Forest Biodiversity of Bintang Hijau

The Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia and the Forestry Department Perak organized a scientific expedition to Bintang Hijau Forest Reserves from 17-22 December 2006. More than 175 researchers and their students/assistants from local universities, research institutes, NGOs, including officers from government departments participated in it. The expedition areas covered include the Bintang Hijau Virgin Jungle Reserve, Ulu Kenas Recreational Forest, Lata Kekabu Recreational Forest and Gunung Bubu Forest Reserve (18,213 ha). The latter locality which represents the hill dipterocarp forests has its highest point Gunung Bubu (1657 m above sea level) which had been explored by many Europeans naturalists in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Bintang Hijau Forest Reserve which covers about 119,143 ha had been gazetted in 1925
Many significant findings on the flora and fauna were made during the 5-day expedition which was highlighted at the seminar on 10-11 December 2007 at Damai Laut Spa and Country Resort, Lumut. One of the most significant discoveries was that of a new record of the magnificient Rafflesia, R. hasseltii. To-date, there are only three species of Rafflesia found in Peninsular Malaysia, namely R. cantleyi Solm-Laubach., R. kerri Meijer and the latest discovery at Sungai Halong, Temenggor Forest Reserve, R. azlanii Latiff & Wong. The species R. hasseltii Suringar was described from Liki and Lompatan Andjing, Sumatera in 1880. It is a species whose flower measures 35-50 cm diameter, perigone lobes 14-17 cm wide and 10-13 cm long, with 5 snow-like whitish blots across and the blots are extremely larger than those of the other Peninsular Malaysian species. In the early 1900’s, both Ridley and Corner lamented on the occurrence of this species in Perak but no evidence surfaced until recently. What both Ridley and Meijer called R. hasseltii is most likely R. cantleyi. Apparently, Gunung Bubu area is also the type locality for R. cantleyi.
Its discovery has two scientific significance. Firstly, it extends the geographical distribution of the species from Sumatera to Peninsular Malaysia, and secondly, it proved a century old assumptions of Ridley and Corner that the species occurs in Perak, Peninsular Malaysia. This makes the conservation of Gunung Bubu Forest Reserve and the areas in the Bintang Hijau Range more valuable for biodiversity of Rafflesia and also the flora on the whole.