Indigenous Tourism And Conservation Efforts
The narrative surrounding the Orang Asli has often been confined to stereotypical roles such as labourers, craftspeople selling traditional wares or subjects of anthropological studies. However, this narrative is being rewritten among the communities who live in the villages of Tonggang and Makmur, in the upper Kinta basin of Perak. The indigenous communities there have set up an ecotourism space that is run entirely by the community members.
The Kayuh D’Tonggang ecotourism and recreational site was established in 2023 through a partnership project with the Global Environment Centre. The site was created to provide a space for recreational activities and to showcase the community’s natural resources.
The Global Environment Centre, a non-governmental organisation dedicated to working on environmental issues, organised a media trip to the villages late last year. The centre has been working with the community to establish a pilot site to showcase how to plant indigenous plants and trees on eroding slopes to stabilise them. This project was successful in stopping erosion.
To create awareness among the general public, the Global Environment Centre created the River Ranger programme under the River Care Programme, which emphasises water resource management of rivers and river basins. It also involves indigenous youth in looking after the rivers in their villages. The programme has provided work opportunities for the youth in the village, and they do not have to leave to look for a job.
The River Care Programme was established in 1998 to promote and support integrated management of river basins and water resources through nature-based solutions as well as citizen-science approaches. The programme has established 12 river open classrooms as well as educational centres and hubs that have benefited about 15,000 people through education and conservation activities.
The indigenous community in the village of Tonggang has over 30 Orang Asli River Rangers who are youth, ranging from 18 to 30 years old, looking after the cleanliness of the river. The quality of the water has improved since they started monitoring it. The River Ranger programme has given the youth a job opportunity and they can live in the village while monitoring the rivers.