FRIM Canopy Walkway closed effetive 30 June 2017
The Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) Canopy Walkway, one of the most popular attractions among local visitors and foreign tourists, will be closed effective 30 June 2017.
However, FRIM plans to build a new Canopy Walkway in three to five years’ time.
FRIM Director General (DG) Dato’ Dr Abd Latif Mohmod announced this at the Official Launching of the FRIM International Day of Forests (IDF) 2017 celebration here in Kepong on 25 March.
“FRIM Canopy Walkway has been one of the main ecotourism attractions for 25 years now. Following the storm at the end of 2015, the walkway has been closed and reopened several times for maintenance and safety assessment,” he said.
Abd Latif said the trail to the walkway requires a long time for regeneration or recovery, the trees supporting the system have become unhealthy and this is affecting the bridge structure.
“We plan to build a new canopy walkway in a few years’ time. Any development on this will be announced from time to time,” he said, adding that FRIM is working towards obtaining an allocation of RM3.5 million to build the new structure made of aluminum, which will be safer and have less negative impact on the trees as well as the environment.
The theme for the international-level IDF2017 celebration is ‘Forests and Energy’ as wood is the most important source of renewable energy; and accounted for about 45 percent of global energy supplies. The theme highlights the importance of this energy in improving people’s lives, generating sustainable development (global green economy) and reducing the impact of climate change.
FRIM, however, took a different approach choosing ‘Energise with Love’ as its theme for this year’s IDF celebration, which defines energy as something within every human being that expresses and embraces love. The theme also reflects the importance of energy associated with forests and trees as a “life force” often mentioned in many ancient cultures of the world.
The FRIM IDF celebration aimed to promote commemorative tree planting for healing, for the commemoration of a life event, for greening and cooling the earth, providing food for the animals, and also as a noble act or an expression of love.
It was also to provide an opportunity for families to gather and enjoy being in nature for bonding, apart from enabling the surrounding community to be more involved in the greening and sustainability of FRIM as a Natural Heritage, National Heritage and future UNESCO World Heritage site.
Among other activities were ‘Love My Accessory’, a game in which children were required to use their creativity to make fashion accessories out of flowers, leaves, twigs and grass; ‘Love My Tree’, a tree identification activity to enhance participants’ awareness and observation skills on dipterocarp trees; and ‘Love My Photo’, an exhibition of shortlisted and winning entries of the FRIM Photography Competition 2016.
Winners of the competition were invited to receive their prizes at the launching as well as participate in the tree planting.
FRIM: Article on FRIM decision to close the Canopy Walkway is published in Metro Section, Sin Chew Daily today.
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