sign in a cave in Laos

24 September 2013

Petition to save Gunung Kanthan, Perak, Malaysia

Petition to save Gua Kanthan and Gunung Kanthan in Perak from quarrying by Lafarge.
 
The hill and cave have very rare flora and fauna, some is found no where else in the world.
 
PLEASE would you sign it - click on the link and go to 'sign the petition'.
 
 
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Also the Indian temple at Gunung Kanthan, Kuil Kanthan Kallumalai Sri Kaliamman, have started their own petition
 
 

19 September 2013

Kanthan and Lafarge media & web reports

The last few months have seen a lot of articles in the press and on websites about Gua Kanthan and Gunung Kanthan, since they are being threatened by quarrying from Lafarge.

Gunung Kanthan is one of the most, if not the most, important limestone hill in Perak, Malaysia, in terms of its biodiversity. It has endemic flora and fauna, some of which is listed on IUCN Red Lists. There are several caves in the hill, the biggest and most important being Gua Kanthan. The area of hill where Gua Kanthan is located is in danger of being quarried by Lafarge. This area is also occupied by cave temples.

Since April 2013 a lot has been published about this. I will list some of those sites here -

Mongabay July 22, 2013
Rare animal species and Buddhist monks in danger of losing their home to cement quarry
Read more at Mongabay .

IUCN Red List for Liphistius kanthan trapdoor spider - listed as critically endangered. 

IUCN Red List for  Paraboea vulpina - listed as vulnerable.

IUCN Red List for Capricornis sumatraensis , the Sumatran serow - listed as vulnerable.

The Sun April 17th 2013 
'Save Kanthan Cave"

The Malay Mail April 18th 2013
'Stop Kanthan Cave rock blasting". [Reprinted on MNS www]

The Sun April 19th 2013 
Conserve ecologically sensitive cave.   [Reprinted on MNS www]

MNS Perak blog 19 Apr 2013
Green Alert: Kanthan Cave ceast to exist

NST 04 July 2013
QUARRYING: Gua Kanthan spider endangered

The Star July 4, 2013
Save endangered Gua Kanthan trapdoor spider 

Sun 04 July 2013
Save the Kanthan spider now

Star 31 Aug 2013
Limestone hills and caves: Dead or alive?

MNS 02 Sept 2013 - [from Star 31 Aug]
Limestone hills and caves: Dead or alive?

NST Business Times  2 Sept 2013,
Lafarge expansion at Kanthan

MIDA e-News 4 Sept 2013 [from NST BT 2 Sept]
Lafarge on expansion drive

Nanyang 6 Sept 2013
Rare species going extinct

The Star  07 Sept 2013
'Do not wipe out Gunung Kanthan'

The Star Property 07 Sept 2013
'Do not wipe out Gunung Kanthan'

AsiaOne [reprinted from Star 07 Sept 2013]
'Do not wipe out Gunung Kanthan'

Malaysian Digest [reprinted from Star 07 Sept 2013]
Lafarge Urged Not To Wipe Out 400 Million Year Old Gunung Kanthan

Wild Singapore [reprinted from Star 07 Sept 2013]
'Do not wipe out Gunung Kanthan'

MNS [reprinted from Star 07 Sept 2013]
Do not wipe out Gunung Kanthan - The Star, 7th September 2013

NST 7 Sept 2013
Protection programme for Gua Kanthan

The Star Business 13 Sept 2013
Sustained demand for cement

The Star 14 Sept 2013
'Mountain must be quarried first'

Ipoh Echo 170, 16-31 July 2013
Liphistius Kanthan Needs to be Saved

Ipoh Echo 173, 1-15 Sept 2013
‘Quarry’s Response to Complaints’

Also posted on Lafarge press coverage, 16 Aug 2013

Lafarge press release , 6 Aug 2013
Preservng [sic] Biodiversity - A Key Component of Kanthan Quarry Scheme


Lafarge Malaysia to set up construction development lab by year-end,
Bernama 13 Aug 2013

Lafarge Malaysia to assist affordable housing growth 13 Aug 2013
World Cement

Lafarge Malaysia to set up construction development lab  
Star Business  14 Aug 2013

Lafarge Malaysia to set up construction development lab
The Edge 14 Aug 3013

Lafarge massive expansion, 2 Sept 2013
Lafarge Embarks On Massive Expansion Plan 

Malaysian Naturalist , Sept 2013
Conservation Management of Limestone Hills in Perak - Gunung Kanthan


China Press - 19 Sept 2013
(Quarry shifts to Zone C: Gunung Kanthan's precious resource threatened)

Sin Chew , 25 Sept 2013
(mining impacts temples. Land Office will take action)

Star , 28 Sept 2013
WWF, MNS asked to join Gunung Kanthan research

MKS [reprinted from Star 28 Sept 2013]
WWF, MNS asked to join Gunung Kanthan research. With comments.

Malaysia Sun [reprinted from Star 28 Sept 2013]
WWF, MNS asked to join Gunung Kanthan research

Sin Chew , 29 Sept 2013 [reprinted from Star 28 Sept 2013]
WWF, MNS asked to join Gunung Kanthan research


Big News Network [reprinted from Star 28 Sept 2013]
WWF, MNS asked to join Gunung Kanthan research


Ipoh Echo No 176, 16-31 Oct 2013
Letter from Lafarge, "Lafarge Malaysia Berhad - Kanthan quarry development".

MNS letter to Lafarge , ' Stop all proposal to quarry the remaining Gunung Kanthan.'
This letter was sent to Lafarge in July, posted on MNS www in Dec.

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Petition by ForceOne to save the cave.

The petition was linked from UK Caving forum  and also the Norwegian cavers forum.

The news was posted on the international site for cavers, CavingNews - 20 Sept,
Spectacular Malaysian Cave in Danger of Being Quarried

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For 2014 I have started a new blog of media reports. See the blog here.

18 September 2013

Lenggong Valley World Heritage Site postcards

The Lenggong Valley in Perak, Malaysia, has recently celebrated it's first anniversary as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

As there seem to be no postcards available, and knowing that people collect cards relating to caves, and World Heritage sites and other themes, I had some printed.

There are 2 designs -

1. The archaeological gallery


2. Gua Teluk Kelawar and replica of Perak Man burial


These cards are now for sale. To order, email me, lizprice@hotmail.com .


© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

17 September 2013

Gunung Kanthan v Lafarge

Over the past 6 months, I have spent a lot of time with emails about Gunung Kanthan, joining those who are trying to save the hill from being quarried by Lafarge.

Gunung Kanthan is home to Gua Kanthan, one of the best caves in Perak, Malaysia and nicknamed as Cathedral Cave because of the huge chamber inside. The cave is also home to a variety of cave fauna. The most important inhabitants are the trapdoors spiders, named after the cave, Liphistius kanthan.
Various letters have been published in the Malaysian papers about saving the spiders and the cave. Also a report on Mongabay. My 2012 blog on Gunung Kanthan.

Gunung Kanthan is also home to other endemic species, such as Paraboea vulpina, a plant belonging to the African Violet family. It houses other endangered species of limestone flora. Two species of snail are endemic to the hill. The elusive serow, or mountain goat, also lives on the hill.

There are also crinoid fossils. One geological report, according to MNS, [I don't know the source] says Gunung Kanthan is older than other limestone hills in the Kinta Valley, at 425-500 myo. However more recent studies show that the hill is actually younger than this.

There are several temples, including cave temples of various religions, around the hill. Locals have established fruit and veg farms as well as fish ponds.

The 1991 MNS conservation report on the Kinta Valley lists Gunung Kanthan as amongst the four most important hills for conservation, based on botanical, geological, zoological and culture/ recreation aspects. Of the hour hills, Gunung Kanthan is the only one important in all four aspects.

Despite all these important reasons for saving the hill, Lafarge seem intent on continuing to quarry the area and have no apparent concern for the endemic flora and fauna. Despite the fact that some of it is listed on IUCN Red List as being critically endangered or endangered, again Lafarge don't seem to care.

Lafarge boast about their preservation of biodiversity etc, but this doesn't seem to apply in Malaysia.