The Kuala Selangor Nature Park

The Park

Along the shore lines of the Peninsula, the Mangrove Forest are gradually depleted from uncontrolled harvesting for logs. Industrial Parks and housing estates move in to swallow up the lands from these dying forest. For a long stretches of coastlines, it is not surprising that there is hardly any refuge for wildlife and birds to rest!

The Malaysian Nature Society with assistance from the Selangor State Government jointly push through a project to salvage what is left. The Kuala Selangor Nature Park is thus created. To say, it offers a wide variety of appropriate environments to serve as habitats for the birds and wildlife. There is the Secondary forest and a brackish water Lake system to complement the existing Mangrove Forest, Estuary of the Selangor River and mud flats. All these are important to support the living things assembled in this narrow strip of protected enclave.

Counting the life forms, the Park recorded the sightings of about 156 species of birds [residence and migratory], a variety of insects, spiders, molluscs, crabs, fishes, reptiles and mammals. In fact the area is home to a long list of unique and interesting living things. Just to name a few, there are MudSkippers, Mud Lobster, King Crab, Smooth Otter, Leopard Cat and the Silver Leaf Monkey.

Facilities

The availability of wildlife and birds roaming freely in its confine makes the Park an ideal spot for Nature related activities. Very quickly proper structures were erected within the compound. Amenities needed to allow overnight stay, shelter from the sun and rain, proper tracks to take visitors around and within the forested area, all these were gradually made available. The Park on the next move creates vantage points to spy on the wildlife without disrupting their activities. These are in the form of Hides, Tower, and Boardwalks. Visitors can obtain information on nature-related subjects, borrow a hall for meeting and group briefing, accommodation at nominal cost for those whom needs more time in the natural setting. Here are some pictures here to provide a better understanding.

Utilization

The Malaysian Nature Society and the Selangor State Government establish the Park as a cooperative effort. The intention is to study, conserve, and allow the residence to enjoy the Malaysian natural heritage. The whole area is equivalent to a giant showcase where visitor can enjoy a on-the-spot report of the happenings to their own habitat. It is a place to educate the younger generation on our natural heritage. Urban dwellers should feel the ambience in the park and to reflect it with the quality of life that they are living. What else can they do? Their contribution to improving the overall living standard!

The ecosystem

Secondary Forest

The Nature Park has 497 acres [201 hectares] of Secondary Forest. This land allocated was formerly a pristine mangrove forest. Then, a new coastal bund was constructed, and the area was left to dry up. The tropical forest plants crept in. The mangrove trees, its original inhabitants, deprived of its natural habitats, could not compete with its dry land’s cousin that started growing at a more rapids pace.

Unexpectedly, the new environment surprisingly proved conducive to the Mangrove Fern. It eventually made a strong presence in the area. As the new forest matured, it became obvious that the regular mangrove "trees" found it quite impossible to flourish. By now the emerging secondary forest is dominated by the strangling figs and other coastal trees such as Cordia dichotama, of course interspersed with Mangrove Fern. You can still see an occasional stubborn old mangrove tree still surviving in this secondary forest, here and there. Within this forested area, there are 4 nature trails. Up to date, one of these trails is marked with information on fauna. All trails are specially prepared by the Park personnel to allow visitors to stroll through the forest, sample and study the flora that flourish here. If you follow any one of these trail, you will not miss seeing a varieties of fungi, ferns, palm, creepers and trees.

At that time, if you pause to recall that this is a brand "new" jungle, it makes one wonder about the fascinating ways and means how nature goes about to propagate its living things. The other living things, which you may not get to see so readily, is the small animal who has made their homes here as well.

To assist you in planning your trip through the Park, some details about the trails:

 There is no tiger. The trails are very safe. You can have a better impression seeing the sight from these points.

Mangrove Forest

The sector, dominated by Mangrove trees covers an area of about 234 acres [95 hectares] . This area is the focal point of the eco-system for the Nature Park.

This relatively "young" forested area has attracted 13 species of Mangrove trees. Here, you will get to see amphibious inhabitants from crabs to snakes. To give visitors a better opportunity to taste the ambience deep inside the Mangrove Forest, raised boardwalks are built and permeate through to the crowded woods and over the mudflats. While on the boardwalk, inhabitants on the mudflats can be watched, you can see them moving around in their daily activities. Enjoy the scenic sight! Feel your own mood to be in the midst of the Avicenna forest.

Lake Complexes

The 2 artificially created lakes get its fresh supply of brackish water from the Selangor River. The water level is controlled by sluice gates. To compliment the setting up of the lakes, few bird hides are built and strategically located. These watch towers are raised and one of them is at ground level. With these facilities, visitors can wait and see the water birds and waders. The setting will put you in the mood to experience the joy of bird watching.

Of course, the inexperienced also need to learn how to maintain silence, build up their patience of waiting and understand the essences of a pair of good binocular. Also log on to KSNP as a birding site.

A Park tour

I have just recovered a sketch map that I made about the Park when I first prepared the websites years ago. Have also kept many of the old pictures for nostalgic reasons. I have also added the latest scenes to keep you posted. Hope you will enjoy this little pictorial tour of KSNP, as we called it.