sign in a cave in Laos

4 July 2013

Liphistius kanthan trapdoor spider letters

In April 2013 I heard about the possible destruction of Gua Kanthan in June 2013. It seems that the quarry company, Lafarge Malaysia Berhad had asked the people living and farming in the area to move out.

Gua Kanthan is the largest known cave in Gunung Kanthan, which is near Chemor, north of Ipoh, in Perak, Malaysia. Many parts of the hill have already been quarried.

I was concerned both about the cave and its most important inhabitant, Liphistius kanthan. This trapdoor spider is endemic to the cave and is found nowhere else in the world. As with all the Malaysian Liphistius species, it is protected under the 2012 amendment of the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Bill.

On 2 July 2013 the spider was listed on the IUCN Red List as "critically endangered".

On 4 July I had letters published in the Malaysian newspapers :

The Sun Daily

Save the Kanthan spider now

Many parts of the hill are already being quarried and now there is a threat to the area of the hill with the cave.
Gua Kanthan is a spectacular river cave, nicknamed "The Cathedral" due to its large size. It is also home to an endemic trapdoor spider which is found nowhere else in the world.
Liphistius kanthan has now been listed as critically endangered on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) Red List. Critically Endangered is highest risk category assigned by the IUCN Red List for wild species. The next level is Extinct.
Liphistius kanthan is also included on the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Bill (2012 amendment) as a protected species. Thus, all the Malaysian Liphistius are protected.
Let's hope that Lafarge is aware of this and will preserve the cave.
According to its website: "As a Group, we are committed to protecting in four main fronts: stop climate change; preservation of biodiversity; conservation of natural resources; and to develop innovative approaches that promote a better respect for the environment."
Liz Price
Kuala Lumpur

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NST

QUARRYING: Gua Kanthan spider endangered

I N April, the media published news about saving Gua Kanthan, which is in Gunung Kanthan, Perak.

This limestone cave is in danger of being quarried by Lafarge Malaysia Bhd.
Many parts of the hill are being quarried and now, there is a threat to the area of the hill that contains Gua Kanthan.
On May 5 last year, NST published an article, "Ipoh council to protect limestone hills", and Gunung Kanthan was one of the hills mentioned.
Gua Kanthan is a spectacular river cave, nicknamed "The Cathedral" because of its large size.
It is also home to an endemic trapdoor spider found nowhere else in the world.
This spider, Liphistius kanthan, has now been listed as critically endangered on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List.
Critically endangered is the highest level of danger for living creatures. The next level is extinct.
Liphistius kanthan is also included in the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Bill (2012 amendment) as a protected species.
In fact, all the Malaysian Liphistius are protected, as well as their habitats.
Let us hope that the company quarrying the area is aware of this and will preserve the cave.
According to its website, it said: "As a group, we are committed to protecting in four main fronts: stop climate change; preservation of biodiversity; conservation of natural resources; and to develop innovative approaches that promote a better respect for the environment."
Let us hold them to that.

Liz Price, Kuala Lumpur


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The Star (which was the most censored/edited!!!)

Save endangered Gua Kanthan trapdoor spider


IN April there were media reports about “saving” Gua Kanthan in Perak.
Several parts of a limestone hill near Gua Kanthan are used as a quarry and now there are concerns that the area within the cave would be added to the existing quarry site.
Gua Kanthan is a spectacular river cave, nicknamed “The Cathedral” due to its large size.
It is also home to an endemic trapdoor spider which is found nowhere else in the world.
This spider, Liphistius kanthan, has now been listed as critically endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List.
Critically endangered is the highest level of danger for living creatures. The next level is extinct.
Liphistius kanthan is also included in the Malaysian Wildlife Conservation Bill (2012 Amendment) as a protected species. In fact, all Malaysian Liphistius are protected.
We hope the quarry company at Gua Kanthan is aware about the rare trapdoor spider and will preserve the cave.

LIZ PRICE
Kuala Lumpur

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Let's hope Lafarge take note that the spider is critically endangered and is a protected species.

 

See  more on Lafarge.        

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

         

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