KILIM KARST GEOFOREST PARK

The Kilim Geoforest Park features limestone dominating the eastern part of the main Langkawi Island and the adjacent small islands of the Setul Formation. Magnificently formed landscape of nearly vertical to subrounded karstic hills with pinnacles of various shapes and sizes, can be viewed.The northeast region of Langkawi, which comprises the three river basins of Kilim, Air Hangat, Kisap and the neigbouring island of Langgun and Tanjung Dendang are spectacular in its beauty. The birds and the cave system found in this area have also contributed to the myths and legends of the islands. The name ‘Langkawi’ is said to have been derived from the Brahminy Kite eagle, the most dominant faunal species in the area. Gua Cerita (Cave of Stories), which lies in the northern tip of the region has many legends and beliefs associated with the giant mythological bird, Garuda. The epic battle between Rama and Rawana and Sang Gedembai – a human-like giant female creature with a power to curse anything and turning it into stone.Within these Geoforest Parks, caves are plentiful for exploration activities, while a collapsed cave has formed two of the biggest fresh water lakes, namely Tasik Langgun and Pulau Dayang Bunting. Among the caves found in the parks include Gua Tok Jangkit, Gua Teluk Dedap, Gua Cerita, Gua Teluk Udang , Gua Siam, Gua Buaya, Gua Tanjung Dendang and Gua Kelawar.The ecosystems of the old limestone rock formation, the caves, the mudflats and the seas that surround it have three main vegetation: the mangroves, the vegetation of the limestone hills and the flora of the mudlats and beaches.A mangrove forest promotes a unique root system with a physiology of the plant species that are capable of preventing soil erosion and cleaning the water contaminated with metallic pollutants. The mangrove also serve as breeding grounds to many species of fishes, prawn and other sea life. The mangrove vegetation in this area is quite diverse and includes many important species; some with medicinal properties. The limestone hills of the area have a rich diversity of species of ornamental plants such as the cycads and orchids, the limestone rocks also support many bryophytic flora, lichens and macro fungi.Forty-five species of birds have so far been recorded in the respective areas and this list includes ten migratory species. The most prominent among the raptor species found along the sea coast and the river of the northeast region are the Brahminy Kite and white-bellied sea eagle. The two raptor species are among the more popular attractions. Other examples of biodiversity that exist on the mudflats, the beaches and the sea are mudskippers and phytoplankton. A total of seven species of mudskippers have been identified and 129 species of marine and 55 of freshwater phytoplanktons recorded.Bats are among the faunal species prominent in the area. Three species that roost on the walls of the well known Gua Kelawar (Cave of the Bats) have been identified . The limestone forests are also home to myriads of small and tiny faunal species, of which the beetles have attracted special interest. Many species were collected from the forest of the Pulau Tanjung Dendang, Pulau Langgun and Gua Cerita and one of them is the smallest beetle in the world, collected in Pulau Tanjung Dendang. Some of these beetle species are rare, some yet to be identified.The Langkawi archipelago is rich in fossils of ancient and extinct sea creatures from the Paleozoic era spanning between 542 million years and 257 million years ago. Several species of brachiopod were found and identified. Among the fossils found are those of a 280 million year-old brachiopod, which is also known as lamp shells, and 400 million year old fossils of scypho crinites in Teluk Mempelam on Pulau Langgun.An alien granite dropstone that is at least 1 billion years old can be found in a sandstone and mudstone rock formation in Pulau Tepor southwest of Langkawi. It is the oldest dropstone ever found in the region. This dropstone once drifted along in a glacier before it was dropped in Langkawi hundreds of million years ago. Another geological treasure in Langkawi comes in the form of ancient seabed located in Pulau Ular.