The assessment of Royal Belum State Park as a World Heritage Site

Abstract

This research aims to reveal the history of the Royal Belum State Park from its inception to pre-war times, the evolution of the area's status from a forest reserve to its nomination as a World Heritage Site, the conservation and tourism measures that the Perak State Government has implemented through the Perak State Parks Corporation, tourist arrivals and income generated, the uniqueness and potential which has been selected as having the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) for a World Heritage Site, and issues at the Royal Belum State Park. Previous studies on the Royal Belum State Park, the official portals of the UNESCO's Tentative Lists, the Perak State Parks Corporation (PTNP), the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia (JPSM), the Friends of the Earth Malaysia (FOE), and the Gerik District Council (MDG) were reviewed, field observation focusing on tourism activities at the houseboat parking area and Pulau Banding Jetty was carried out, and interviews with a houseboat owner/operator/tour boat driver, a restaurant owner, and a representative from Perak State Parks Corporation were conducted. This research found that the Royal Belum State Park has a unique and intriguing history linked to the entrance of the Patani or Siamese government in Thailand, the exploits of the Perak Malay Sultanate, British control, and communist guerilla hideouts, and cultural heritage values, such as the Orang Asli community engagement in their traditional villages and the RPS Sungei Banun, that should be highlighted as a form of exclusive tourism.