The true value of Tasik Chini, which is close to ecological collapse, becomes apparent to anyone who visits the inland lake, the second of only two freshwater lacustrine systems in
Malaysia. In its wilderness, far from the bustling urban environment, nature silently communicates the constant flux of life through its eternal rhythms.

Amid the stillness, the ecosystem teems with the evidence of its biodiversity. Lush, sun-soaked vegetation clothes the undulating landscape to the very edge of the lake, leaving
flowering plants and vines hanging over the water.

The call of birdlife in the midst of their feeding routine occasionally falls within earshot, a reminder that the web of life connects all things in the air, on land and in the water in an endless cycle of interdependence.

There is a place for humans in this relationship, that the Orang Asli have demonstrated as a model of sustainable living for generations, living off nature’s bounty, supplemented by
income from ecotourism. However, this idyllic habitat is right now being destroyed by the intrusive hand of mining, logging and plantation activities.

A national campaign to save Tasik Chini was launched on Sunday by Transparency International-Malaysia (TI-M) to draw attention to the advanced state of ecological damage at the lake, which had been declared a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in May 2009 to pursue a three-pronged programme of conservation, restoration and sustainable development.

As Malaysian Nature Society president Prof Dr Maketab Mohamed told the gathering, a recent preliminary study of the life-supporting state of Tasik Chini and its water quality by
three research institutions showed that the lake was already eutrophic, which is one level above an ecosystem that has totally collapsed.

For the Orang Asli who live in the Tasik Chini area, no water quality data is necessary to tell them that their lake is dying. Some of them, who rose to speak at the launch, said
the water could no longer be used for washing or bathing because it caused them to break out in rashes, and children who played in it fell ill.

Their headman Tok Batin Awang Alok said: “Everything is gone. The fish, the medicinal trees are no more. Not for sale, but for our own use.”

The decline of Tasik Chini’s ecological assets is unmistakably linked to an unsustainable approach to growth. Rapid economic development began in the lake area in the 1990s,
resulting in significant land use change in its catchment area, a background paper prepared for the campaign launch notes.

Logging of the primary forest started long before that, followed by the conversion of secondary forest for oil palm and rubber cultivation, which led to a quick decline in the quality of the lake ecosystem.

When Tasik Chini was still pristine, it was a major ecotourism draw not least because the lake, which was covered with pink lotus blooms for more than half the year, was such a stunning sight. In addition, there were outdoor recreational activities like jungle trekking, kayaking and recreational fisheries. Tragically, an ill-conceived attempt to increase tourist revenue led to the annihilation of the lotus (Nelumbo nucifera).

In 1995, the Pahang government built a small barrage at the lower reaches of the Chini River to improve navigational access upriver during the dry season.

This blocked the natural hydraulic cycle and changed the lake ecosystem. The wetland areas around the lake became flooded, causing the death of the vegetation and swamp forest trees at the water edge.

An invasive water plant locally called cat’s tail (Cabomba furcata) slowly replaced the lotus. Where the lake surface was once a sea of pink blooms, a pathetic sample or two of the exquisite flower may greet the visitor who navigates through the lake today.

Also, the wetland functions of Tasik Chini as a swamp forest, such as flood control, water purification and pollution retention, have been lost, and the water quality has been affected, the backgrounder states. The change in the water cycle was favourable to fish species that are adapted to a reduced water velocity, while riverine fish that migrate into Tasik Chini during the monsoon season are reduced.

On a recent site visit, The Edge Financial Daily was told by Tok Batin Awang that there is hardly enough fish for the Orang Asli’s own consumption today, whereas they used to earn an income from selling their once abundant catch.

On the issue of governance, it is a point of grave concern that under the National Physical Plan, Tasik Chini is classified as an environmentally sensitive area, where no logging or mining should take place. According to Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, there were five companies carrying out logging and mining around the lake, although he was reported by Bernama on Wednesday as saying that no water pollution was detected at the lake.

The Orang Asli living in the area would beg to differ. At the launch of the Save Tasik Chini campaign, when an aerial video of the lake area taken last week to document the

deforestation and water pollution was shown, they could not hold back their tears.

As Tok Batin Awang told the gathering: “We really love Tasik Chini. Others probably don’t love it, but it is our home. We love it.”

Ironically, Tasik Chini is within the parliamentary constituency of Pekan, the political base of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

If the provisions of a statutory document like the National Physical Plan cannot prevent the destruction of a unique ecological site and protect the vulnerable Orang Asli, what hope is there for it to be respected elsewhere?

Moreover, Tasik Chini is the common heritage of not just the Orang Asli, or even all Malaysians, it is a natural treasure that belongs to the world.

At the launch of the campaign, one Orang Asli resident after another described the devastation of their livelihoods and habitats, pleading for someone to heed their plight.

But at least they could give voice to their hardship, whereas the Tasik Chini ecosystem silently chokes under the polluting run-off arising from the mindless pursuit of profits.

R B Bhattacharjee is associate editor at The Edge.

This article appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on 17 August, 2012.