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- How about strawberries this Valentine's Day?
-Lowland species seen in Cameron Highlands
-A big tree is equal to 10 air conditioners
How about strawberries this Valentine's Day?
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Forget chocolates and roses, juicy strawberries grown here will definitely put a smile on the face of your girlfriend or white this Valentine's Day.
Strawberries as red as rubies could be a refreshing alternative.
It would definitely be kinder on your wallet too, costing RM7 to RM20 per box.
Strawberry grower Yeep Kah Soon said the fruits were plucked daily as they ripened.
"The fruits are commonly the size of a quail's egg but sometimes we get them as big as Grade C chicken eggs."
The first two fruits in the first batch are usually jumbo-sized," Yeep said at his family's farm, Kea Farm, here.
Giving some tips on how to pick the best strawberries, the 20-year-old said: "The redder the colour, the sweeter it is."
However, he said the size and taste of strawberries were ultimately determined by the weather.
"They grown best when there is more sunlight and less rain."
Besides being sold at the various tourist stops in the area, Cameron Highlands strawberries are also distributed to other parts of the country. |
Signs in bird migration
Lowland species seen in Cameron Highlands
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Birdwatchers at Cameron Highlands are noticing lowland birds that have never been seen in the highlands area "moving in" while indigenous birds have flown elsewhere, presumably to colder climates.
This is clear sign that the area was warming up, according to Regional Environmental Awareness Cameron Highlands (Reach) president R.Ramakrishnan.
He said that in the past one or two years, birdwatchers had spotted the fire-tufted barbet, rhino hornbill, mountain imperial pigeon, black eagle, mountain bulbul, black-crested bulbut, grey wagtail and Asian brown flycatcher.
Ramakrishanan, 42, noted that birdwatchers were reporting the absence of indigenous species that used to frequent the jungle trails of Cameron Highlands.
"Plant species that used to inhabit the trails are also dying. All of this may be also due to local development, not just the warmer climate," he said.
Another worrying problem, he said, was that the hotter weather might aggravate the water shortage currently faced by Cameron Highlands residents and tourists.
Ramakrishnan said Cameron Highlands, with a population of some 33,000 people, already faced a shortage of some four million litres each day. |
A big tree is equal to 10 air conditioners
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( GEC is a non-profit organisation which was established in 1998 to work on environmental issues of global importance, undertaking strategic projects particularly in developing countries.)
In 1984, the annual maximum temperature has gone up - in 1984, it was 12°C, 1989 (10°C), 1995(13.2°C) and last year 12.9°C.
Faizal said: " If you clear trees, it results in what we call a microclimate change, which means a change of the climate within that area.
"While 1°C or 2°C does not sound like much, these small changes can cause major changes in the major changes in the rainfall and weather patterns, which in turn, can affect crops.
"So far, the ones which have been more badly affected are Genting and Cameron Highlands."
In Cameron Highlands, residents and visitors are saying that it is no longer as cold as before.
Now, lowland birds are being seen there while highlands species are "moving out" - an indication of a warmer climate.
Genting Highlands is not faring any better. Residents there remember having to start up a coal stove in their rooms before leaving for work in the morning to keep the room warm when they get home. There is no need to do that now.
In Fraser's Hill, back in the 1970s, one only needed to immerse a bottle of soft drink in the water at the waterfall to chill it.
Faizal explained that trees cooled the air around them, adding: "One big tree is the equivalent to 10 air conditioners".
He said the climbing temperature in the highlands could also cause chaos to the ecosystem.
"As the lowland species of insects, plants and birds start to move to the highlands, it can lead to the extinction of certain highland species as they have nowhere togo," he said.
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