The Bukit Rimbang Baling Wildlife Reserve located in Kampar and Kuantan Sengingi districts, Riau, is preserving 20 waterfalls, with the potential to become ecotourism attractions, Syamsidar, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) spokesperson, stated here, Monday.
“We have explored at least 20 waterfalls in Rimbang Baling. They have the potential to support ecotourism in this area,” he added.
The Bukit Rimbang Baling Wildlife Reserve, spanning an area of 136 thousand hectares, preserves its unique floral diversity, one of them being Rafflesia arnoldii.
“We have found this rare flower twice in the area,” Syamsidar remarked.
According to him, the waterfalls are accessible mostly by canoeing through the Subayang River. The closest waterfall, which is located in the Subayang Rivers inlet, is Batu Dinding Waterfall, in the Tanjung Belit Village, while the Pangkalan Kapas waterfall, at a height of 100 meters, is the highest in the region.
Syamsidar explained that the Kampar District administration will promote the waterfalls as tourism attractions by simultaneously preserving the local wisdom, known as Lubuk Larangan.
“The tradition of Lubuk Larangan forbids people from catching fish in the areas close to the waterfalls during certain seasons,” he said, adding that the other wild animals conserved in this wildlife area are jungle cat, clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), Sumatran golden cat, marble cat, and Sumatran tiger.
