Introduction and History

Set on the borders of Pahang and Johor in Southeast Malaysia, Endau-Rompin National Park is made up of a lush, pristine tropical rainforest. Covering an area of 48,905 hectares (800 sq. km), it is the second largest national park in Peninsula Malaysia after Taman Negara and has been upgraded to a national park in 1980s. With rock formations dating back some 248 million years, Endau-Rompin is mostly hilly with some prominent sandstone plateaus. It also happens to be the watershed of several rivers such as Endau River, Selai River and Jasin River.

This two-century old extensive lowland forest is home to several rare and endangered species. In 1985 and 1986, a scientific expedition identified 25 new species of plants within the area. Scientific interest aside, Endau-Rompin National Park is the perfect haven for adventure seekers. Its numerous legends and myths handed down through the years add to its overall appeal.

In 1892, miner and surveyor H.W.Lake and Lieutenant H.J.Kelsall entered the Endau-Rompin area to conduct scientific research and documentation. They recorded and collected inexhaustible specimens from the area and noted a healthy number of large animals such as elephants, the Sumatran rhinoceros and deer traversing the area.

In 1933, with the help of Lake and Kelsall’s documentation of the area and its flora and fauna, Endau-Kluang area was declared a forest reserve. Later in 1972, the reserve was further expanded to include an area within the Lesong Forest Reserve in Pahang. After a number of years of dispute, the Johor government finally created Endau Rompin National Park.

Flora and Fauna

Botanists have found many new species of flora and fauna along the stream and on the nearby hills in Endau-Rompin National Park. The most spectacular of the discoveries was the fan palm species, characteristic of the ridge and hilltop, named the Livistona Endauensis dominating the forest on the plateau of Gunong Janing Barat. Others interesting plants include the ‘Rhopa Coblaste’, more commonly know as the climbing bamboo, and the walking stick palm or ‘Phychorapis Singaporensis’, identified by its slender stems and feather-like leaf fronds, and many varieties of toadstools and orchids.

The Park teems with wildlife - tigers, elephants and wild boar, and the largest surviving population of Sumatran rhinoceros, which is highly protected and endangered. The only ape species of the area, the binturong (Arctictis binturong) and the white-handed gibbon are also found here. Housing the chirping drongos, hornbills and argus pheasant; the forest is also home to butterflies and fruit piercing moths belonging to the ‘othreis’species. Recent research also found of one of the world’s smallest dragonfly named Nannophya Pygmea.

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