NEW SUNDAY TIMES JUNE 5, 2011

2 MALAYSIA

AS fa r a s env i ronmenta l conservation goes, it is perhaps easier to throw our weight behind causes we can put a face on such as the plight of wildlife, or those we can more readily appreciate like the rapid depletion of greenery from our surroundings. Few are inspired to fervor though when it comes to the planet’s inanimate resources — despite their heritage value.

“When we study geology, we are actually describing the history of the earth. The history of earth is the beginning of the history of all life including plants, animals, and human beings” says Professor Datuk Ibrahim Komoo, Professor of Engineering Geology at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Unfortunately, geology is also often associated with the exploitation of resources. And as an engineering geologist, Professor Ibrahim was used to being tarred with the same brush reserved for those working in industries that are synonymous with environmental destruction.

“A geologist has always been known as a scientist who helps those involved in exploitative activities such as mining, construction, and oil and gas. We are considered the backbone behind people who exploit resources. But what we actually do is advise them on how to approach their work in a more sustainable manner,” he maintains. “For example, I advise engineers on how to build roads and highways that are more effective, safe and environmentally friendly.”

Nevertheless, it was the negative perception that made Professor Ibrahim realise that geology

Hidden treasures in plain sightEarth’s most valuable treasures are not buried in the ground waiting to be extracted, they are all around us ready to be appreciated. NAJUA ISMAIL writes

was a subject not many people understood and as such, failed to appreciate. This inspired him to embark on a venture to highlight the value of geological resources.

Malaysian Geological Heritage Group

He kick started this with the establishment of the Malaysian Geological Heritage Group (MGHG) in 1996. The group would explore and develop the concept of geology as a heritage resource (geoheritage) in order to promote the importance of its conservation.

When he applied for government funding for his research though, Professor Ibrahim wrote a proposal linking geoheritage to tourism instead of conservation as he felt it would improve his chances of getting funding.

“People tend to appreciate the landscape for its sights, not for its geological characteristics.” He cites the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona and the Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming, both in the US, as examples of tourist attractions that are mostly admired for their natural beauty and not their geological wonders.

However, the funding committee were not the only people that needed convincing.

“When I initially invited some of my colleagues to be part of the team, they said, ‘I’m not

interested’. “They said, this is not research

because when they talk about research, it’s about looking for oil, coal, and such,” he recalls with a grin. “But when I got the funding, some of my colleagues said, ‘Okay, let’s give this a try.’”

The group began with five academic researchers but has since grown into a collective of more than 50 members from various universities and corporate organisations such as Petronas.

When they first started out, the team had to overcome their own preconceived notions about the worth of geological resources. “We had to completely change our mindsets as we explored how to describe a rock for example, not in terms of its importance as building material or a source for developing cement, but for its heritage value.”

The group eventually came up with four categories of heritage value: scienti f ic , aesthetic , recreational, and cultural.

Science and aestheticsScientific value is determined by

analysing a geological landscape’s importance in providing scientific record of earth’s evolution and history for education and research purposes. It also provides a means for assessing the aesthetic value of geoheritage, which Professor

Ibrahim admits to having some difficulty with.

“I am still trying to understand how social science looks at aesthetics. I have a master’s student who is trying to figure out how perception theory from the arts can be applied to the geological landscape. For now though, we do have some idea of how to describe the landscape in terms of its aesthetic value.”

He elaborates, “There is an interesting story behind the creation of Yellowstone for example, which was formed by geysers and hot water; that’s the internal process. And Grand Canyon was created by an external process, which was erosion by a strong river.

“This is how science crafted the landscape and by looking at this, we can classify the uniqueness or rarity of a particular landscape based on its geological characteristics.”

Recreation and cultureRecreational value is determined

by a landscape’s suitability as a site for nature-oriented recreational activities. “In this case, we would evaluate a mountain for example, to see if it is suitable for rock climbing. Or we may look to see if there is a possibility of developing a trail for hiking activities on a particular hill,” Professor Ibrahim explains.

However, he professes to a lack of expertise in this area. “Our team has not really done much on recreational value as we don’t have sufficient knowledge. If you want to describe a place that is appropriate for white water rafting for example, you would

need a white water rafting expert who can talk about the amount of water flow, the gradient of the river, things like that.”

The team faces less of a problem assessing cultural value, which is associated with beliefs and traditions including myths and legends. “Sometimes people look at a peculiar landscape and relate it to stories that they are familiar with like Batu Belah Batu Bertangkup or Si Tanggang,” maintains the Principal Fellow at UKM’s Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI).

This is used as a springboard to educate the public on the science behind the formation of the landscape in order to promote appreciation of geology and the importance of conserving it resources.

“We acknowledge the myths and beliefs that people have but at the same time, we take the opportunity to explain the processes that took place — like maybe a vertical fracture occurred and crafted the rocks so that it looks like a figure — so that people get the true story of the rock or land formation.”

Geological ParksHaving established a framework

for classifying and determining the heritage value of geological resources, MGHG added another feather to its cap when it worked successfully with the Forestry Department to designate three areas in Langkawi as geoforest parks. The three areas are Machinchang Geoforest Park, Kilim Geoforest Park, and Dayang Bunting Marble Geoforest Park.

n TURN TO PAGE 15

Limestone Karst Landscape, Dong Van, Vietnam.

Granite Coastal Landscape, Langkawi.

Professor Datuk Ibrahim Komoo founded the Malaysian Geological Heritage Group.

15NEW SUNDAY TIMES JUNE 5, 2011

MALAYSIA

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Making existing systems work better

Beta Factors’ high-skilled personnel at work.

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n FROM PAGE 2

“These places are forest reserves but we studied them and demonstrated that they are not just forests, they also have a lot of geological heritage.”

According to Professor Ibrahim, the aim is now to establish the country’s first geological protected site. At the moment though, there are no provisions for this under the law. Furthermore, the guidelines for ascertaining natural heritage sites are not as clear cut as those for cultural sites.

“Any building that is more than 100 years old is considered heritage. But we can’t look at nature the same way. Furthermore, it is quite difficult to do a comparative study of geological and biological sites as compared to cultural sites,” he maintains. “There are almost 1,000 world heritage sites; 80 per cent of them are cultural, only 20 per cent are natural sites.”

Under the circumstances,

was founded by LESTARI in 2002. Five years later in 2007, Langkawi was declared by UNESCO as its 52nd global geopark, and is the first national geopark in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

Growing awarenessThe establishment of geoparks

worldwide indicate growing awareness of the importance of conserving geological resources. Nevertheless, Professor Ibrahim admits geodiversity is st i l l

not as widely appreciated as biodiversity.

“When people talk about natural heritage, 90 per cent of them are referring to biological heritage, only 10 per cent are talking about geoheritage. Hopefully, in the future it will be 60-40 although I don’t really think there is such a thing as 60-40,” he opines. “In fact, my vision is that conservation integrates the cultural with the natural and this includes both biology and geology.”

Professor Ibrahim decided that a new strategy was required to ensure the protection of geoheritage resources. “In order to protect an area, we must convince the public of its value. We need public awareness and appreciation so we came up with the idea of recognising Langkawi as a geological park (geopark), which is somewhat similar to a national park.”

However, while national parks are established strictly for conservation purposes, geoparks differ in that they strike a balance between conservation and utilisation of resources for the

benefit of the people. “That’s why I used the tourism

concept, instead of the conservation concept so that people can visit the place, observe and appreciate without destroying the heritage resources. At the same time, tourism activities will also generate income for the local community,” elaborates the International Expert of UNESCO’s Global Geoparks Network. “It’s a combination of heritage conservation as well as socio-economic and community development.”

To strengthen MGHG’s efforts to establish Langkawi as a geopark, the Langkawi Research Centre

Geodiversity

Rocks Minerals Fossils Structure Landform

Protecting our geoheritage resources

Basaltic (lava) landscape, Jeju Island Korea

ITEX 2011 Special Coverage