About
Kenyir For Life consists of several different project partners each covering different components of the park's management and protection — coordinating different conservation activities, engaging local communities, and monitoring biodiversity to ensure the total protection of the area.
This watershed is rich in biodiversity, harbouring at least 44 mammal species and more than 290 bird species. It provides local communities important ecosystem services such as the provision of drinking water, flood mitigation, erosion control, pollination, seed dispersal, and the sustenance of fisheries resources.
Yet it faces a significant and persisting poaching threat from local and foreign syndicates, which past and ongoing anti-poaching efforts are addressing with site security.
Yet it faces a significant and persisting poaching threat from local and foreign syndicates, which past and ongoing anti-poaching efforts are addressing with site security.
While Terengganu State Government and Rimba worked to successfully protect part of the watershed as Kenyir State Park, many other forested areas there are still earmarked for development. To mitigate climate change, there is an urgent need to prevent further forest conversion, not just for wildlife, but to sustain the livelihoods of people in Terengganu.
Kenyir Lake and its catchment area are keenly important to the communities of Kampung Basung, and the further villages of Kampung Pasir Dula and Padang Setebu, whose members actively participate in the tourism industry. The area is especially vital to the two Orang Asli communities living near Kenyir State Park, for whom the entire forest landscape comprise their territories of life or ‘kawasan kehidupan’ where they actively hunt, fish, gather forest produce, and still have important traditional or cultural areas.
KFL aims to improve the sustainable use of forests and increase forest stewardship by the local communities by increasing capacity for engagement, strengthening forest governance and management, as well as uplifting livelihoods through skills enhancement, improve access to finance and provide job opportunities.
KFL aims to improve the sustainable use of forests and increase forest stewardship by the local communities by increasing capacity for engagement, strengthening forest governance and management, as well as uplifting livelihoods through skills enhancement, improve access to finance and provide job opportunities.
We need to develop alternative mechanisms to help protect the entire Kenyir watershed 'for life', while providing economic incentives to the state government. Protecting more forests is conditional upon creating sustainable financing mechanisms. The project aims to channel investments to achieve four main outcomes:
Biodiversity conservation
Improved management of the Kenyir State Park
Climate
change
mitigation
Local community empowerment and education
