Huzzah, huzzah, huzzah! I love national parks, especially the ones in Malaysia, because they have excellent facilities, knowledgeable staff, and contain an incredible number of plant and animal species.

Who cares if they aren't national parks in the strictest sense of the term (with the exception of Taman Negara on the peninsula); they are every bit as spectacular as the "true" national parks in other countries. Malaysia definitely has world-class attractions in terms of environment and ecology, and the parks are a wonderful resource for recreation and education.

I recently returned from Sarawak, where I had the privilege of visiting several of the parks around Kuching. I'd like to thank all of the park professionals who took the time to sit down with me and answer my questions about park management.

I learned a great deal about the challenges facing park managers as they work to protect the parks' precious biodiversity while providing recreational value for tourists, all while considering the needs of the people living around the park. Each of the parks I visited (Bako National Park, Kubah National Park, Gunung Gading National Park) had unique features and unique challenges, but they all seem to have a dedicated staff in common.

Though they are relatively small, all of these parks feature wonderful nature walks with varying levels of strenuousness. The trails are very well marked and maintained, and there are ropes and plank walks to help you get though the hardest patches. There is something for everyone, of all age levels.

Most of the trails I went on were between 2-3 hours, and I would call them moderately strenuous. I was able to carry my daughter (7 months) and a backpack. My mother was also able to handle the trails and have a good time, but she was challenged at points along the way.

What to find in a jungle

The trails offer an escape, and if you can get your mind off the uphill climb (it's only uphill for half the way), you can hear the music of the forest. There are scores of species of birds singing to one another (Borneo is home to over 500 species of birds) and thousands of bugs in a cacophonous chorus (there are an estimated 900 species of butterflies alone, also 5,000 beetle species).

The plant life is astonishing as well; Sarawak is home to more than 2,500 different species of trees, many of which endemic to Borneo. Kubah Park, for instance, has 98 different species of palms. Bako Park has seven different types of forests, ranging from the low kerangas (tropical heath) forest to lush tropical dipterocarp forest (dipterocarps, which means "two wings", are a family of trees named for their fruits, which have two or more appendages).

Gunung Gading features a species of the largest flower in the world, the Rafflesia, which was called "the greatest prodigy of the vegetable world" by Joseph Arnold, a historically important British naturalist from whom the flower takes half of its scientific name. Yes, indeed, the largest flower in the world can also comprehend string theory mathematics and play piano on a 5th grade level; it's a site to behold.

Some of the parks in the system, though, are underutilised, which is a shame, considering the natural bounty contained within. Kubah and Gunung Gading both have well-marked trails and beautiful accommodations for overnighters, but are also easily accessible for day-trippers. Only Bako was fully booked while I was there, which is probably due to the fact that it is the oldest park in Sarawak (gazetted 1957).

In fact, Bako Park is only accessible by boat, and park administrators have shied away from the idea of constructing a road or building more chalets for fear that the park may exceed its carrying capacity. There are some signs of overuse at Bako, including some trail erosion, but the management is actively seeking ways to address these problems.

The other two parks, however, don't share this problem. All three parks can easily be seen in a week using Kuching as a base, with plenty of time to relax and take in the other attractions Kuching has to offer. And, if you do it on your own, it's very easy to have a trip the whole family will enjoy. One of the best features is that you don't need a car, as transportation is cheap, convenient, and comfortable.

Moreover, if you travel on your own, you can spend your money locally, thereby ensuring that it stays in the community and benefits those living around the park. National parks are often criticized because of the adverse economic impact on those living in and around the park. Local residents who lose access to natural resources when parks are created disproportionately shoulder the economic costs while the whole world enjoys the benefits.

Cuti-cuti Malaysia

I'd like to suggest a sample agenda for people living around the peninsula that have never visited these parks. Book a Friday night or Saturday departure from KLIA, returning to KL the following Saturday or Sunday. You'll spend 3-4 nights in the parks, and 3-5 nights in Kuching, depending on how much time you have.

All accommodations for the parks can be arranged through the booking office in Kuching at (082) 442 180. Make a reservation early for Bako, as it's the most popular. Make sure to head to the office on Saturday when you arrive to make payment. They are open until 6pmand the office is easy to find; just drop in as you explore the riverfront developments.

Then on Sunday you're off to Bako for two nights. It takes about 2.5 hours to get there by bus from Kuching, so if you start early enough you can get there, get settled, and have a nice (and sultry) afternoon walk. Children should enjoy this park as well, as it's easy to see some wildlife.

There are a number of opportunistic nuisance animals around the visitor and administration facilities, including maruadering macaque monkeys and the delicious-looking bearded pig. The park also affords an excellent opportunity to see the endangered Proboscis Monkey in the wild; this large monkey doesn't live in the wild outside Borneo and is easy to spot thanks to its enormous honker. Bako also has some beautiful sea cliffs, which aren't too common in Sarawak.

You can also stroll through mangrove forests in Bako. In the wake of the tsunami disaster mangroves, or lack of them, made the news, and Pak Lah himself declared the need to protect mangroves. At Bako you can see them in action; mangroves are special among trees in that they can colonize salt-water areas, which are eventually converted into swamp and then dry land. You won't need to take many provisions, as the canteen has snacks and drinks, and the mealtime food is surprisingly tasty. In the evening you can enjoy a walk on the beach.

After two nights in Bako, head back to Kuching for a warm shower. Then the next day it's off to Gunung Gading for an evening. Before you go to Gunung Gading, though, it's best to check with the park management there to see if any of the flowers are in bloom. You might want to switch the order of your trip so that you visit Kubah (see below) first to increase your chances of seeing the genius bloom. Even if you don't get to see the big plant, a trip to GG is well worth it. You'll need to take food and drinks, though.

Take a break, have a Kitkat

Fully equipped kitchens are provided; they even have utensils such as can openers, and the town of Lundu is a short distance away, so you can pick up food there (Lundu is also where the bus deposits you). In Gunung Gading you can see a series of waterfalls, and the visitor center explains the value of the park in protecting a water catchment which in turn provides clean drinking water to people living in communities around the park.

Lastly take a day trip to Kubah park. If you start out early enough (around 8.30am) you can beat the heat and still take in 3 hours of hiking, including a beautiful panorama of the riparian environment around Kuching and a good-sized waterfall. Kubah is close enough to Kuching to be a daytrip, though there are excellent overnight facilities there (these facilities would be outstanding for a corporate retreat or other similar functions).

If you do opt to spend the night, take provisions. If you go for a daytrip, though, you might think about packing a lunch, which you can eat after your first hike. In the afternoon you can visit the Matang Wildlife Sanctuary, which is just up the road. Buses go right by the park, and it's easy to find a minibus in Kuching bound for Matang which can drop you off at Kubah.

If you follow this itinerary you should have some time to explore Kuching, which is a beautiful and charming town. And if you are interested in learning more about these or any of the other parks of Sarawak, you can visit www.sarawakforestry.com, or browse through a copy of The National Parks of Sarawak, a comprehensive guide book by Hans Hazebroek and Abang Kashim bin Abang Morshidi with beautiful pictures and information about the flora, fauna, geology, and geography of the parks.

The parks in Sarawak have recently been privatized and are now under the direction of the Sarawak Forestry Corporation, a public company. Previously the parks were under the management of the Sarawak Forestry Department. Since the 2003 realignment, the SFD still is responsible for legislation, research, and gazetting new parks. However, day-to-day management has been taken up by the SFC, which has instituted a more business-like atmosphere which seeks to increase efficiency.

Great workers

Managers and staff have incentives to increase "output", with bonuses being awarded at the end of the year, based on performance reviews. From what I could see it looked as though the parks had undergone some recent cosmetic changes; it remains to be seen if privatisation can really contribute to actual environmental conservation. Privatisation is being considered as a management alternative in more and more park systems for economic reasons, and this is probably due in part to the failure of conventional economic calculations to adequately value the contributions that national parks and protected areas make to society.

While the benefit of nature areas as "green-lungs" is periodically brought up in the press when environmental degradation serves political ends, the value of parks goes much deeper, and comprehensive analyses have repeatedly demonstrated that parks, when properly managed, are far more valuable than alternative uses, such as timber harvesting or plantation agriculture.

The problem in many countries, however, and Malaysia is no exception, is that benefits from unsustainable forest exploitation usually accrue to a few well-connected individuals. Examples include the cozy relationship between logger and politicians in Sarawak and the alleged improprieties committed by former PAS chief Asri Muda and his cohorts in Kelantan. The benefits of conservation, on the other hand, are shared by everyone equally.

In their seminal work The Economics of Protected Areas, A. Dixon and Paul Sherman explain the benefits and try to quantify some of them. In addition to recreation and tourism, they explain the benefits of parks for watershed protection, which includes erosion control and streamflow regulation. Loss of forest cover harms water systems because the trees hold soil in place. When the trees are removed, the soil flows into rivers, raising the water level and harming fish habitats. More disastrous consequences include landslides.

The future is here

The authors also describe the long-term benefits of forests, including global life support and cleansing of air and water. There are also undetermined values, including the future value of the genetic diversity found in forests. The economic value of medicinal plants is largely untapped as well. According to one study, Malaysia is home to over 4000 plant products with known medicinal properties, more than 3 times the number found in the Amazon basin.

Parks also have substantial indirect economic impacts. For example, while the annual revenues from entry-fees and other direct charges at Bako park are around RM500,000, businesses in Kampung Bako, such as the boat operators that ferry visitors to and from the park earn an additional RM1.5 million annually. This is money that doesn't show up in the bottom line of official park accounting.

The benefit for school-age children is that visiting parks affords an opportunity to see applied science. Typical parks include conservation experts and other biologists, and their expertise can supplement what children learn in school about the environment, botany, and forestry. Furthermore, several of the parks protect water catchment areas, and so youngsters can learn the practical values of parks, and can actually visualize threats to the parks.

As one researcher points out, "Environmentally responsible behavior also depends to a great extent on a capacity to understand basic scientific issues, such as the greenhouse effect or the ecological role of forests. Lacking this, it is harder to grasp the link between fossil fuels burning and climate change or between tree cutting and the incidence of flooding or the loss of biological diversity." Studies have shown that students that actually visit parks have more positive attitudes towards parks and conservation than those that don't.

So take some time off. You know you deserve it. It's been over a month since Chinese New Year. As the unfolding fiasco in Bukit Cahaya demonstrates, it's a good time to go out and explore the abundant natural wealth Malaysia has been blessed with before they are all gone. You'll have a great time, and when you get back you can lobby your leaders to create more national parks.

KEITH BETTINGER spent way too much time in the Sarawak. A Fulbright scholar, Keith is always up for an adventure. He may consider becoming a spokesperson for Tourism Malaysia. Contact him at kisu1492@hotmail.com.