INTRODUCTION

1.0 OVERVIEW OF ENDAU-ROMPIN NATIONAL PARK

Ecotourism is one type of tourism project that promotes conservation and

minimises visitor impacts. This task was given to study on the sustainable of Endau-

Rompin National park. This park is the second largest national park in Peninsular

Malaysia and is well positioned to be a great eco-tourism destination. It covers the

borders of Johor and Pahang, sprawling over approximately 80,000 hectares with the

Johor side being gazetted as a national park around 49,000 hectares, while the Pahang

side around 38,000 hectares is still a state park and managed separately by the Pahang

state authorities (Figure 1). The park are rich with exotic flora and fauna, encompassing

the watershed of the rivers Endau and Rompin, from which it derives its name. It is

legally protected forest area in Peninsular Malaysia.

Inside that 49,000 hectares, there have two part of ecotourism destination that is

owned by Endau Rompin National Park which are named as Peta and Selai. Peta is one of

the gateways into the Endau-Rompin National Park located in the Mersing district. It

covering 19,562 hectares and being in existence for million years, it is one of the

remaining large tracts of pristine lowland tropical rainforest with an enormous amount of

undisturbed natural vegetation in Peninsular Malaysia.

Next, Selai is the western gateway to the Endau-Rompin National Park that

covering 29,394 hectares. Selai is the land of endless waterfalls. Countless waterfalls,

great and small are found inside the park.

The park is home to a expansive species of insects, fish, birds, and big and small

mammals. They include no less than 230 species of birds, 179 species of butterflies, 43

species of fish and all the great Malaysian mammals, like the Sumatra rhinoceros, tigers,

elephants, mousedeer, deer and tapirs. It seems that every time a scientific expedition

returns from Endau Rompin, where they discover a lot of new species there .The different

type of the habitats and species found there is of a major conservation significance. In

year 1985 and 1986, a scientific expedition identified 25 new species of plants within the

area and its rocks and hills have been assessed to be 248 million years old. For

experimental interest aside, Endau Rompin National Park is the perfect haven for

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adventure seekers. Its numerous legends and myths handed down through the years add

up to its overall appeal.

The tourist activities provided include jungle trekking, wildlife and birdwatching,

climbing the canopy walkway, nature photography, boat trips, camping, swimming,

fishing, and many more. The important thing is, only limited areas of the park are open

for ecotourism because they want to protect the pristine environment. To enter that

special park they need a special permit from the Johor National Park Corporation.

Figure 1: An overview of Endau-Rompin National Park

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1.1 REASON OF SELECTING ENDAU-ROMPIN AS DESTINATION

We are choosing Endau-Rompin as our destination of study because it is a place

that designed to establish whether ecotourism can provide access to attractive sources of

income to the country, which would facilitate not only the effective conservation of

protected tropical forest areas but also the sustainable development of the National Park

which is related to our subject that is taken for this semester.

1.2 MAPS AND LOCATION OF ENDAU ROMPIN NATIONAL PARK

These are the road direction to go to Endau Rompin National park.

Go along the North-South Expressway and turn off at Ayer Hitam. From Ayer Hitam

take the Kluang Jemaluang road (Route 50) and continue from there to a turn-off 7km

east of Kahang town (look for the Endau Rompin National Park sign partly hidden

amongst 15 other signs on the signboard). From this turn-off, a four- wheel drive will

take you on a 56km rough terrain drive through palm-oil plantations and then onto old

logging roads and boggy tracks before arriving at Kampung Peta, the park staging point.

This will take 2 hours. Take a look at Figure 2 & Figure 3.

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Figure 2: Direction to Endau-Rompin from different exit.

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ENDAU - ROMPIN (PETA)

JOHOR NATIONAL PARK

MERSING

1 HourFrom Mersing To

Kahang Office

KUALA LUMPUR3 Hour - 3½ Hour

FromKuala Lumpur

KAHANG

2 Hour (56 km)

To

Endau – Rompin (Peta)

KLUANG45 MinuteTo Kahang

AYER HITAM TOL

30 MinuteTo Kluang Town

JOHOR BAHRU

1 Hour – 1½ Hour

From Johor Bahru

Figure 3: Maps to Endau-Rompin Peta and Selai

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1.3 MISSION

Developing Johor National Parks and Johor RAMSAR Sites as world class Biodiversity

Conversation Centre through research activities, environmental education and eco-

tourism.

1.4 VISION

Developing Johor National Parks and Johor RAMSAR Sites as world class Environment

Site in 2016

1.5 OBJECTIVE

To preserve and protect wildlife and also important for geology, archaeology, history,

ethnology and other priority in science and physical, through preservation and function

for developing education, health, aesthetic value and public recreation.

2.0 ECOTOURISM DESTINATION

Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment

and improves the well-being of local people." (TIES, 1990). It is about uniting

conservation, communities, and sustainable travel. Normally, conservation or ecotourism

destination are hidden from the visitors eye. Endau-Rompin National Park is the second

largest national park in Peninsular Malaysia and is well positioned to be a great eco-

tourism destination where it gives unique biodiversity and assets.

A Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) has been developed to study the

rehabilitation, conservation and sustainable development of the national park as an

international standard rainforest ecotourism destination. This includes upgrading of

access roads into the national park. The Kahang Endau-Rompin road has been upgraded

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to provide year-round access to the national park, unlocking the tourism potential of the

ecotourism destination as well as improving access for the locals, especially the Orang

Asli community.

Thus, the management provide direct financial benefits for the conservation of the

forest. The financial benefits and empowerment are also provided for the local people

including orang asli. At the same time, it can increase the national income when all

people can expand their salary for their wants and needs. It can be ensured by appropriate

distribution mechanisms that the greatest possible share in revenue from ecotourism

reaches the local population and the park administrations. For example, the boat ride is

complimentary for the Endau Rompin National Park visitors to give financial benefits to

the Orang Asli community.

Furthermore, the tourism suppliers such as tour operators and private investors

and also tourists can accept the self disciplinary guidelines of ethics and observe and

support regulations for the control of tourism in the protected forest area. The

environmental and social compatibility of tourism activities can be checked and

implemented by means of an adapted monitoring and control system.

.

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2.1 ATTRACTION OF ENDAU-ROMPIN NATIONAL PARK

The places of interest in Peta are:

Visitor’s Complex, this houses an information gallery, library, cafeteria and

souvenir shop. Nearby are interesting medicinal plants, arboretum, orchid, ginger

and palm gardens and a delightful pond with flowering Ixoras and Lantanas and

brilliantly coloured butterflies.

Kampung Peta, the furthest Orang Asli settlement in Johor. The villagers area an

invaluable treasure trove to knowledge when it comes to using forest herbs for

medicinal purposes.

Janing Barat, the serene stillness of this mystical fan palm forest is a panacea for

the mind and soul.

Pantai Burung, the picnic area that adequately equipped with basic facilities

including washrooms and gazebos. It is ideal for tele-matches, family recreational

and leisure activities as it is located nearby water.

Buaya Sangkur Waterfall, named after a local legend, the intoxicating beauty of

this majestic 120-metres high waterfall makes the though hike getting there wll-

worth the effort. The water here cascade down at the rate of a million gallons per

minute.

Upeh Guling Waterfall, the bathtub like depressions in the rock is another

example of natures intriguing handiwork.

Kuala Jasin, the breathtaking view from this point illustrates the peerless beauty

of this magnificent jungle.

Tasik Air Biru, an invigorating clear blue water pool which is home to

innumerable river life.

Nature Education and Research Centre (NERC), the centre that developed for

focal point for nature education and research centre for visitors from all over the

world.

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Places of interest in Selai are:

Lubuk Merekek Camp Site, the furthest distance that a vehicle can reach.

Visitors can stay in the huts which are located near the riverbank where they are

allowed to feed or swim with the fishes in the coll jungle river. The sound of

water flowing over rocks is the therapeutic and hornbills flying across the river

during the fruiting season are a glorious sight.

Lubuk Tapah Base Camp, located about 500 meters from the Lubuk Tapah

Base Camp, this campsite has a white sandy ground, which is suitable for

picnicking. Here, fishing is only allowed with fishing permit obtained from

Bekok office.

Takah Tinggi Waterfall, the biggest waterfall along Selai River . The waterfall

is estimated to be 100m high and the huge volume of water thunders down the

two cascades of the waterfall.

Takah Pandan Waterfall, another very beautiful waterfall. This waterfall is

smaller than Takah Tinggi but is almost just as high. 

Takah Selow, a three tiered waterfall which is the nearest and easiest waterfall to

reach, from Base Camp.

Takah Berangin Waterfall, a powerful cascade that is about 2-3 hours trek from

Lubuk Tapah. In order to reach it, you continue a further 1-1.5 hours from Takah

Pandan through beautiful lowland and hill dipterocarp forest. This is one of the

few trails that do not follow alongside the rivers. The powerful water flow can be

heard even from some way off. 

2.2 FACILITIES OF ENDAU-ROMPIN NATIONAL PARK

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2.2.1 PETA

Endau-Rompin Peta National Park has well-established infrastructural facilities

to their guests and visitors. Facilities at Peta are simple but adequate. Here,

visitors forego modern conveniences and comforts for few days, living simply in

raise wooden huts. They provided facilities such as accommodation,

transportation, food and beverages and other facilities.

2.2.2 SELAI

Endau-Rompin Selai National Park has only few facilities that provided because it

is ideal for the specialist visitor who is seeking to rought it out. Selai are focused

on camping purposes.They provided basic facilities such as camping area,

cooking area, transportation and other facilities.

2.3 ACCOMODATION OF ENDAU-ROMPIN NATIONAL PARK

2.3.1 PETA

There are few types of accommodation that provided to the visitors such as family

chalets, standard chalets, dormitory and campsites. For the family chalets they

have 3 rooms that can occupy 6 to 8 person. This type of accommodation is

suitable for family and the small group of people. For standard chalet they

provided queen size bed that suitable for 2 person only. For the dormitory, they

provided double decker bed and shares bathroom . This type of accommodation is

suitable to the big group of people. (Figure 4)

2.3.2 SELAI

Lubuk Merekek is a campsite located beside Selai River, equipped with kitchen,

dining hall and toilet facilities. The kitchen provides two gas stoves complete with

gas canisters and a sink for washing. This campsite is large enough to hold over

thirty campers at one time.  It is just 10mins walk deeper into the forest from

Lubuk Merekek. Lubuk Tapah is the other campsite also located beside Selai

River. This campsite is really a basic chalet resort complete with everything found

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in Lubuk Merekek but with gazebo that can sleep three persons. The kitchen also

has cooking utensils and cutleries. (Figure 5)

Family Chalets Standard Chalets

Dormitory

Figure 4: Peta Accomodation

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Lubuk Tapah Base Camp Lubuk Merekek Base Camp

Figure 5: Selai Accomodation

3.0 INTER-SECTORAL PARTICIPATION

Endau-Rompin National Park is a statutory body which operated under the Johor

State Government. There is no other links that is cooperating to success this National

Park.

3.1 FINANCING OF ENDAU-ROMPIN NATIONAL PARK

Endau-Rompin National Park gets their funds from the State Government of

Johor and The Federal Government. The State Government of Johor and The Federal

Government will give the funds to the them by quarter year. If the funds is not enough

Endau Rompin management can request more funds from The Ministry Of Tourism

Malaysia. Endau-Rompin National Park did not receive any funding from the private

sector. The management will increase their revenues from the permits fees,

accommodation rents, 4-WD car rental, activities and food and beverages. The

Management of Endau-Rompin National Park will also shares their revenue with the

villagers of Kampung Peta such as give a commission to them when they are helping

with the guide, give a demonstration activities and boat services.

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3.2 CARRYING CAPACITY

Carrying capacity refers to the number of individuals who can be supported in a

given area within natural resource limits, and without degrading the natural social,

cultural and economic environment for present and future generations. The carrying

capacity for any given area is not fixed. It can be altered by improved technology, but

mostly it is changed for the worse by pressures which accompany a population increase.

As the environment is degraded, carrying capacity actually shrinks, leaving the

environment no longer able to support even the number of people who could formerly

have lived in the area on a sustainable basis. No population can live beyond the

environment's carrying capacity for very long. Endau-Rompin National Park will limits

their permits to 150 permits for one time. Meaning that the Management will limits their

permits to 150 person to enter this National Park for one trip. Another way to ensure that

environmental damage does not occur the management will close the park in December,

January and February. This is to ensures the plants that have been damaged can be

restored and this is also to prepare for the floods that will happen every year at here.

3.3 DESIGN OF INFRASTRUCTURE

Design of infrastructure at the Endau Rompin National Park has been built

according to the standards set by the government. Every facilities was built in the open

space. The open space has been formed naturally. All the construction here has been to

limit the cutting of trees. Here also were not built tracks and roads for the cars to reduce

the damage of the natural environment. All visitors will take a boat ride and trekking to

come here. The vehicle use is limited only to deliver supplies and sent passengers. All the

building here was built at the fissures trees. The architecture attempts to reduce the

collective environmental impacts during the production of building components, during

the construction process, as well as during the lifecycle of the building.

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3.4 MARKETING AND PROMOTIONAL

The marketing and promotion department of Endau-Rompin promote their

activities and attraction of that park through official website where all people around the

world can easily see the packages provided. Other than that, Malaysia government

introduced Tourism Malaysia in year 1972 to promote Malaysia all over the world. The

packages of that park also are inclusive inside the website and office. Other than that is

by getting involved in tourism booth such as Visit Malaysia Year 2013, Mattafair and

other Tourism Malaysia event. Advertisement is also one of the promotion strategy to

expand the business. According to Utusan Online (2014), Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad

(KTM) cooperate with Tourism Malaysia Johor by organized the Tour Package

Development to help promote Johor National Park, Endau – Rompin.

Moreover, by providing a good service quality and attractive activities, the past

customer will repeat to visit that park. There’s a lot of repeated customer are going back

to have an activities with this National Park such as tourist from Singapore that is coming

for every year. Moreover, sending updated packages to customer and related customer

through email are one of the productive ways. It will create a good relationship by

keeping updated the latest promotion packages to them. Tourism suppliers (tour operators

and private investors) also select this park as one of their packages such as Pegasus

Travel.

3.5 LEGAL AND POLICY OF ENDAU-ROMPIN NATIONAL PARK

The following activities are prohibited under Section 29 of the National Parks Johor

Corporation Enactment 1989: -

a) Entering the Park without permission

b) Hunting, killing, injuring, catching or disturbing of wildlife

c) Removing or taking any objects, minerals, plants or minerals, plants or animals

d) Destroying or damaging any plants or other objects

e) Bringing weapons, explosives, traps machineries, poisons or dangerous items.

f) Setting up any buildings in the Park.

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g) Bringing in any wild life, domestic animals or plant life.

Any person who contravenes the above regulations shall be liable to a fine of RM

5,000.00 and/or imprisonment for 6 months.

4.0 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS

The negative environmental issues occurs at Endau-Rompin National Park is

the use of aircraft when they want to reach a site that often inevitable for foreign tourists

will lead to air pollution. The vehicles that entered the park also will crush and cut the

soil, interrupt road surface, the noise of vehicles disturb animals and their types can

transport weeds seeds and fungal spores into areas where they do not belong. By that,

only their own transport can access to the park. For those who want enter with their own

vehicles need to get permission from the Director of Johor National Park.

Beside that, the visitors are littering along the trails, river banks, camp sites and

other popular places. The waste mostly consist of non-biodegradable items such as glass

bottles, aerosol cans, plastic bottle and plastic bags, the resulting damage is air pollution

when burned, and contamination of ground water when buried. In this case, the

management will not refund the deposit for those who are not taking care of the

cleanliness of that park and charge it as penalty.

Other than that, fishing is one of the favourite activities in Malaysia and many

domestic tourists come to the park solely to fish. It will cause the habitat extinction. So

any dangerous requirement such as fishing rope, gun or others that will destroy the nature

and wildlife, they would not allowed to bring in. Before entering the park, the staff will

checked and seized any dangerous requirements from the visitors. Moreover, to take care

of the environmental of park, they adjust location of use within problem areas by locating

facilities on durable sites, concentrating and guiding use through facility design or

information, segregating different type of visitors.

Other than that, the management of National Park also reduce the use of protected

area by limiting the number of visitors, their length of stay, charging higher fees and

making access more difficult. Moreover, they will reduce the logging activities while the

development. For example, they develop building at the open spaces, so there is no trees

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need to be felled or cut down. Beside that, the application of the values conveyed through

events such as the Introduction of Wildlife, Entomotourism, Forest School and many

more. Based on that, nature education courses for students and school children in a study

about the level of environmental awareness are showed by urban and rural Malaysians,

concluded that the younger generation has a more positive attitude towards forests.

4.1 SOCIO-CULTURAL IMPACT

The socio-cultural impacts of tourism described are the effects on host

communities of direct and indirect relations with the tourist and of interaction with the

tourism industry. The host communities at The National Park of Endau Rompin is Orang

Asli ( Jakun ) that live at Kampung Peta. The host communities often are the weaker

party in interaction with their guest and services provider. In this case, the management

tries to maximize the involvement of indigenous people with the visitors. All the

activities that conducted here would involve the host communities. The National Parks

require visits from the visitors to their place at Kampung Peta. The tourism can brings

changes in value and behavior of the host communities but they also can generate

positive impacts such as foster pride in cultural tradition, educated the people and

creating a local jobs. The management of National Parks create an activities to the

visitors to learn their culture and creating a local jobs for them by teach a visitor to play

their tradition mind game (kerchang) and demonstrate the visitors how to blow pipe

(sumpit).The Management also organize a program to educated them such as

interpretation course.

4.2 ECONOMIC IMPACT

Tourism can create new opportunities that open up new sources of income and

access to resources for some people but close other people option. The degree of revenue

sharing and distribution within the host society varies greatly according to the type of

ecotourism and the institutions that apply. Therefore, it is not clear if certain economic

changes have a positive or a negative impacts. For conservation area it is important that

maintenance of infrastructure and protection can be financed by tourism and that local

people can benefits from it. Since the National Park of Endau Rompin do not generated

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enough revenue to pay for the costs of management but they gets the funds from the State

Government and Federal Government to support their operation, The management of

Endau Rompin generates the revenue from the permits fees, lodging, meals,

transportation, activities and other. From this revenue can contributes that money in effort

to conserve and sustain the environment. They also can use the revenue for the

maintenance to maintain the place.For the host communities, they also can increase they

house income from the selling of their handmade crafts and working with the

management. The National Park management they give an opportunities to the host

communities to work with them. That can be prove by the organization charts of the

management, they have 40 staffs and only have 9 staffs that from the outsider an the rest

is the local people. The host communities works as a boat man, tour guide and

demonstrators.

5.0 CONCLUSION

The National Park of Endau Rompin has been working hard to preserve and

conserve the natural life in Endau-Rompin forest. Everything is done here concerned

about natural life. It teaches and provides an opportunity for visitors to enjoy and

appreciate the natural life and enjoy the rain forest. It also provides an opportunity for

researchers to do research. The management provide all the facilities for visitors to ease

and comfort their stay. They also take into account the host communities in this place,

they have to provide employment opportunities for them and little knowledge. Every

building here is also very concerned about the environment.

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