Quarrying limestone is worth billions but how does that compare to the ecological, touristic, cultural and historical values of this ecosystem?
DRIVING on the North-South Highway to Batu Gajah, Perak from Kuala Lumpur brings back many childhood memories of my balik kampung ritual.
We would pass limestone hills topped by dipterocarp trees fighting for space at canopy level while the sun created shadows in the hills’ crevices.
These views always made me ask my mother, “Do you think dragons live in these hills and caves?”
(Photo: Perak’s limestone hills are valuable as a source of raw materials for construction but is that all they should be valued for? | Gunung Kanthan pic by Sakyamuni Caves Monastery)
