PertanikaJ. Trap. Agric. Sci. 22(2): 161-166 (1999) ISS : 1511-3701© Universiti Putra Malaysia Press

Recreational Opportunities For Public Use in Ayer Hitam Forest:Setting the Stage and Park Management Approach

ABDULLAH MOHD, AMAT RAMSA YAMANand MOHD ARIFF JAMALUDIN

Faculty of ForestryUniversiti Putra Malaysia

43400 Serdang, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia

Keywords: Recreation, opportunity, public, management, Ayer Hitam Forest

ABSTRAK

Kertas kerja ini membincangkan konsep taman hutan untuk kegunaan rekreasi awam dan sumber pendidikanyang boleh disediakan oleh Hutan Simpan Ayer Hitam, Puchong, Selangor. Hutan Simpan ini telah berfungsisebagai tapak pendidikan dan penyelidikan tetapi perlu bersedia untuk membenarkan orang ramai memasukinyajika dibuka untuk kegunaan rekreasi. Peluang rekreasi yang disediakan mestilah mampu memberi ruang kepadakehendak rekreasi yang mengutamakan pengalaman yang menyeronokkan dan berdasarkan kepada rekreasipendidikan dengan latarbelakang alam semulajadi. Sebarang bentuk penggunaan rekreasi hendaklah melibatkanimpak yang rendah dan pembangunannya adalah berdasarkan kemampuan dan kekangan ekologi hutansimpan berkenaan. Untuk memenuhi keperluan rekreasi dan penjagaannya hutan simpan ini memerlukanamalan pengurusan taman hutan dan kerangka institusi bersepadu. Ini meliputi penyediaan peluang rekreasikepada orang ramai dan pada masa yang sama memberi penekanan kepada pemeliharaan sumber. Sebagaikesimpulan adalah disarankan agar Hutan Simpan Ayer Hitam dikelas dan diwartakan sebagai 'HutanTerbuka'.

ABSTRACT

This paper discusses the concept offorest park for public recreational use and educational resource to be provided1Jy Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve in Puchong, Selangor. This reserve has served as a teaching and research site butmust be ready to allow people to set foot in. The recreation opportunity to be provided must be able to accommodaterecreational needs that prioritised rewarding experience and educational-based recreation opportunity within thenatural setting. Any recreational access and utilisation must involve low impact use and its development has tobe based on the ecological limitation of the forest reserve. For a benefiting use of the area for recreation and itsstewardship, the forest requires the practise of park recreation management and an integrated institutionalarrangement. These include provision of recreational opportunities to the public albeit protection of the resources.In conclusion it is recommended that Ayer HitamForest Reserve be classified and gazetted as an open forest reserve.

INTRODUCTION

As we enter into a new millennium, the changingrole of forest in relation to its multipurpose usemust be recognised. Increase use of its resourceswithout causing adverse impact to theenvironment is desired. Key concern of the forestmanagement embraces social forestry conceptof open forest where public is part of a broaderenvironment. People must have the share of theforest and able to access the resources. A forest

or park is not to be seen as an island wheresome people are excluded and only a single typeof use is prevalent. Forest conservationprogramme must include recreation for thepublic in order to minimise people beingsidelined in the pursuant of the benefits.

Forest recreation is widely recognised as anamenity and is essential for the well-being of asociety. It plays an important part for a person toenjoy quality life after he is able to fulfil his' own

ABDULLAH MOHD, AMAT RAMSA YAMAN and MOHD ARIFF JAMALUDIN

basic needs for survival. Recreational needs canbe changing with time as society grew and can becharacterised as below (Tillman, 1974):

1. Adventure and active recreational pursuit2. Relaxation in outdoor or in natural

environment3. Escape and fantasy4. Recognition and identity5. Dominance and mastery6. Social interaction7. Mental activity (to appreciate, appraise and

understand)8. Creativity9. Provide services to others

10. Physical activity and fitness11. eed for new experiences and variation in

activities

It is proper to accommodate those needs ina modern dynamic society. More people areputting a higher value on forest where they oncebelong to it. In any outdoor settings, thebehaviour of participants may be influenced byseveral needs simultaneously such ascompanionship, family, security, self-esteem,prestige and comfort (Tinsley and Kass 1989;Pearse 1988).

With reference to Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve,this forested area is considered as a spot ofparticular scarcity based on its location andimportance as the last remaining lowlanddipterocarp forest to be enjoyed by people inthe Klang valley. In addition, this forest reserveis still large, able to maintain its integrity, lessdisturbed and possesses a luxuriant naturalresources by comparison to other neighbouringforested areas.

STUDY AREA

Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve (AHFR) in Puchongis the last remaining forest to be used as arecreational land for the nearby local residentsof Puchong, Seri Kembangan, Kinrara and theupcoming townships of Cyberjaya and Putrajaya(Fig. i). The area is more accessible now aspreviously with the opening of Damansara­Puchong Highway. It is made of many prominenttopographical features that are conducive forrecreation. The prominent features include thelandforms made up of rugged lowland and hills(highest peak is 600 m), rivers, waterfalls,vegetation, wildlife and nearby orang asli

community. Man made elements are also foundbut insignificant for a wider recreational useand as attraction to conduct activities.

Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve is a lowlanddipterocarp forest managed under the forestreserve by the Forest Office of Central Selangor.It is located about 45 km from the centre ofKuala Lumpur and 25 km from Universiti PutraMalaysia (UPM). This forest reserve includescompartments 1, 2, 12, 13, 14 and 15 leased tothe Faculty of Forestry, UPM for research for 80years under an agreement between UPM andstate government of Selangor. This forest area isa logged over forest in the 1960s andimprovement works have been done ever since.

The primary uses of this forest are forresearch and educational purposes. The termsand condition of agreement spelled outprovisions such as the duration and condition ofaward, control mechanism on use of the area aswell as specific restrictions on activities to becarried out in the forest area. Therefore, theAHFR having the rights to use for a long-termperiod by UPM is important because planningand development work can be implementedsystematically.

Current Recreational Activities in Ayer Hitam ForestReserve

By its very nature, the AHFR should be availablefor forest recreation. Since many surroundingforested areas are shrinking, people are lookinginto whatever remains of natural area as theiroutlet for outdoor recreation. Activities that arerelated to educational-based recreation arecarried out by the Faculty of Forestry, UPMsince 1970s and include:

1. Forestry Camp both for Diploma and Degreestudents

2. Essaython for school children (Form Oneto Form Three)

3. ational Science Camp4. Corporate Game5. Family Day

Most of the recreational activities are mainlyof the organised types where leadership andinstructions are provided. Acivities that areconducted are well prepared and structured. Atpresent few local people are allowed to go intoand enjoy the forest. The attractive spots in AHFRfrequented by recreationists include the waterfalland the Sungai Rasau that flows through it.

162 PERTANIKAJ. TROP. AGRIC. SCI. VOL. 22 NO.2, 1999

RECREATIO AL OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC USE lAYER HITAM FOREST

AVER HITAM FOREST RESERVE

KEM KINRARA

TO DENGKIL

CYBERJAYAPUTRAJAYA

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Legend:Forest boundaryCompartment boundary

New AHFR boundary Scale 1 em for 0.84 km

Fig. 1. Location of Air Hitam Forest Reserve from Urban Centres

PERT lKAJ. TROP. AGRIC. SCI. VOL. 22 NO.2, 1999 163

ABDULLAH MOHD, AMAT RAMSA YAMAN and MOHD ARIFF JAMALUDI

Potential Recreational Provision and Development

Recreational development and provisions forrecreating public must be based on the elementsof choices in forest setting. In many forestreserves where the management priority isconservation but failing to let the public enjoythem will result in disgruntlement. Therefore anexplicit arrangement for recreation deliveryshould be formulated for people to access intothis forest and to participate in delineatedrecreation activities.

The setting of naturalness and the status ofits contents are of central importance forrecreation delivery. Areas such as lake gardensnearby only offer open man-made landscapewith stale products and lifeless ecological culture.Natural resources such as birds, small mammalsand the presence of tigers will form the curiousityand part of the attraction of the forest. Inaddition, a rugged landform, a variety of speciesand water bodies in AHFR offer hiking, repellingand swimming, picnicking and natureappreciation for visitors. Potential forestrecreational activities can be oriented towardsrewarding experience and education-based suchas:

• Forest camping (recreational learning)• Forestry talks• Forestry day• Forest hiking/adventure• Forest trip/tour• Forest living• ature appreciation - bird watching, tree

identification• Forest based special event - essaython, family

day• Community forestry programme• Family recreation

Consideration for the social basedparticipation in this forest, which is to beprovided, can be tailored upon two types ofrecreationist interests categories. This includesorganised or formal and non-organised orinformal recreationist groups. The organisedgroup implies structured group participation andthe activities conducted are itineraried intospecific recreational activities such as schoolgroups, and uniformed organisation. Meanwhile,the non-organised group is typically made up ofvisitation by people without any relationship tosuch organisation and pursuing activities on theirown. These include individuals, peers, large

groups and families pursuing non-specificactivities.

The introduction of facilities to enhancethe setting and to accompany the activities canenhance the experience in the forest.Commitment to provide land and buildings toaccommodate recreating general public is to beconsidered in order to assist the lack of natureskill among the recreationists. Obligation toensure a healthy and safety environment of theforest area is imperative. People who visit thearea must strictly adhere to whatever regulationsposed by the manager of the forest.

Management Approach and Institutional Arrangement

A committee was set up by the Faculty of Forestry,UPM for the planning and development ofAHFR, mainly for students' activities and staffresearch. The question is that whether the settingup of the forest for only certain use can justifyits establishment. The question of single use ofthe forest, which ignores other interests, mightarise sooner or later. Therefore the use of forestbased on public park concept should beconsidered where accessibility by all is both atthe developed site and remote part of the forest.This will encourage use and enjoyment butproblems of ecological constraint may ariseparticularly with increasing demand andincompatible recreational activities by users ofthe forest, which can affect its integrity (Abdullah,1996) .

Protection of the environment is thereforeimportant to be emphasised. The probablesolution could be built around the principles oflow impact recreational practices andcompromising less disturbance of theenvironment (Cole 1989). The implementationof management control procedure such ascarrying capacity or limit of acceptable changemight work to balance the impact (Hendee et al.1990). Since AHFR is relatively limited in size,the recreation development should not exceedthe biological or social carrying capacity of thearea. Limiting the number of users to a certainlevel by using permits and queuing system, andgroup size limitation could protect the resources.So it is important to determine the value of thecapacity if people are allowed access and stay inthe forest.

To overcome this problem, the zonationconcept can be applied to manage the resourcesand other interests such as research (Fig. 2).

164 PERTANlKAJ. TROP. AGRIC. SCI. VOL. 22 0.2,1999

RECREATIO AL OPPORT NITIES FOR PUBLIC USE IN AYER HITAM FOREST

The dispersal of different types of recreationaluse, which is compatible with different levels ofcondition and protection of the specific area,has to be emphasised. An idealised zone couldbe based on the following backgroundcharacteristics of the AHFR:

I High Density Recreation Use Area• Compartment 12 and 15 around the

present developed site and gravel road.Sungai Rasau is at the centre of activities.Develop area with visitors facilities andservices with park value still maintained.

II Extended and General Recreational Use Area• Compartment 13 with rugged lowland,

hills and headwaters of Sungai Rasau.Recreational activities are extended forthose wanting to pursue more nature­based activities.

III Historical and Cultural Recreation Area• Compartment 15 with historical values of

World War II relicts and located near theaborigine village with its own cultural

+

Sg.

background. Recreational activity that tieswith traditional and historical basedactivities.

IV Natural and Wilderness Strict Use Area• Compartment 1, 2, 13 and 14 of wilderness

and undisturbed area. Sungai Bohol andits headwater can be found here. This is anatural site with minimum interferencefrom internal or external elements andonly controlled wilderness recreation takesplace.

V Limited and Undisturbed Area• Can be located in several parts of the

reserve particularly away from heavyrecreational activities. Available forresearch and nature learning activities.

It can be said that the legislation andregulations that are outlined for AHFR wouldnot be effective for the conservation particularlyat the site where it is being highly used bypeople. Educational programmes that are

+

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Legend• Spot HeIght

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~=~1\1Molofable Tl'8Cko Foreet ReMrve and Compartment Boundary

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Fig. 2. Natural and man-made features of Ayer Hitam Forest Reseroe

PERTANIKAJ. TROP. AGRIC. SCI. VOL. 22 NO.2, 1999 165

ABDULlAH MOHD, AMAT RAMSA YAMAN and MOHD ARIFF JAMALUDI

spontaneous, formal or informally conductedneed to be integrated by the management.Programmes, activities or even modules to bedelivered have to be integrated in order toensure that visitors are able to gain the knowledgeand awareness of conservation while recreating.

Conflicting interests will crop up betweenthe naturalists and the public when access isincreased. Here, the institutional arrangementshould be highlighted among the stakeholders.It can play an important role where participationby all interested parties can contribute to theplanning process. A forum or platform for thoseinterested parties should be established for themto voice out ideas. Public at large can formsupport groups to protect the existence of theforest although there will some impact ofrecreational use of the forest. Supportingactivities can include environmental educationgroup, outdoor recreation - camping group andother groups with environmental interest behindthem. Another controversial step that can beconsidered would involve co-operative endeavouror smart partnership with private operators, whosometimes develop interest in the developmentfor recreation and ecotourism in this area. Thisattempt can be seen to enhance the productivityof the forest.

Joint management and partnership withother financing institution might lead to costeffectiveness of operation, which could be aworkable solution. Presently the financialresources and funding for the management ofAHFR is insufficient. Revenue sources and fundsto meet running operation is provided by UPMand the forest manager has to make do withlimited funds that is available. The fiscal resourcestherefore reflect the philosophy, objectives anddirection of the forest conservation and usage.

The business activities of this cooperationhave to be monitored to ensure that they don'tgo overboard to bring about high profits. Theprocedure involved must be based on the legalresponsibility shared between the parties. Mainbenefits should therefore go to the guardian,i.e. Faculty of Forestry (UPM) and ForestDepartment. A development and managementplan must therefore be prepared to helpreconcile the competing interests. The plan will

guide specific facility development and specificactions to meet the management objectives.

CONCLUSION

The general public has turned to forest settingsto satisfy much of their recreational needs. AHFRhas all the resources to supply those needs. Thisled to the requirement of a comprehensiveapproach for the management of the forestreserve. The management should incorporatean open forest the needs. The opportunities tobe provided must be based on low impact use ofthe forest and educational based recreation. Themanagement must encourage compatibledevelopment that come with it. Use control andlimitation at certain areas should be adhered.Zonation might be workable to address theproblems of extensive use of the forest andprotection of the fragile resources. Thus, it isnecessary for the management of AHFR to bemore explicit about the role and stewardship ofthis forest.

REFERENCES

ABDULLAH, M. 1996. Biodiversity conseroation, ecotourismand recreational use, management and policyimplications ofprotected areas. Paper presented atthe Workshop on Protected areas Managementin Peninsular Malaysia under the BiodiversityConvention. DWNP, DANCED and UPM.Serdang.

COLE, D.N. 1989. Low-impact recreational practices forwilderness and backcountry. General TechnicalReport I T-265. Intermountain ResearchStation. Forest Service. Ogden.

HE DEE, lC., G.H. ST KEY, and R.C. LUCAS. 1990.Wilderness management. North American Press.Golden. Colorado.

PEARSE, P.L. 1988. The Ulyses factor. Evaluating Visitorsin Tourists Spotting. Springer-Verlag. Publ. NewYork.

TILLMAN, A. 1974. The program book for recreationprofessional. National Press Books. Palo Alto.

TI SLEY, H.E. A and R.A. KAss. 1989. The latentstructure of the need satisfying properties ofleisure activities. J Leisure Research 11 (4): 278­291.

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