Wild Malaysia: The Wildlife and Scenery of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, and Sabah (Hardcover)

~ Junaidi Payne (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If you have been looking for a source of inspiration concerning the wildlife and scenery of peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak, and Sabah, this is it ... the caves, flowers, turtles, butterflies, birds, gibbons, and more that I've missed on other visits up the peninsula! The book is well organized with individual sections on peninsular Malaysia, with many subsections, and on Sabah and Sarawak. It is a coffeetable book that you will use."
—Unique & Exotic Travel Reporter

Product Description

Wild Malaysia is a major new pictorial study of the natural history of southeast Asia's southernmost peninsula and offshore islands, which are home to an enormous wealth of species. Produced in association with the World Wide Fund for Nature, it is illustrated with 400 superb full-color plates taken especially for this book, of plants, insects and other invertebrates, fish, reptiles, frogs, birds, and mammals, each in its natural habitat.

Wild Malaysia offers a general yet accurate introduction to this spectacularly scenic region and its national parks. Malaysia's tropical islands, topped by rainforest and ringed by coral reefs and transparent blue seas, are as beautiful and untouched as anywhere in the world. Its vast and exotic wildlife encompasses elephants and the world's smallest rhinoceros, a profusion of monkeys and apes (including proboscis and leaf monkeys, gibbons, and orangutans), the slow loris and the tarsier, the clouded leopard and the sunbear, bats and reptiles, a spectacular variety of bird and marine life, and over 10,000 species of plants.

An extensive introduction examines the topography, history, climate, and peoples of Malaysia and includes important discussions of the relationship between man and forest, between conservation and development. Sections on animal and plant life provide an overview of the multiplicity of species to be found. And in "A Walk through the Rainforest," Junaidi Payne explains the complex interdependence of the forest ecosystem, details Malaysia's conservation programs, and the plans to create new reserves and protected areas not only in the forest but on the islands and surrounding seas as well.

Individual chapters describe peninsular Malaysia's islands, coastal areas, and hill forest (many of which have been designated as national parks), Sarawak's great rivers and cave systems, and Sabah's offshore islands with their coral reefs, marine life, and exotic flora. There is also a complete list of conservation areas.

Gerald Cubitt is one of the world's leading natural history photographers. Junaidi Payne is a professional conservation biologist and Senior Scientific Officer with World Wide Fund Malaysia. He is coauthor with Charles M. Francis of A Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; 1 edition (September 27, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262160781
• ISBN-13: 978-0262160780
• Product Dimensions: 13 x 10.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,941,211 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Wild" not recreational Malaysia! BEAUTIFUL!!!, November 2, 2006

By	Bettaman "hulabetta" (Colorado Springs, CO USA) - See all my reviews

As the title implies this beautiful volume is about Malaysia's incredible natural diversity. The fact that it also covers some of the regions peoples and their affairs is of added interest but it is really a dream for anyone who is interested in nature and ecology. There are a ton of cheap travel guides for those looking to do the average tourist thing so don't expect this to be a guide to the "hotspots". Buy this gorgeous and informative volume and then get the others in the series such as Wild Indonesia, Wild Thailand and Wild India. You will love them all!

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Captivating, but lacking in a few aspects, June 16, 2000

By A Customer

This book is not just for reading -- its forte is viewing pleasure. The 400+ magnificient full colour pictures depicting the biodiversity of the Malaysian region enthralls and captivates, the only deficiency being that some of Sarawak's ( East Malaysia ) prominent tourist destinations were given insufficient coverage. There were pictures of the Orang Asli, orang-utans and various other flora and fauna indigenous to the region, but there was scarce mention of the Lambir Waterfalls and the Niah Cave Systems, which, in my estimation, are absolute wonders of nature.

Overall, this book gives one a delightful insight into the cultural, racial, biological and geographical diversity and richness of both the Malaysia peninsular, Sarawak and Sabah. Unfortunately, it concentrates too much on wildlife conservation areas and too little on recreation hotspots. Nevertheless, the magnificient photographs and fluent narrative are ample in guaranteeing one's satisfaction. This book is recommended for those keen on in-depth exploration of Malaysia's vast ecological treasures, particularly those connected with eco-conservation.