Animate, engaging and humourous, Irshad grips you with stories of the jungle and talks about every critter, bird, insect and plant like family. He towers over us with his large build, which is an apt size for his larger-than-life mission to protect Langkawi's natural heritage.
Clad in lush tropical rainforests and surrounded by stunning turquoise waters of the Andaman Sea, Langkawi is a treasure trove for nature lovers. Langkawi has been conferred with the Geopark status by UNESCO in 2007 for its beautiful geological history dating as far back as 500-million years.
"Green growth" has recently become a popular topic. Can we go "green" simply through a combination of technology, finance and free markets, or are we avoiding the real issues? Do "green" and "growth" always go together? Central to the notion of growth is "more". If we are talking about finite resources and its limitations, how can we pursue growth indefinitely? Shouldn’t we instead strive for development that is fair, sustainable and empowers the majority?
A little luxury, a little adventure: that was what I wanted from a holiday in Malaysia. The country's appeal had taken hold years back when I had read about the "Jungle Line" train that runs north-east from Kuala Lumpur through spectacular mountains and rainforest.
“There are 10 hornbill species in Kedah,” he said, adding that five years ago, an astonishing 142 Great Hornbills were seen at one location, creating a national record for Langkawi. He said Langkawi boasted more than 226 species of birds and in the last decade, was popular among bird watchers from Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, England and Scandinavia.
The Andaman, a Luxury Collection Resort, The Westin Langkawi Resort & Spa, Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort and the soon-to-be-opened Four Points by Sheraton Langkawi planted 1,000 trees that are native to the island. The activity, organised in conjunction with Earth Day 2011, was participated in by over 200 members of the management and associates of these properties.
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