoniously with nature and to appreciate their rich local biodiversity.

Homestays can also be combined with rainforest camping, jungle trekking and rafting trips. See Peraya Homestay for more information.

Rainforest lodges and eco-resorts

Though less activist in nature, but high in environmental awareness are stays in Malaysia’s eco-lodges and similar resorts. These holidays are perfect for those willing to spend a little more who perhaps don’t want to rough it by volunteering or embracing a traditional village lifestyle. However these people still care about Malaysia’s incredible nature and want to experience it in ethical style and comfort.

Rainforest resort, Taman Kota. Pic: CDN Harv (Flickr CC).

Rainforest lodges are situated in natural parks surrounded by Malaysia’s tropical rainforest. Other types of eco-resorts include luxurious island accommodation on beaches adjacent to mangrove forests and even floating resorts located off the coast.

All rainforest lodges and eco resorts are close to nature and offer ample opportunities to observe wildlife, such as orangutans, and participate in various nature-based activities like jungle trekking, swimming, rafting, diving and snorkeling.

See Eco Tropical Resorts and Bagus Place for some great rainforest and eco-lodge ideas.

Nature nature nature!

Most (though not all) of the above varieties of ethical tourism involve Malaysia’s astoundingly biodiverse natural environment. Malaysia is believed to contain around 20 percent of the world’s animal species with a high percentage of endemic species. Two thirds to three quarters of the country are covered in forestland. Tourism that encourages the preservation of this wondrous biodiversity is inherently ethical. This means taking advantage of Malaysia’s 26 national parks and numerous state parks and nature reserves.

Use it (ethically) or lose it!

Five Malaysian eco-breaks

Sustainable travel, including responsible nature holidays and what has become known as eco-tourism, is on the rise in Malaysia – and with good reason. Though Malaysia has highly developed urban regions, it is also home to a rich ecology and diverse geography.

For the nature-interested traveller, this Southeast Asian nation comprises mountains and highlands; beaches and countless tropical islands; rainforests and mangrove estuaries plus much more. The well-organized tourism infrastructure and wealth of natural locations and activities help make Malaysia one of the world’s top destinations for environmentally-conscious travel. Malaysia is an exciting as well as convenient location for a dizzying choice of eco-holidays.

What follows are five general ideas for eco-breaks in Malaysia. There is naturally plenty of cross-over between and among these categories and lots of variety within each.

Orangutan observation

The sole great apes that are unique to Asia, these wondrous endangered primates are only native to Malaysia and Indonesia. Malaysia has well-developed facilities for observing orangutans in the wild and in special rehabilitation centers. Visiting these reserves and centers aids in the protection of habitats which are crucial to the survival of these fascinating and gentle apes.

Places like the Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Danum Valley Conservation Area and the Tabin Wildlife Reserve (all located in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo) contain different options for accommodation, ranging from basic camping in tents to comfortable, well-appointed stays at more upscale rainforest lodges.

Orangutan, Sepilok, Borneo, Malaysia. Pic: Paul Mannix (Flickr CC).

Other wildlife observation and “volun-tourism”

Besides orangutans, Malaysia is home to a host of other amazing examples of wildlife. Some need your help! Nesting sea turtles are very vulnerable to poachers. Those who wish to combine a holiday with the chance to assist local endangered species can incorporate volunteer work like helping turtles or regrowing coral into a scuba diving vacation or other nature break.

This short description comes from an article on “Ethical turtle tourism” from The Star: “The volunteers conduct daily dinner-time briefing sessions, educating guests about turtles and the threats they face, during which they remind guests to switch off their mobile phones and avoid camera flashes on the beach at night.”

Other options include visiting elephant sanctuaries in the rainforest or even wildlife refuges for endangered wild cattle, called guar.

Ecological agricultural tourism

Those into eating and growing organic food might be interested in a bit of agricultural tourism. Visits to ecological rice, produce and seafood farms can be far more exiting than the idea sounds. These farms are often located in beautiful surroundings and visitors can incorporate jungle trekking, cycling, mountain climbing and river expeditions into their stay.

Kahang Organic Rice Farm features accommodation ranging from camping to “floating chalets” in the rice fields. Of course food is also a major part of each stay, with meals composed of a range of fresh organic fruit, vegetables, fish and rice.

National parks

Malaysia is home to several national parks, two of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. One such site is Kinabalu National Park in Malaysian Borneo, which contains the country’s tallest peak, Mount Kinabalu, and around 4,500 species of flora and fauna. The other UNESCO World Heritage Site in Malaysia is Gunung Mulu National Park, also on the island of Borneo. Gunung Mulu National Park is the world’s most studied tropical karst area, contains a 2,377 meter-high sandstone pinnacle (from which the park gets its name) and some 295 km of explored caves. The park is also well-known for its rich variety of plant life, and its canyons, rivers and dense, rainforest-covered mountains.

Gunung Mulu pinnacles. Pic: Paul White (Flickr CC).

Besides these two UNESCO sites, there are 26 other national parks plus many state parks and reserves in Malaysia, protecting most of the nation’s forest land. Nearly three quarters of Malaysia is covered in trees and natural forests. These forests are extremely biodiverse in flora and are also where fauna such as clouded leopards, Sumatran rhinos, Malaysian tigers, Asian sun bears, monitor lizards and orangutans can be found.

Malaysia’s national parks include not only forest land, but lowlands full of rivers, atolls, coral reefs and scores of islands. These parks encompass the main eco-tourism destinations in the country.

Water-based activities

Loaded with islands, rivers and coastline, Malaysia is a dream location for eco-friendly water activities like diving, snorkeling and river rafting.

White water rafting is possible at grades I-V (tame to very dangerous) in many rivers located in the country’s national parks. Popular diving and snorkeling spots include Tioman, a small island located within the Mersing Marine Park, and the 9-island archipelago of Redang inside Redang Marine Park.

Tioman Island. Pic: Le Journal de Maman (Flickr CC).

Naturally, Malaysia’s many islands provide ample opportunity for scuba diving and snorkeling among coral reefs.

I hope this list provided you with some inspiration and ideas for an unforgettable Malaysian eco-break. For a more information on responsible tourism, volun-tourism and eco-friendly holidays in Malaysia I recommend a visit to the Wild Asia website.