‘Eco-tourism has made our lives and the environment better’

"Tourism in Ulu Geroh started in the late 90s, when some researchers from Malaysia Nature Society visited us and explained that the presence of the Rafflesia flower could turn Ulu Geroh into a tourism attraction and provide an additional source of income. We villagers had a meeting and subsequently formed SEMAI. The acronym is not only the name of our tribe; its meaning reflects our eco-friendly lifestyle and philosophy.

In the early 2000s, I got involved in eco-tourism activities as a guide. Ulu Geroh has one of the highest concentrations of Rafflesia in the world, as well as the Rajah Brooke birdwing butterfly, so these are our top two tourism products. 

When we have big groups, I bring in guides from other villages to help out. The biggest group we’ve handled so far consisted of 130 people from China – I had to hire 30 guides to take them on the trails!

Daytrippers usually come just to see the Rafflesia flower, but we started offering homestays after a corporate sponsor funded the construction of chalets in Kampung Batu, where the original Rafflesia trail started. You can learn from my fellow villagers how to do weaving from coconut leaves, set up simple animal traps, cook using woodfire and bamboo stems. These activities are not just for show, but things we still practise every day. When a visitor opts for these activities, my people also get to work and earn.

Other than provide an additional source of income, eco-tourism has enabled us to have a stronger voice to oppose activities that are harmful to the community, such as illegal logging. Overlogging will destroy our precious natural resources, from dirtying the river to clearing our forests. For the Semai, the consequences are especially devastating because the jungle is our primary source of livelihood. Our diet consists of fish that we catch from the river, petai and ferns from the forest, and we rely rotan and bamboo to build our houses.

Some years ago, together with our friends from Gopeng such as MyGopeng Resort, Nomad Adventure, etc, we submitted a petition to the authorities to stop illegal logging activities, and happily, we succeeded. That is the best thing about eco-tourism: it has brought the community in Ulu Geroh closer, and made our environment a better place.

Read more about SEMAI and Ulu Geroh

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