City and Forest

I am a city girl and have lived in one for almost 23 years. There are many differences one can notice between a city and a village.

Firstly there are not many trees and virgin forest in a city except for a few green spaces and recreational parks some of which charge a fee for its use.

Concrete buildings and glass towers radiate heat into the surrounding atmosphere increasing the temperature locally and in part contributing to the effects of global warming and the thinning of the ozone layer.

Pollution caused by the release of toxic gasses from motor vehicles especially during peak hours has resulted in an increase in respiratory illnesses among the city folks.

The overcrowded conditions found in cities have resulted in an increase in criminal activities and human to human conflicts.

As the city grows it required more space or infrastructure like roads, buildings, shopping malls, apartment blocks and others.

These expansion have let to the loss of natural habitats like Rainforest, wetland, riparian (river), mangrove which in turn have resulted in the isolation of species, increase  competition for food and lack of shelter among wildlife. This situation has lead to the weakening of gene pool and ultimately in the loss of biodiversity.

Since coming to Langkawi, I have learned to appreciate the island life and its natural beauty. It is totally different compared to city life.

Langkawi is surrounded by the emerald green waters of the Andaman sea. It is covered with mountain and hills some of which more than 500 million years old. From sandstone to limestone, from slate to granite, Langkawi rich geological history has been recognized by Unesco to be of national and global importance and recently conferred as a Unesco Geopark.

There are plenty of wildlife to be found here including 220 species of birds such as Great Hornbill, Brown Winged Kingfisher, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater, mammals such as Dusky Leaf Langur, Slow Lorris, Black Giant Squirrel and our fabulous flying five- Flying Lemur, Flying Lizard, Flying Frog, Flying Squirrel and Flying Snake.

Join the Junglewalla team and let us unravel the natural wonders of this island archipelago. We are a team of conservationist made up of marine biologist, wildlife photographers, naturalist, wildlife and birding guides. Our tours are educational journeys with a conservation message, we hope to preserve the island’s natural heritage for the many generations to come.

Hidayah Hussein (Daia) – Nature Guide