Our better lives and environment

 "Tourism in Ulu Geroh started in the late 90s, when some researchers from Malaysia Nature Society visited us and explained that the presence of the Rafflesia flower could turn Ulu Geroh into a tourism attraction and provide an additional source of income. We villagers had a meeting and subsequently formed SEMAI. The acronym is not only the name of our tribe; its meaning reflects our eco-friendly lifestyle and philosophy.

In the early 2000s, I got involved in eco-tourism activities as a guide. Ulu Geroh has one of the highest concentrations of Rafflesia in the world, as well as the Rajah Brooke birdwing butterfly, so these are our top two tourism products. 

When we have big groups, I bring in guides from other villages to help out. The biggest group we’ve handled so far consisted of 130 people from China – I had to hire 30 guides to take them on the trails!

Daytrippers usually come just to see the Rafflesia flower, but we started offering homestays after a corporate sponsor funded the construction of chalets in Kampung Batu, where the original Rafflesia trail started. You can learn from my fellow villagers how to do weaving from coconut leaves, set up simple animal traps, cook using woodfire and bamboo stems. These activities are not just for show, but things we still practise every day. When a visitor opts for these activities, my people also get to work and earn.

Other than provide an additional source of income, eco-tourism has enabled us to have a stronger voice to oppose activities that are harmful to the community, such as illegal logging. Overlogging will destroy our precious natural resources, from dirtying the river to clearing our forests. For the Semai, the consequences are especially devastating because the jungle is our primary source of livelihood. Our diet consists of fish that we catch from the river, petai and ferns from the forest, and we rely rotan and bamboo to build our houses.

Some years ago, together with our friends from Gopeng such as MyGopeng Resort, Nomad Adventure, etc, we submitted a petition to the authorities to stop illegal logging activities, and happily, we succeeded. That is the best thing about eco-tourism: it has brought the community in Ulu Geroh closer, and made our environment a better place.

“I pursued biology as my major when I did my degree course in university. During field work, I had an epiphany while observing wild gibbons calling on a huge tree at dawn - I would promote nature and nature conservation and live free like the gibbons! My thinking was very idealistic, considering that eco-tourism was in its infancy, but I decided to go for it and enrolled in a guiding course to get my green badge under the Ministry of Tourism.

At the course, I met the person who set me on this eco-tourism journey. Ahha was a Semai man from Ulu Geroh, a quaint orang asli village in Perak. He could only write and read very little - a facilitator had to read for him the exam papers - but he passed the licence course. His fantastic attitude was an inspiration to the rest of us.

Visiting his village soon after, I understood why Ahha was so driven. He was one of the earliest who saw the link between tourism, community and environment conservation. It was his kampung (village) where the biggest flower, the biggest butterfly were thriving. He understood how tourism, done right, can play a role in keeping away loggers and other threats to their way of life, and improve their living standards. 

My heart broke when Ahha died suddenly in 2009. But his spirit lingers on to inspire me to continue promoting a love for the environment.

How can we as tour guides make sustainable conscious choices? We can make a difference, starting with choosing the locations where we send our customers. I’ve stopped promoting destinations where there is over-tourism because it can negatively impact the natural environment, and encourage my customers to choose lesser known but more pristine destinations run by individuals who are mindful about not polluting the area, such as Ulu Geroh. Using local guides and patronising locally-owned restaurants and accommodation will keep the profit in the community.

Travelling today is no longer about sightseeing, but life experiencing. I tell my customers to leave their way of living at home, and observe and experience the local culture way of living. The villagers I’ve met are great teachers. From ingenious animal traps to beautiful houses – you’ll be amazed how they can create things using common sense and the simplest materials in the jungle. They have an intuitive understanding and deep appreciation of nature and conservation ethics, something I hope to instill in my guests."