Renewed activity to save Gunung Kanthan

I haven't seen any media reports on trying to save Gunung Kanthan since 2024. Then in August 2026 campaigners had a few articles published.

Malaysiakini 11 Aug 2026 "Century-old monastery in PM's backyard faces demolition, monks appeal to Anwar".

Says.com 12 Aug "Monks Appeal To PM Anwar To Save Century-Old Monastery In Perak Cave From Demolition

FMT 14 Aug "Groups renew call to save Gunung Kanthan from quarrying". The photo in the article shows the shocking destruction of the hill, And the quarrying seems to be so close to the Sakyamuni monastery.

Ipoh Echo 14 Aug "NGOs urge state authorities to preserve Gunung Kanthan". 

Malaysiakini 14 Aug "Protect Gunung Kanthan's unique biodiversity, NGOs urge Perak govt". 

Malaysiakini 18 Aug "'Not just a monastery', says head monk of Tambun spiritual site facing demolition".

Malaysiakini 18 Aug " ‘Ini Tuhan kasi’ - kenapa sukar buat sami pindah dari Gunung Kanthan / 'This is God's gift' - why it's difficult for monks to move from Mount Kanthan".

Malaysiakini 20 Aug "Comment | Gunung Kanthan: Facts behind the recent news".

The Malay Mail 18 August  "How much of Malaysia must we destroy before we call it heritage? — Khoo Ying Hooi". The articles talks about general heritage but specifically mentions the Sakyamuni Caves Monastery at Gunung Kanthan. It says : "The controversy surrounding the century-old Sakyamuni Caves Monastery at Gunung Kanthan in Perak is not simply about one religious site. Rather, it is about the way we repeatedly reduce heritage to a dispute over land ownership, quarrying rights, development plans and economic value, as though history itself is somehow less significant because it cannot be calculated in ringgit per square foot.

The monastery has existed there for generations, while the limestone hill itself carries geological and ecological significance that predates the Malaysian state by an unimaginable span of time. It is a place where religious practice, community memory, biodiversity and local history meet. Yet here we are again, debating how much of it can be sacrificed in the name of development."

It goes on to talk about other sites that are being lost. It goes on to say :

"Gunung Kanthan makes the issue even more serious because some destruction cannot be disguised as redevelopment and later repaired. Limestone formations created over millions of years do not grow back. Rare ecosystems do not reappear because we suddenly discover their value after quarrying is completed. A century of spiritual life connected to a particular cave cannot simply be moved somewhere else. Places accumulate memory through time. Their meaning comes partly from being where they are."

Gunung Kanthan monastery petition video

 Gunung Kanthan's Last Defence : Save the Monastery, Save Gunung Kanthan (For Petition).

The video has been reloaded on youtube and can be seen here.

Kanthan Sakyamuni Caves Monastery & other cave temples protection

Some months after the change.org petition to save the Sakyamuni Caves Monastery at Gunung Kanthan, there is finally some good news. This applies not only to the Kanthan monastery, but also to other cave temples and religious sites in general.

On 27 January 2024, change.org issued an update "A Commitment to Protecting Sacred Sites: Prime Minister's Pledge to Safeguard Religious Monasteries".

There is a link to this Facebook page -

And this leads to the next link -

It is encouraging news. Let's see what happens as a result.

There was a further update on 21 Feb in FMT "Century-old monastery seeks to nullify company’s land lease extension". This was also shown on change.org on 22 Feb "LATEST FMT NEWS : Century-old monastery seeks to nullify company’s land lease extension". 

The Edge 28 Feb "Old Perak monastery fails to set aside APMC's eviction notice".

Change.org update 28 Feb "Sakyamuni Caves Monastery Gunung Kanthan" . Latest news : The Edge.

Meanwhile The Star 28 Feb had this article about cave temples in Perak - "Limestone cave temples to stay, says Perak exco".

Gunung Kanthan cave monastery in danger from destruction 2023

It looks like the Dhamma Sakyamuni Caves Monastery at Gunung Kanthan, Perak is in danger again. The Court of Appeal’s recent decision means the likely forced eviction of the occupants of the monastery. The Court has made a unanimous decision in favour of Associated Pan Malayan Cement (APMC), a subsidiary of YTL, in a land dispute case under Order 89, against the Malaysia Dhamma Sakyamuni Monastery. APMC won its appeal after the company sought a High Court order in Ipoh in January 2022.

Once again there could be imminent destruction of the century-old monastery and also the Gunung Kanthan unique distinctive karst landscape, as well as the endemic flora and fauna.

On 13 Sept 2023, Badan Warisan issued a media statement about their concern on the Court of Appeal’s decision involving the forced eviction of the occupants of Dhamma Sakyamuni Monastery at Gunung Kanthan, north of Ipoh in Perak. See the statement.

There is also a petition "Save Sakyamuni Caves Monastery, Save Gunung Kanthan ", which needs as many signatures as possible.

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Media reports :

FMT 8 Sept Cement company wins appeal to evict century-old Perak monastery

NST 9 Sept 100-year-old Buddhist monastery in Perak faces eviction after losing court battle

NST 12 Sept Preserved by a century old monastery, five-million-year-old limestone hill may now make way for cement factory

NST 12 Sept Abbot of century-old Buddhist monastery expresses disappointment over court eviction 

NST 15 Sept Abbot of century-old Perak Buddhist monastery not moving out, will continue fight

NST 16 Sept SAM disappointed over court decision to evict Buddhist monastery in Gunung Kanthan

FMT 17 Sept Perak govt sets up panel to study eviction of century-old monastery

NST 17 Sept Special committee to study Gunung Kanthan monastery issue

Star 17 Sept Committee formed to look into Dhamma Sakyamuni Caves Monastery, says Perak MB

Astro Awani video on youtube 18 Sept Consider This: Gunung Kanthan — Perak’s Quarrying Dilemma

Star 18 Sept Kanthan land dispute case to be mediated by state govt

FMT 26 Sept We’re not budging from cave monastery, says abbot

SUN 1 Nov Research work on tropical limestone karst landscapes to protect Malaysia’s unique heritage

Star 1 Nov Research on tropical limestone karst aims to protect Malaysia's unique heritage

Gunung Kanthan media updates 2021

 This is an ongoing list of media reports about the quarrying of Gunung Kanthan in Perak, Malaysia. The earlier blogs are 2013 ,  2014 , 2015 , and 2016-2020.

Gunung Kanthan is being quarried by Lafarge Msia, who changed its name to Malayan Cement in 2019. And YTL acquired Lafarge Msia stake. But YTL still calls Kanthan the Associated Pan Malaysia Cement (APMC) Kanthan Quarry.

Reports from 2021 :

Ipoh Echo , 12 Jan 
Appeal to Preserve Monastery in Gunung Kanthan [this was removed by the 14th]

Perak China Press , 13 Jan
Hundred-year "Sakyamuni Sacred Rock" hopes that the government approves it to stay in the original site

Perak China Press , 14 Jan
There is a potential risk of falling rocks in the Gongqiaoshan [Arch Bridge Mountain]
This included a media statement from Pan Malaysia Cement in English entitled “A tragedy waiting to happen – monastery built on volatile structure prone to limestone fall”.

Flora & Fauna International , 25 Jan
Mention of Kanthan trapdoor spider.

Sinar Harian , 5 Feb
Wartakan kawasan hutan batu kapur (Gazette the limestone forest area)
Gua Khantan, Chemor, has a spider habitat, namely Liphistius khantan, which is placed on the red list when the species is not found anywhere in the world.

Several videos on Youtube , 25 Apr
Published by the  Sakyamuni Caves Monastery :

Gunung Kanthan: Saving Sacred Gunung Kanthan, Beauty with Treasure
Gunung Kanthan expedition
Gunung Kanthan: 100 Years History of Sakyamuni Caves Monastery
Gunung Kanthan: Save 100-Year Sakyamuni Caves Monastery

YTL/APMC took the Sakyamuni Caves Monastery to court on 1 Apr but as the monks didn't have a lawyer, they were granted an extension until 17 May. It seems that area C will be blasted, leaving just area D, where Gua Kanthan is -

Bernama , 26 May 2021

Perak state authorities urged to conserve two Kinta geosites

The Star , 27 May 2021

"NGOs urge Perak govt to fully commit towards preservation of two geoparks in Kinta Valley"

The Sun . 27 May 2021

"Perak state authorities urged to conserve two Kinta Geosites"

The Vibes , 31 May 2021

Century-old Sakyamuni Cave Monastery faces eviction.

This is a particularly good article as it details court orders and some history of past eviction notices etc.

The Vibes , 1 June 2021

"Money over heritage: Sakyamuni eviction threatens natural treasure, says preservationist!

The Vibes , 2 June 2021

"Sakyamuni reveals one-of-a-kind golden Buddha statue as it faces eviction"

Malaysiakini , 5 June 2021

Kuari Gunung Kanthan: Tiada syarikat dapat kontrak baru - Exco Perak (Gunung Kanthan Quarry: No company gets new contract - Perak Exco)

The Star , 5 June 2021

More tourism activities planned for geoparks in Perak, says state govt

The Vibes , 5 June 2021

Perak exco rubbishes claim on new Gunung Kanthan quarrying contracts

The Vibes , 5 June 2021

YTL subsidiary assures Gua Kanthan protection, says awarded lease in 1960

Bernama , 5 June 2021

No new contract for quarry activities at Gunung Kanthan - Perak Exco 

The Sun , 5 June 2021

"More tourism activities planned for geoparks in Perak, says state govt"

The Sun , 6 June 2021

"Move to boost tourism at geoparks in Kinta district"

Bernama , 6 June 2021

Perak planning various tourism programmes for Kinta Valley Geopark

The Vibes , 8 June 2021

More quarrying will wipe out Gunung Kanthan’s endangered species, cry green groups

The Vibes , 14 June 2021

Quarrying fears at Gunung Kanthan geopark fuel anxiety at yet another cultural site

Getaran , 14 June 2021

Gunung Kanthan, Kenapa Sambung Kontrak Sebelum Dapatkan Ulasan Teknikal? - Gunung Kanthan, why continue the contract before getting technical reviews?

change.org

Save Sakyamuni Caves Monastery, Save Gunung Kanthan

An online petition to save the monastery

The Vibes , 22 June 2021

For or against temples on limestone hills? It’s delicate environmental issue, say experts.

Sin Chew , 28 June 2021

Oriental Daily , 28 June 2021
The government is urged to intervene in the forced relocation of the Sakyamuni Buddha Temple in Gunung Kanthan

Mongabay , 30 June 2021

Monks and wildlife come under pressure from Malaysian cement company

The Star , 5 July 2021

Cave monastery near Chemor fears eviction

The Malaysian Insight , 6 July 2021

Perak’s Gunung Kanthan in danger of being reduced to rubble

Malay Mail , 14 July 2021

Perak MB promises to look into calls to preserve century-old cave temple , monastery on Gunung Kanthan 

The Star , 14 July 2021

Make cave monastery a heritage site, authorities told

The Star , 16 July 2021

MB wants to settle Kanthan cave monastery matter amicably

The Vibes , 19 July 2021

Gunung Kanthan monastery eviction case slowed by NRP restrictions.

The Vibes , 12 Aug 2021

Gunung Kanthan needs govt protection to prevent its exploitation: CAP.

The Star , 13 Aug 2021

Good reasons to preserve Gunung Kanthan (letter)

Malay Mail , 15 Aug 2021

In Kinta Valley National Geopark, century-old cave monastery fighting for its survival as quarrying activities encroach

Sinar Harian , 4 Sept 2021

'Teliti semula kelulusan kegiatan kuari di Perak' (Review the approval of quarry activities in Perak) 

The Star , 4 Sept 2021

Environmental activists want Perak govt not to extend land leases for quarries, mining sites in geoparks

Descent , June/July 2021, 280:19.

Peninsular Malaysia. Quarrying away Gunung Kanthan. 

[Descent is a caving magazine published in the UK]

China Press , 6 Sept 2021

The Neolithic murals in Gua Kanthan are estimated to be 2500 to 4000 years old

Harian Metro , 6 Sept 2021

Lukisan dipercayai beribu tahun ditemukan di Gua Kanthan (Paintings believed to be thousands of years old found in Gua Kanthan)

Berita Harian , 7 Sept 2021

Lukisan gua dianggar berusia 4,000 tahun ditemui

Oriental Daily , 7 Sept 2021

Ancient rock paintings discovered in Gua Kanthan, but most of them are destroyed by modern graffiti

Sin Chew , 7 Sept 2021

Cave paintings - Gua Kanthan, thousand year old beautiful paintings, about 2500 to 4000 years of history

archive.org , Sept 2021

Gunung Kanthan 2500 years to 4000 years Rock Art Found - Sept 2021

The Star , 15 Sept 2021

Studies needed on Gua Kanthan drawings to determine origin

The Star , 10 Nov 2021

Ipoh High Court suggests cement company, cave temple settle eviction out of court

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I will add to this blog as new reports are published.

Gunung Kanthan Sakyamuni monastery cave

An article in the Perak China Press about the ongoing attempts to save the Gua Dhamma Sakyamuni monastery at Gunung Kanthan, Perak. Gunung Kanthan is being quarried and the monastery has little protection. I was invited to visit the monastery and its caves in June 2013 and have been following the progress since. Cave register number Prk 47/09.

The article was published 13 Jan 2021. It is in Chinese, this is the online English translation :

Hundred-year "Sakyamuni Sacred Rock" hopes that the government approves it to stay in the original site

In order to ensure that the "Sacred Rock of Sakyamuni" in Kanthan Mountain's century-old Buddhist temple can be kept on the original site forever, the temple hopes that the government will assist and approve the temple on the premise of maintaining the country's multi-religious, cultural and ethnic harmony. Continue to stay at the original location.

Master Fashan, a representative of the "Sacred Rock of Sakyamuni", said that since the temple has been built for a century and has been supported by many believers at home and abroad, and Kanthan Mountain has a variety of rare species, it is necessary to retain it.

Venerable Fa Shan held a press conference today with the assistance of the director of the Perstate Public Service and Complaints Center of Barisan Nasional Rawai to seek assistance from the Perstate Government.

Master Fa Shan said that as early as 2013 to 2015, someone asked the temple to be relocated, but it was approved by the then state government to keep it on the original site. Unexpectedly, the same thing happened again in December 2020. Therefore, he hopes that the state government can extend its hand. But he declined to give more details.

He said that the temple called on the government to help solve the survival crisis of the temple based on five main reasons. That is, the temple is a centuries-old cave Buddhist holy site, a spiritual sanctuary for thousands of Buddhist monks and believers, and is built in a cave. The Buddha statues are the sacred symbol of Buddhism, the world's unparalleled meditation temple, and the rare animal and plant species that exist in Kanthan Mountain are priceless treasures of the country.

Rawai later pointed out at a press conference that he would assist the "Sakyamuni Rock of Sakyamuni" to reflect its appeal to the Minister of State of Perak, Datuk Sharani, and seek assistance from the state government to keep the temple on its original site.

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There is also a video with the article. 

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Additional articles :

And an article in Ipoh Echo on 12 Jan, "Appeal to preserve monastery in Gunung Kanthan".

Sin Chew 12 Jan "Temple appeals / Sakyamuni sacred rock is facing crisis and hopes the government will keep this holy place forever".

Oriental Daily 12 Jan (in Chinese)

Suaraperak 12 Jan "Pengurusan kuil mohon gua Gunung Kanthan sebagai tempat ibadat penganut Buddha (The management of the temple requests the Gunung Kanthan cave as a place of worship for Buddhists) :
Malaysian management Dhamma Sakyakumi Caves Monastery hopes the cave area on Mount Kanthan, Chemor is recognized as a place of worship for Buddhists.
His representative, Dr. Chiong Sai Tin said, his party has sent an application to the state government and hopes it will be considered.
He said the cave area existed more than 100 years ago and became a place of meditation for thousands of Buddhists.
“In this cave there is a temple that is home to 15 monks.
"This is the second time we have applied to the state government after the first application in 2014," he told reporters here today.
Meanwhile, Perak Barisan Nasional Service and Complaints Center chief Mohd Ravi Abdullah said he would meet with Menteri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad this week to discuss the issue.

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Pan Malaysia Cement began their attack on 14 Jan. They issued a media statement in English entitled “A tragedy waiting to happen – monastery built on volatile structure prone to limestone fall”. This was published in Perak Chinapress on 14 Jan, in an article "There is a potential risk of falling rocks in the Gongqiaoshan [Arch Bridge Mountain]. 

Gunung Kanthan media updates 2016 - 2020

I haven't posted anything on this blog about Gunung Kanthan since 2015 (apart from Tony Whitten's memorial) so thought I should do an update. However I have been putting some news on my Caves of Malaysia wwww : Archives 2020, Archives 2019, Archives 2018 Geopark, and Archives 2016.

11 July 2017, LafargeHolcim published an article, " LafargeHolcim accelerates biodiversity efforts in Southeast Asia". This is a general article, not directly related to Kanthan. 

2017 Lafarge study on snails at Kanthan.

2017 Rimba report on the snail study.

Zookeys report on the snail study.

In 2019 YTL acquired LafargeHolcim’s entire 51% stake in Lafarge Malaysia Bhd and LafargeHolcim exited the Malaysian market.

YTL website published a feature story "Kanthan Biodiversity Initiatives" on 20 Oct 2020. It says "YTL Cement continues to play its role in the biodiversity conservation by developing rehabilitation plans at the Associated Pan Malaysia Cement (APMC) Kanthan Quarry site located in Chemor, Perak.". It sounds good but I wonder if anything is actually being done. 

There is a really nice diagram about Gunung Kanthan, its quarrying, flora and fauna etc on Coogle -

YTL Executive Chairman's Letter to Stakeholders 2020 -
In the section BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION says "YTL Cement and Malayan Cement Berhad have continued to invest in conservation and biodiversity initiatives. These include preserving endemic species of flora and fauna in the limestone reserve of Gunung Kanthan and other karst outcrops.".

Memorial issue to Tony Whitten

Tony Whitten tragically died in a road traffic accident in Dec 2017. In March 2020 the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology produced a memorial issue dedicated to Tony, Supplement No 35. See more on my website.

Tony was very actively involved with trying to protect Gunung Kanthan from quarrying, see this blog. The hill and caves are home to the endemic Liphiustius kanthan.

Some relevant articles in the RBZ special issue :

BROWNE, Stephen (2020) Foreward. RBZ, Supplement No. 35: pp v-vi.
This has an interesting piece about Tony and Liphistius kanthan.

LIEW, Thor-Seng &  CLEMENTS, Gopalasamy Reuben (2020) Whittenia, a new genus of land snails from Perak, Peninsular Malaysia (Gastropoda: Diplommatinidae). RBZ, Supplement No. 35: 143–148.
"This paper proposes a new genus, Whittenia, for a group of irregularly coiled land snail species hitherto placed in the genus Opisthostoma. Whittenia differs from congeners in Diplommatinidae based on both molecular phylogeny and shell morphology. We reassign two previously described species (Opisthostoma vermiculum and O. gittenbergeri) to Whittenia. Both species are endemic to the limestone karsts of Kinta Valley in Perak, Peninsular Malaysia."
This genus is named after Tony Whitten.

ANON (2020) The Tony Whitten conservation prize. RBZ, Supplement No. 35: pp 15–16.
One recipient of a prize was Junn Kitt Foon, for his work on conservation and taxonomy of land snails in Malaysia. Tony had a particular interest in snails.

FOON, Junn Kitt & MOHAMMAD Effendi Marzuki (2020) Two new species of land snails of the genus Rahula from Peninsular Malaysia (Gastropoda: Euconulidae). RBZ, Supplement No. 35: 137–142.
This paper describes 2 new snail species, one of which is named after Tony, Rahula tonywhitteni .

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Malaysian taxa named for Tony Whitten , RBZ, Supplement No. 35: p 9 :

Plectostoma whitteni Liew, Vermeulen, Marzuki, & Schilthuizen, 2014: 63 (a micro-landsnail from
Malaysia)

Rahula tonywhitteni Foon & Marzuki, 2020: 141 (a land snail from Malaysia)


Whittenia Liew & Clements, 2020: 144 (a land snail from Malaysia)

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See more on my website, on Archives 2020.

Study on snails in Perak

Lafarge Malaysia, who are quarrying Gunung Kanthan (see labels), provided a grant to scientists from Rimba and Universiti Malaysia Sabah to study land snails on 12 limestone hills in Perak. See Rimba for more on this.

The results were published in ZooKeys 682 on 4 July 2017, Diversity and biogeography of land snails (Mollusca, Gastropoda) in the limestone hills of Perak, Peninsular Malaysia, by Junn Kitt Foon, Gopalasamy Reuben Clements, Thor-Seng Liew. The results are very interesting, on 12 hills -
"We found 122 species of land snails, of which 34 species were unique to one of the surveyed hills. We identified 30 species that are potentially new to science. The number of land snail species recorded at each hill ranged between 39 and 63 species.".

This is quite exciting, lots of potentially new species.

The study also reveals that "Charopa lafargei which previously presumed as endemic to Gunung Kanthan (Vermeulen and Marzuki 2014), is shown in our study to also occur on the limestone hills at the north of Kinta Valley".

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Over the years I have collected a few snails from limestone areas. This one is common all over Peninsula Malaysia -

Amphidromus atricallosus perakensis (Fulton, 1901)

See more on my blog Some snail shells from Pahang and Perak limestone.

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Gunung Kanthan & Lafarge media reports 2015

For the last 2 years, I have been keeping a record of all the media reports concerning Lafarge quarrying Gunung Kanthan in Perak. I will continue this list in 2015.

See the list for 2014 and 2013.

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The Star , 18 Feb
Expert: Little being done to protect hunted serow

The Star , 5 March
Lafarge’s encroachment into eco-sensitive areas causes alarm

The Star , 7 March
Working to conserve heritage

The Star , 11 March
Working towards biodiversity conservation

The Star , 4 June
Lafarge Kanthan expansion

Cement company blows up limestone hill and renders snail extinct - Guardian

Following my last blog , this piece was also published in  The Guardian , Monday 17 November 2014. I will just post the bits relevant to Malaysia here, click on above link for full article.

Cement company blows up limestone hill and renders snail extinct

Jo Confino

Malaysian snail among hundreds of species to become extinct as a result of fishing, logging, mining, agriculture and other activities to satisfy our growing appetite for resources.

Humble snails are no match for the might and indifference of the global cement industry. So it has proved for the now extinct Plectostoma sciaphilum, a rather beautiful snail that lived only on a single limestone hill in Peninsular Malaysia. A cement company blew up the entire hill and all remaining molluscs with it. All that is left of its former habitat is a big hole in the ground filled with water.

Its extinction was highlighted by the global environment network IUCN when it launched a major new study showing that 22,413 out of its 76,199 assessed species are threatened with extinction.

The neighbouring isolated hills are being quarried by Malaysian multinational YTL, owner of Wessex Water, where snails such as the bizarrely-shaped Hypselostoma elephas are in critical danger.

While attention is often drawn to iconic species threatened with extinction – the IUCN report highlights the vulnerability of the Pacific bluefin tuna among others – it also chose the demise of the tiny snail as an example of the damage being done by the extractive industry.

According to the IUCN: “The future of several other species in the region is uncertain for similar reasons. Whilst some mining companies are starting to take the necessary steps to reduce impact, IUCN is urging stronger commitment to prevent further extinctions.”

IUCN’s intervention comes just weeks after Guardian Sustainable Business revealed that another snail was at risk in Malaysia. The mollusc, recently discovered living on an isolated limestone hill called Gunung Kanthan in the northwest of Peninsular Malaysia, was named Charopa lafargei after Lafarge in a bid to prevent the global and aggregates giant from decimating it. The IUCN says this snail is critically endangered and that the “continued existence of the species will depend in large part on the actions of the company.”

Tony Whitten, Fauna & Flora International’s Asia regional director, says the humble snail should not be seen as any less important than iconic species. “Snails have a marketing problem because they are small and in general are considered joke animals because they are slow and slimy,” he says.

“But they have beautiful shapes and colours and on a personal level I abhor the idea of extinctions when it results from deliberate ignorance. A species is a species and we are morally bound to protect them. When I ask people why they think snails are less worthy, they don’t really have an answer.

“Some people may see species such as the bluefin tuna as being more important but that is only because we can identify with them because of their size and the fact we like to eat them.”

Whitten says the reason the cement industry has been able to escape scrutiny until now is because limestone is not considered a strategic mineral so regulation tends to be governed at a local level, and because the companies rarely need international financing. Cement is a basic commodity and margins are razor thin. Whitten says because companies focus on volume to maintain profits, they are unhappy to set aside protected areas within quarrying sites.

It is not only in Malaysia where snails and other species are at risk from the cement industry. “This is a global issue,” he says. “Wherever in the world limestone occurs it has a special fauna and flora but the problems are especially acute in countries such as China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the US where you get isolated limestone hills.”

A common problem among cement mining companies, according to Whitten, is that environmental impact assessments they carry out are often of a poor quality and focus on birds and mammals and don’t give enough attention to limestone-associated species. The reports are not made public and cannot be scrutinised independently.

Worse still, Whitten says the cement industry has become fixated with trumpeting the restoration of sites they destroy, rather than taking a rational, proactive landscape approach which would include sustainable management and protection.

“No cement business has ever admitted the scale of the problem,” he says. “They tout their biodiversity pages in their websites and sustainability reports with pictures of ducks and frogs and children enjoying the wetlands created from the hills they remove. They give and receive prizes for their restoration work – but do not acknowledge what is being lost.”

The snail at Lafarge’s quarry was named after the company to make it pay attention to inconspicuous animals. “They would never have taken note of the snail unless the scientists had named it after them,” Whitten says. “Lafarge did not like it ... But the reality is I had been talking with them for 15 years and you get to the point where that discussion gets nowhere. This led Fauna & Flora International to resign from their international biodiversity panel. We are, though, having positive discussions with the local senior management.”

The IUCN’s Red List, the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of plant, animal and fungi species, shows that Plectostoma sciaphilum is one of 901 species of the 76,199 assessed to have become extinct through fishing, logging, mining and agriculture.

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Malaysian endangered limestone snails in The Guardian

The Guardian (UK) 17 Nov 2014 featured some of the world's most threatened species on the IUCN Red List report. Two of these are snails, found on limestone hills in Malaysia, which may be quarried to extinction.

The first is Charopa lafargei , which has Critically Endangered status, and is found at Gunung Kanthan in Perak. This hill is being quarried by Lafarge, after whom the snail was named. I have already posted many blogs about the quarrying of the hill and our fight to save the hill, caves, flora and fauna from destruction/extinction.

The second snail featured is Plectostoma sciaphilum. This is already thought to be extinct. It was known on Bukit Panching, near Kuantan in Pahang. This hill was totally destroyed some years ago, all that remains now is a lake.

See the 2 reports in The Guardian -


IUCNred list of endangered species. Red List: the world's most threatened species –interactive. 

More than 22,000 species feature in conservationists’ ‘under threat’ list. 

The Star on 22 Nov 2014 did a similar piece to The Guardian, "A Malaysian snail goes extinct with 22,000+ other species on the brink".

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See more on endangered snails at Bukit Sagu and Bukit Tenggek.

 

Kanthan's lafargei snail in international news

End of August saw a flurry of pieces in the international media about the newly described Gunung Kanthan snail that is named after the quarry company Lafaarge who are destroying the hill. The snail is called Charopa lafargei, and is endemic to Gunung Kanthan. The scientific paper was published in Basteria, (2014) 78(1-3).

Mongabay on 24 August 2014 had this piece, "Scientists name new endangered species after the company that will decide its fate".

The Guardian in the UK published this piece on 25 August 2014, "A tiny, rare snail in Malaysia has big consequences for global cement giant".

The Epoch Times, 26 Aug, "Tiny Endangered Snail Named for Company".

CemNet.com 27 Aug, "New species of snail discovered in Lafarge Malaysia limestone quarry".

Global Cement on 28 Aug, "Future of Charopa lafargei snail in hands of Lafarge Malaysia".

Espandar Cement News , "Future of Charopa lafargei snail in hands of Lafarge Malaysia".

Novataxa BlogSpot on 24 Aug, "[Mollusca • 2014] ‘Charopa’ lafargei • A New, presumed narrowly Endemic Species (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Charopidae) from Peninsular Malaysia".

Then the Malaysian papers :
The Star 30 Aug published "New snail species found".

Malay Mail, 2 Sept
In Ipoh, rare snail named after cement giant is safe, says French quarry company

Ipoh Echo, No 197, 16-30 Sept
New Snail Species Discovered In Kinta Valley

Pigeons at Gunung Kanthan

There are a lot of pigeons on the southeast end of Gunung Kanthan, especially in the area by the fish ponds and the Chinese temple. And the numbers of pigeons seem to be increasing.

Gunung Kanthan is the northernmost limestone hill in the Kinta Valley, Perak, Malaysia and is being quarried by Lafarge, (see the various blogs by searching the labels).

The floor around the base of the hill near the Zhi Nan Gong (red) temple is covered with pigeon guano and the stench is quite strong. There are also lots of feathers and eggs on the floor. Apart from the numerous pigeons here, there are also a lot roosting in and around the entrance to Gua Kanthan. The entrance slope into the cave is also covered with eggs and feathers and guano,

 

Pigeons, aka rock pigeons, roost on cliffs and rock ledges, so Gunung Kanthan is a natural home for them. I don't know why they are especially abundant on this hill.

On 8 August 2014 there was an interesting article in the Daily Mail (UK) about pigeons at a cave in Gibraltar, "Neanderthals loved roast pigeon! 70,000-year-old charred bones reveal barbecue bird was a favourite caveman delicacy".

© Liz Price
No reproduction without permission

Gunung Kanthan 2014 media & www reports

In 2013 I made several posts about Gunung Kanthan and Gua Kanthan in Perak, Malaysia. This important hill and cave system are in danger of being quarried by Lafarge. The hill is important as it is home to several rare species of flora and fauna, and Gua Kanthan is a large cave with endemic cave fauna. There are other caves on the hill as well as several temples. See the posts by looking for keywords (Kanthan gua, Kanthan gunung, Lafarge, quarry, liphistius) in the 'labels' in the column on the right of the page.

One blog from Sept 2013 listed various web sites and media reports relating to Kanthan, see the blog here. For 2014, I will now continue this list here...............


The Star, 8 Feb 2014
Cement plant staff spruces up octogenarian's home

The Star, 8 Feb 2014
New flora and fauna species found

AsiaOne 8 Feb 2014 (reprinted from The Star)
New flora and fauna species found in Malaysia

WildSingapore blog , 8 Feb 2014 (taken from The Star)
Malaysia: new flora and fauna species found

The Star, 8 Feb 2014
Perak hills open to destruction, say experts

The Star, 9 Feb 2014
Conserve rest of Gunung Kanthan

The GreenReporter blog , 11 Feb 2014
(reprint of The Star 8 Feb)

The Star, 2 March 2014
FRIM comes under threat  

(Among the media recognised by FRIM were The Star journalists Tan Cheng Li and Isabelle Lai for their respective reports last year on Merapoh, Pahang, and Gunung Kanthan, Perak)

The Star, 5 May 2014
Illegal use of limestone caves must be stopped, says Dr Zambry

(This rather one sided article was the result of a meeting with Lafarge and the Perak MB on 30 Apr)

Oriental Daily, 27 May 2014
Half year of research, endangered species found in Gunung Kanthan

Oriental Daily , 7 July 2014
(400 million years old Gunung Kanthan rare species found)

Sinar Harian , 28 May 2014
Jumpa spesies flora, fauna Gunung Kanthan  

New Straits Times , 29 May 2014
Rare finds at Gunung Kanthan  

The Star , 29 May 2014
‘Preserve all of Gunung Kanthan’

MNS blog 6 Jan 2014
Save Gunung Kanthan

Mongabay , 24 Aug 2014
Scientists name new endangered species after the company that will decide its fate

The Guardian , UK , 25 Aug 2014
A tiny, rare snail in Malaysia has big consequences for global cement giant

The Epoch Times, 26 Aug,
"Tiny Endangered Snail Named for Company".

CemNet.com 27 Aug,
"New species of snail discovered in Lafarge Malaysia limestone quarry".

Global Cement on 28 Aug,
"Future of Charopa lafargei snail in hands of Lafarge Malaysia".

Espandar Cement News ,
"Future of Charopa lafargei snail in hands of Lafarge Malaysia".

Novataxa BlogSpot on 24 Aug,
"[Mollusca • 2014] ‘Charopa’ lafargei • A New, presumed narrowly Endemic Species (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Charopidae) from Peninsular Malaysia".

The Star , 30 Aug 2014
New snail species found

Ipoh Echo, No 197, 16-30 Sept
New Snail Species Discovered In Kinta Valley Phytotaxa 177 (3) 29 Aug 2014
Three new species from Gunung Kanthan, a limestone tower karst in Perak, Malaysia.

Global Trees (Sept 2014)
Vatica kanthanensis

Malay Mail, 2 Sept
In Ipoh, rare snail named after cement giant is safe, says French quarry company

The Star , 12 Sept 2014
Bloom is of a new species of plant discovered on Gunung Kanthan 

Descent , Oct/Nov 2014 , No 240
Snail slows quarrying

The Guardian , 17 Nov 2014
IUCNred list of endangered species. Red List: the world's most threatened species –interactive. 

More than 22,000 species feature in conservationists’ ‘under threat’ list. 

My blog page

The Guardian , 17 Nov 2014
Cement company blows up limestone hill and renders snail extinct

The Star , 22 Nov 2014
A Malaysian snail goes extinct with 22,000+ other species on the brink 

The Star , 22 Dec 2014
Going, going, gone: Malaysia's wildlife loses battle against extinction

The Star , 30 Dec 2014
TheYearThatWas: Distressing environmental issues in Malaysia in 2014

Mongabay , 20 Dec 2014
Pictures: the top new animal discoveries of 2014 [Kanthan snail] 

Cave & Karst Science , (BCRA) Dec 2014

An uncertain future for the plants of Gunung Kanthan, Perak, Malaysia

Lararge Sustainability Report 2014