The Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve in Puchong, commonly known to hikers as Bukit Wawasan or Bukit Puchong, is one of the most precious tracts of remaining lowland dipterocarp forest in the highly urbanized Selangor state. Originally covering 4270 hectares and gazetted as a forest reserve way back in 1906, it has suffered from a series of de-gazettements throughout the years, until it is now only some 1200 hectares. Even this is being reduced as developers continue to quietly eat away at the borders of the reserve. The forest is now totally surrounded by "concrete jungle".
The reserve is leased out to a nearby local university, University Putra Malaysia (UPM) since the 1990s, for 80 years, as a "living laboratory" for students to conduct research. However, its future is far from assured. Another tract of forest towards the north, the Bukit Cherakah forest reserve, has already suffered greatly from surrounding housing development despite being the nation's Agro-Forestry Park, and is rapidly being whittled down to a few hundred hectares from its original 1300 hectares; the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve will likely end up the same way as well.
A typical scenario in Malaysia
The Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve sits on prime real estate land. Developer A will stake his claim on a piece of land bordering the forest and will clear a bit over the border, not just hoping, but counting on lax enforcement and no penalties. Developer B, C, and so on will do the same, until eventually, there will be no more forest left! In Malaysia, forest reserves should be considered "land reserved for future development and/or exploitation". Most forest reserves have long been logged using methods, which are almost similar to clear felling (almost all the trees are chopped down). Ultimately, these reserves get completely de-gazetted and chopped down to allow for "development".
At times, the canopy at Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve can be most impressive.
The facts
The Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve is classified as a lowland dipterocarp forest of the Kelat-Kedondong type, with a lesser number of dipterocarps per hectare, and more individuals of the Kelat (Eugenia species) and Kedondong (Canarium species) in contrast to other dipterocarp forests elsewhere in Malaysia. This forest used to cover much of Cyberjaya and Putrajaya as well, but as you know, all of it has been turned into oil palm plantations or built-up land, since.
The forest's character and the underlying geology appear to be quite unique relatively, but you will have to be a seasoned jungle explorer to understand why this is the case. Although the forest has been logged in the past (1970s), it still manages to retain a great deal of its original rainforest character within this small area.
Surprisingly, Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve still contains a largely untouched river basin as the remaining water catchment area is somewhat enclosed by the surrounding hills and have not (yet) suffered great disturbance. These streams are perhaps the strongest testament to the conservation value of the Ayer Hitam Forest. They are crystal clear and teeming with aquatic life like fishes, shrimp, crabs, algae, and specialized flora.
The riparian flora is unique, quite unlike most other rivers and waterfalls throughout Selangor. In fact, they remind us more of the streams and rivers in Johor (Endau Rompin being an example) and Borneo. The rocks are not the typical granite boulders, but seem to be sandstone, forming slow moving streams with deep pools, white sand banks, and small delightful (terraced) waterfalls throughout their length. Where else in the state of Selangor can you find such streams and waterfalls?
The riverine flora is dominated by the elegant Dipteris lobbiana, and a grass-like rheophyte. Three main rivers drain the reserve; The Rasau, Biring, and Nasih rivers. However, the Nasih and Biring river have been severely compromised by land development. What remains of the remaining streams in the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve will disappear forever, if greed has its way and their catchments are destroyed by further development.
A highlight of the forest is the "Blue Lagoon", a pool along the Rasau river with a small waterfall feeding into it. The pool may be small and seemingly shallow; however, it is 13 meters deep at the end below the waterfall and is filled with tree trunks! Its colour also changes according to the weather. During rainy seasons the water will turn a bluish-turquoise colour, while during the dry season, the water is yellowish-emerald in colour.
The Temuan orang asli who have lived in the area for the past 400 years have a tale to tell of this waterfall. It is said that there was once a man who dived into the deep end of the pool, but he did not come out alive. What floated to the surface instead were just his intestines.
The highest peak in the reserve is a hill with twin peaks at an altitude of 233 meters above sea level. Most of the reserve sits on hilly terrain, but the best part of the forest reserve is on an upland plateau that can be quite flat in many places. This is also, where the best quality forest in the reserve remains.
There are a few trees over 60-70 cm in diameter, but next to no trees over 1 meter in diameter. This is normal for logged-over forests. There are a few trees that still stand around 40 meters in height, left-overs from past logging, but most of the tallest trees are no more than 35 meters tall or less.
In terms of tree diversity, Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve has one of the lowest figures for any tropical rainforest in Malaysia (less than a third of normal tree diversity). Plant life is much more interesting, with some very rare species of small plants and herbs found here. The palm undergrowth is beautiful and diverse, with Eugeisonna, Oncosperma and Licuala species being fairly abundant.
Wildlife appears to be rare in the forest, and it is strangely quiet most of the time. According to the aborigines (orang asli), tapirs, tigers and panthers used to live in the forest. Hunting pressure from the nearby residential areas would have wiped out most of the larger wildlife a long time ago. Small mammals that still survive in the forest include leaf monkeys, macaques, a few gibbons, slow loris, wild boar, various rodents and possibly a few mouse deer. Birdlife also has declined in conjunction with the surrounding development, according to UPM staff. There used to be Argus pheasants in the forest even as recent as the 1990s, but not anymore. Meanwhile, the herpetofauna (reptiles, amphibians) and insect life is still rich and diverse.
The "Blue Lagoon" is not always blue!
Bluish-turquoise during the rainy season, yellowish-emerald during the dry season.
The Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve today
These days, nearby residents throng the forest reserve every day, especially on weekends, simply to do their exercise. This "traffic load" has been increasing in recent years. The heavy traffic has resulted in very eroded and at times wide jungle paths, which of course, will negatively impact the immediate environment alongside the trails to some extent. Trash and litter are also being left behind as a "side effect" of human traffic.
UPM has understandably been alarmed by the adverse impact of visitors and in recent years, has had episodes of closing off the forest to the general public, only to relent after some noise from the public. Currently, access to the river basin is restricted. Officially, only a certain portion of the main trail loop is open to hikers, but warning signs restricting access to the remainder are largely ignored due to lack of enforcement. In fact, UPM only guards the southern entrance to the forest; entry via this route is usually denied and hikers trying to leave the forest this way can most certainly expect a heavy fine.
The best way to ensure this forest remains for the generations to come is to come up with a concrete long-term management plan, and perhaps turn this entire forest reserve into a state park and/or research-educational park of Selangor with managed zones of differing priority. UPM does not have the resources to police the borders of the forest reserve, and each time a housing development happens next to the border of the reserve, at least a few hectares of forest will be destroyed (and it's likely some developers conveniently dump their construction trash inside the forest, out of sight).
Development dramatically increases the mortality rate of all the trees at the fringe while frequently silting up nearby ephemeral streams, resulting in small ponds with dying trees. You can see this effect at any forest area located near housing areas (e.g. Bukit Cherakah and Kota Damansara). Many forest trees at the fringe are not adapted to live in a changed environment and will die, over time.
The surrounding "creeping" encroachment from all sides is likely the biggest threat to the integrity of the Ayer Hitam Forest. In the past, there have been proposals to turn part of the place into a cemetery, and at one point, a part of it was used as a waste garbage dump for the entire state (Ayer Hitam Landfill). The biggest threat are the housing projects that have already been carving up ALL the forest areas fringing the Klang Valley. People take for granted the forest will be around forever. Unfortunately, it will not!
Without concrete and determined conservation plans, the fragile environment of this forest will continue to be degraded continuously, until one day, there is nothing of value left. It is not easy to be optimistic because as long as human civilization continuously values money and materialism over everything else, they will eventually end up destroying the very home they live in. This lowland forest is one of the last green lungs in the Klang Valley with a relatively intact structure, and with some luck it shall remain so for a long time to come.
With a depth of 13 meters, the pool at the "Blue Lagoon" is VERY deep and dangerous!
Do not underestimate the danger, several people have drowned here!
Advice
The rating for this hill: 6.3-8.3 (A) - Easy > Moderate.
There are several trails, but none too difficult. If you are a seasoned hiker, each trail is doable within an hour, or an hour and a half. Note however, that the given time-frame does not necessarily apply if you are not used to hiking and on the given route it might easily double! Be sure to allocate enough time to get to the cache and back before dark! It is highly recommended you bring a bottle of water, and if you enter by yourself, be sure someone knows where you are, a cell signal may not always be obtainable on this terrain.
With next to no leeches and few mosquitoes, the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve is a pleasant forest to explore. In fact, neither one has been encountered while placing the cache. Enjoy!
Credits
Original source: Rainforestjournal.com
Adaptation: Barnyard Dawg
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