5-Million-Year-Old Limestone Hill Might Be Destroyed By This Malaysian Cement Factory

Gunung Kanthan in Ipoh is home to diverse endangered species of flora and fauna.

Sept. 12, 2023

5-Million-Year-Old Limestone Hill Might Be Destroyed By This Malaysian Cement Factory

If you're driving in Ipoh, the sight of Gunung Kanthan would remind you of visuals that you'd find in Studio Ghibli films.

Picturesque, rich with heritage due to a 100-year-old Buddhist monastery, the five-million-year-old limestone hill is also home to a diverse species of flora and fauna. The majority of them are endangered.

Why preserve Gunung Kanthan?

The hill is also one of the few remaining limestone hills still standing, as the rest of its brothers and sisters have been ravaged no thanks to people's greed and lust for power.

Located in the Kinta Valley National Geopark in the Malaysian state of Perak, the limestone hill was also identified for conservation since it's home to unique karsts.

Unfortunately, this gorgeous limestone hill, along with its historical monastery, might soon be destroyed and replaced by the grotesque sight of a cement factory.

On September 7, 2023, Malaysia's Court of Appeal allowed Associated Pan Malaysia Cement (APMC) to evict the Dhamma Sakyamuni Caves Monastery.

What are environmentalists saying?

Gunung Kanthan has rich biodiversity. IMAGE: BCRE

Naturally, environmentalists and heritage associations have voiced concerns.

Speaking to New Straits Times, Perak Heritage Society president Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Tahir said the monastery played a role in deterring quarry activity in the limestone hill.

However, he also notes that the existence of the monastery also contributes to the damage of the limestone hill's structure.

"In this matter, the monastery should leave and the cement manufacturer should not invade the area. We want to make sure that Gunung Kanthan remains untouched," he shared.

IMAGE: Tourism Perak

Furthermore, the Kinta Valley Geopark should not be under the purview of the Perak State Parks Cooperation (PSPC). PSPC, according to Tajuddin, lacks strong policies to protect geoparks.

"We should know that this cooperation could not act based on policies and principles to retain the limestone area because for me it has no teeth, but only gums in terms of legalization, so they can't do anything. The state government should place all the geopark areas under a strong entity which can protect our geopark with legislation and policies," he added.

Tajuddin called on the Perak state government to intervene because quarry activity would not enrich the state in the long term.

"The state government should never see this (quarry activity) as state revenue only. That is only for a short-term context, but not for a long-term. Because once it's gone (limestones and quarry activity) we can't have it in another 30 years' time. What happens to the next generation? This is not sustainable," he warned.

He also said the Perak state government should take responsibility and accountability for the destruction of the state's gorgeous limestone hills, since it plays a part in issuing quarrying permits.

How bad is the damage to Ipoh's Gunung Kanthan?

In 2021, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) field researcher Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman revealed that parts of the limestone hills have already been ravaged – specifically Areas A and B.

IMAGE: Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman / The Vibes

Areas C and D, home to critically endangered flora and fauna, were still intact.

"Among the endemic flora species found in the area categorized as critically endangered are Meiogye kanthanensis, Gymnostachyum kanthanensis, and Vatica kanthanensi. While the endemic fauna categorized as critically endangered are a prehistoric spider, Liphistius kanthanensis and a lizard called Cytrodactylus guakanthanensis," Meor noted.