v
Foreword
In 2013, the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu took bold steps and conceptualised the
first idea of a new Kenyir Lake Geopark. This large regional landscape is diverse in
the faunas and floras that are important for the societal wellness of the indigenous
people called Orang Asli.
Some 100,000 years ago, our ancestors walked through the coastal plains of East
Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and entered the western flank of the Indo-Malayan
geographic region. By about 75,000 years ago, they emerged into Southeast Asia.
Their migration was halted by a thousand years of volcanic winter from the massive
eruption of the Toba in Sumatra, Indonesia. Form an estimated 10,000 survivors,
they migrated out of the Sunda Shelf land mass to populate the world from Indochina,
China, and biogeographic regions into Americas by crossing the Bering Sea.
Geopark is a regional sustainable development tool for the development of rural
territory with special heritage resources. Geopark aims at balancing the need to
conserve natural and cultural heritage, community empowerment as well as sustainable use of earth resources. The emphasis is given to local community, particularly
the indigenous people and their cultural heritage. Geopark promotes the comanagement principle whereby all stakeholders can actively participate in projects
and decision-making processes. Local community and indigenous leaders are also
encouraged to take part in the management of the geopark and co-design of activities.
In Malaysia, there are more than three episodes of ancestral migration and evolutionary changes leading to three major Orang Asli groups. Among the Orang Asli
groups, they are split into 18 sub-ethnic groups. The majority of the Orang Asli are
now sedentary in government-designed resettlement villages. Some are still nomadic
in Taman Negara and a few are semi-nomadic around the Kenyir Lake and Gua
Musang landscapes. Despite various social development programmes by many
experts, the Orang Asli remains marginalised compared to 40 other ethnic groups,
mainly the Malays, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan-Dusun, Melayu-Melanau, and Iban
ethnics.
This book has successfully documented the information on the Orang Asli for
decision makers and planners and as academic reference for researchers and
Foreword
In 2013, the Universiti Malaysia Terengganu took bold steps and conceptualised the
first idea of a new Kenyir Lake Geopark. This large regional landscape is diverse in
the faunas and floras that are important for the societal wellness of the indigenous
people called Orang Asli.
Some 100,000 years ago, our ancestors walked through the coastal plains of East
Africa to the Arabian Peninsula and entered the western flank of the Indo-Malayan
geographic region. By about 75,000 years ago, they emerged into Southeast Asia.
Their migration was halted by a thousand years of volcanic winter from the massive
eruption of the Toba in Sumatra, Indonesia. Form an estimated 10,000 survivors,
they migrated out of the Sunda Shelf land mass to populate the world from Indochina,
China, and biogeographic regions into Americas by crossing the Bering Sea.
Geopark is a regional sustainable development tool for the development of rural
territory with special heritage resources. Geopark aims at balancing the need to
conserve natural and cultural heritage, community empowerment as well as sustainable use of earth resources. The emphasis is given to local community, particularly
the indigenous people and their cultural heritage. Geopark promotes the comanagement principle whereby all stakeholders can actively participate in projects
and decision-making processes. Local community and indigenous leaders are also
encouraged to take part in the management of the geopark and co-design of activities.
In Malaysia, there are more than three episodes of ancestral migration and evolutionary changes leading to three major Orang Asli groups. Among the Orang Asli
groups, they are split into 18 sub-ethnic groups. The majority of the Orang Asli are
now sedentary in government-designed resettlement villages. Some are still nomadic
in Taman Negara and a few are semi-nomadic around the Kenyir Lake and Gua
Musang landscapes. Despite various social development programmes by many
experts, the Orang Asli remains marginalised compared to 40 other ethnic groups,
mainly the Malays, Chinese, Indian, Kadazan-Dusun, Melayu-Melanau, and Iban
ethnics.
This book has successfully documented the information on the Orang Asli for
decision makers and planners and as academic reference for researchers and