FB Cover page featuring Kambatik Park - July 2013

4 July'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

5 July'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

6 July'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

7 July'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

7 July'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

FB Cover design featuring Kambatik Park - June 2013

25 June'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

25 June'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

27 June'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

27 June'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

28 June'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

30 June'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

30 June'13 - Kambatik Park FB cover

A new year, renewed hope

Musa hirta- variously called as Pisang Hutan (Malay); Pisang Lengki/Kera/Gentu (Iban); Pisang Giang (Bidayuh)
Location:  Botanic Island One

 The first day of the new year and has been drizzling since dawn till about 10 am.  I took the first opportunity to have a walkabout with an umbrella and a camera.  Surprise is too mild a word.  Feeling exuberated, full of jubilations I came across the 'Monkey Banana' which is what the Ibans call the wild banana Musa hirta.  It has survived many fortunes of the jungle.  There on the jungle floor it managed to keep itself alive, next to a dead trunk.  It is a good sign for the new year, giving me much renewed hope.  The wild orchids especially the Bamboo orchid (Arundina graminifolia) seemed to enjoy the environment and over the past year has multiplied in numbers, without a care of the world.  The many little birds that are born in the park and calling it home came out early to enjoy the nectar of the heliconia plants.  Chief among them is the Little Spiderhunter.  Her bill was made to fit nicely into the orange bracts of the heliconia inflorescence thus empowering it to enjoy nature's bounty, even in flight.  Climbing up the steep Cempedak Hill, I notice the bee-like social wasps have constructed a pretty looking nest hanging from a branch of the Cempedak tree ( Artocarpus integer).  Coming close to the nest I could sense they were slightly agitated by the clicking of my camera and my umbrella.  A few came out of the entrance of the nest and with abdomens erect were ready to give me a sting if I moved in closer.  I gave up.  I don't want to end my first day of 2015 in bed.  Be safe, be happy, be kind and compassionate for 2015.

Bamboo orchid - Arundina graminifolia

Enjoying nature's bounty even in flight - Little Spiderhunter

Like the bees we are winged insects (or wasps) , forever bringing home knowledge and learning.  Home is where the heart is.
"We, men of knowledge are unknown to ourselves." ...who says so?

View of lowland dipterocarp forest preserved at the park
Location : Zone B

Oil palm trees in mixed planting to add to existing bio-diversity and produce income to help fund conservation activities at the park.

A truly wild-type of Rambutan tree, as part of the gene pool at the park.

Ecomarketing the Kambatik Park 2015

 The year is coming to a close and I'm thinking of what to do for the Kambatik Park next year.  For one thing it took me a good 3 years already to develop the eco-farm into a nature park.  I have created awareness of the park since last year with continuous blog postings (2013=150 ; 2014= 292 as to date).  So I think the next level is to do some serious ecomarketing of the park.  Marketing is an interesting topic because it enables me to understand what business I'm in (value proposition) by looking inside out (organisational effectiveness) and outside in (customers needs and benefits they buy).  My business value proposition in simple words,  I'm in the business of oil palm farming the ecoway.  But business is again a much misunderstood concept.  The western industrial economics tradition have pushed profits as the main motive.  Though environmental economics come into play, its position as an appendage to industrial economics has its limitations and resulted in ways that are not nature-centric and anthropogenic.  To me business is a social being and also a natural being entity.  This is the perspective or model that I would try to market next year.  Why I have come to this position is because of the variety of ecological experience I had at Kambatik Park.  But more than that , I would like to infuse the aesthetics of living a beautiful life in the Kambatik model of oil palm farming.  This would then answer the questions that always bugs me - how does ecomarketing meet the social needs of my customers (value and benefits they buy) , my needs of an unique individual (self-actualisation values) and the the natural ecosystems needs, per se and the oil palm business it derives sustenance from.  It looks like it's gonna be a real adventure in life next year.  Looking forward to 2015!

Motivation behind Kambatik Park

Checkout why I am determined to make the Kambatik Park a success by following this link..>>>http://bintulub4now.blogspot.com/2014/10/malay-kampungs-in-1957.html

Kambatik Park - an appreciation (Part 2)

The future happens here at the Kambatik Park

Eight years in days and nights of rain, sunshine, humidity and drought have gradually brought the park to its envisioned state.  It has become a sanctuary of wildlife.  A place where work is fun and joy to be.  A lowland dipterocarp forest environmental habitat enhanced with ecological diversity where oil palm farming is well-integrated into the culturally inspired native  agro-forestry practices.  It is here that I learn the meaning of ecopreneurship.  I am not the conventional planter  because I forever aim to  harvest 'green gold' together with a wealth of teeming wildlife every week in a month for the next 20 golden years (economic life of the oil palm trees) and more.   And this is made possible even without any single loan from the banking or financial institution in the development of the park since day one.  It is a fine example of where there is a will there is a way. 

I have answered the question that bugs and begs me. 
What is your contribution to the future, especially its environment and climate?  Is your contribution unique and of consequence?  I am getting ready to handover an environment where nature thrives ecologically and able at the same time to sustain itself commercially.  When all  the mainstream media currently report about  oil palm farming is the prevalence of  monoculture cultivation  and in its wake the destruction of whole forests, my experience has taught the contrary.  At the park oil palm farming is carried out in an eco-friendly manner.  It has passed the acid test of ecological diversity.  It is my hope that the authorities will see the model experimented here as iconic of the contribution of smallholders in the state in their safe practice of oil palm cultivation.  This model can make Sarawak into a destination with the broadest band of park lands and nature reserves  in Malaysia, if only leaders have the political will.

Overview of oil palm and agro-forestry integration - many more golden years ahead...

 This blog is testimonial enough on the practice of oil palm cultivation the eco-way, something that I would be pleased to pass on to my children and grandchildren and lovers of nature for posterity.  The future happens here at the Kambatik Park.

Early morning at the park

 The weather for the last month has been hot and dry. While the last three to four days hasn't seen any rain at the park.  It seems that the drought season is setting in and according to weatherman this year's drought will be quite prolonged, probably till mid March.  An early walkabout at the park saw a huge jungle tree in flowering glory.  The Jering tree threw its maroon flushes.  The earliest bird to sing out a morning melody was the Magpie-robin.

Jungle tree in flowering glory

Jering tree in flushes

Magpie-robin singing out loud

A Tiong country

The Kambatik nature park as a Tiong country...

 The park is a Tiong country.  Developed from a lowland tropical rainforest, the tallest trees that are scattered throughout the park are natural hideouts and perches for these medium-sized birds.  Their favourite home is a tall dead tree located at Zone I, nearby the Licuala trail.   From this tall solitary tree they scout the surrounding countryside and embark on medium-haul flights with their strong wings into the  secondary forests and fruit tree gardens.  They make numerous return trips throughout the day gathering fruits,berries and insects.  There is a hole in the tree they found comfortable enough to become their nest.  Today,  I ventured again to the hill because their calls and whistles brings out the itch and urge in me to be closer to them and to have another photoshoot session with them.  Here are some images taken this morning.

Note the white wing-patch on the primary wings..

Beak is stocky, dark orange and light yellow at its terminal end.

Feet are yellow and clawed. Whole body plumage is  black.

Tiong birds are good at mimicking sounds and so are sometimes to referred as Grackle.

The white wing-patch is clearly seen in flight...

The tree the Tiongs call home, where they found a comfortable nest in the tree-hollow...

The Sambar deer hooves prints

Location : Zone C, along the Eugenia trail, at the foreground is where the hooves prints were located

Last night the sharp and loud barking of the deer broke the cold silence.  This morning I answered its call by checking on the wet areas and muddy sections of the park.  Along the Eugenia trail at Zone C,  I stumbled upon the Sambar deer hooves prints.  They were many and well imprinted in the soft earth. The Sambar deer is a very regular visitor to the park, eating various plants  like young leaves of the tapioca, shrubby dillenia fruits, cempedak leaves .etc. But most of all I think the deers like the park because of its relative safety, the presence of the stream , and the hills that provide relative cover when there is a need to escape from danger.

Littering leaves

A falling leaf....

 Take a leaf from nature. A walk or stroll in the park can be inspiring when one sees a falling leaf.  There are sections in the park where the forest floor or footpath are literally littered with leaves.   These leaves are great mental therapy.  Stepping on them and listening to their rustle makes me feel well at peace with nature.  Fallen leaves are rich at ease.  They decompose and in their wake grew a new garden ecology.  We live once only to die and then leave behind a generation to continue what is left undone.....

View of the park towards the entrance.  Oil palm leaves - good enough for temporary cushion.

Leaves to walk on....

Overtime leaves decompose and help make rich humus..

At Botanic Island Two -  leaves litter are a landscaping element that adds interest and atmosphere to the place..

More leaves cover is better, there is beauty in the litter...

Leaves and a feather....

Fringe of Botanic Island Two

Inside Botanic Island One

Footpath at Botanic Island One