KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 11 — Camping out in the woods for a weekend getaway to enjoy the luxuries of nature is gaining huge popularity among city dwellers.
However, the landslide tragedy at the Father’s Organic Farm campsite in Batang Kali, Gohtong Jaya, Selangor on December 16, which claimed 31 lives, is a wake-up call for many quarters especially on issues related to safety and disaster risk governance.
With camping trends on the rise, especially post-pandemic, more new campsites are mushrooming everywhere, with operators offering various attractive packages for campers.
According to experts, the licensing and tourism industry permit aspects are under the jurisdiction of several authorities including the state government as well as the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (Motac) and the Department of Agriculture.
Many “Watchdogs”
Giving his insights on the issue, Principal Fellow of the Institute for Environment and Development (Lestari) Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Prof Dr Ahmad Fariz Mohamed said at present, the operating licences for campsites are issued by Motac as well as well as local authorities.
However he added, operators are also required to obtain permits for land use from the Land and District Office and the state Agriculture Department.
“Operators may have the operating licence but fail to apply land use permits as they assume that the operating licence is sufficient for them to manage a campsite,” he told Bernama recently.
On land use governance, he said the responsibility rests on the state government and local authorities based on guidelines issued by the Ministry of Local Government Development, while operations are monitored by the state government through local authorities in addition to Motac itself.
In fact, he said, operators should also seek approval from the authorities for the provision of permanent basic infrastructure to support their services.
“In the Batang Kali case, based on photos shared on Facebook and their websites, infrastructure was rather minimal and was only suitable for agricultural activities, for which approval may have been obtained.
“(As such), site owners may have thought approval for construction of permanent infrastructure was not necessary,” he explained.
Operators, Campers Take Note
Noting the rising trend for commercial campsites or glampsites among outdoor lovers, Ahmad Fariz said given that this tourism sub-sector is still in its infancy, it is possible that campers themselves are not aware of the factors to consider when choosing a campsite.
“The focus among campers is more towards quality of service, uniqueness and aesthetic value rather than considering the safety and risk aspects. More often than not, holiday makers would go to places with unique attractions as portrayed in the social media.
“Not many people would check whether the owner or operator has a licence to run the campsite. At the same time, there is no regulation that requires owners to inform campers they are licensed or operating without one,” he added.
Nevertheless, he noted, the onus is on operators who should give priority to environment safety aspects, such as identifying the physical risks and land conditions of the area to be developed for the campsite.
“For areas to be developed as a new campsite, it is incumbent on the owners or operators to refer to the guidelines for development and operation in highland areas, steep hills and rivers. If it clearly shows that it is a high-risk area, campsite development should be halted.
Guidelines for Hillside and Highland Areas Development Planning are accessible online. In fact the document can be downloaded on the government agency and PBT,” he said.
He said, Plan@Malaysia for example, allows the public to download documents related to requirements for planning and implementation of development projects on high land areas, steep slopes and hillsides in Peninsular Malaysia.
“Please visit https://www.planmalaysia.gov.my/index.php/garis-panduan-perancangan,” he added.
At the same time, operators should weigh in global climate change and its effects on the natural environment before developing campsites in certain areas.
“During the monsoon season, the heavy rainfall over a long period of time will also pose danger for low-risk areas as the water movement beneath the earth’s surface could not be traced. If areas developed are high-risk, especially during the monsoon season, immediate action should be taken such as closing down the operation,” he said.
Ahmad Fariz said, despite available guidelines under the sub-sector, it is not governed by a specific law and procedures, hence allowing operators to use their own “discretion” and “interpretation”.
Among others, there is a guideline on requirements for approval and monitoring of campsites and activities related to campsites namely Coastal Planning Guidelines and Standards, 2002 and Guidelines for Planning: Preservation of Natural Topography in Physical Planning and Development in accordance with the Town and Country Planning Act, 1976.
“These guidelines serve to assist state authorities, PBT and developers in determining development activities, placements and density of a land development project on a comprehensive and sustainable manner without causing any negative implications,” he said.
Rapid Growth
Meanwhile, an entrepreneur, Mohd Azizan Yunus, who is AsiaCamp Sdn Bhd Director, is encouraged by the rapid growth in the camping business.
He said half of over 800 active camps nationwide are the mainstay of the operators.
“In the past, camping activities were only focussed on riversides and forests. Today, operators have pivoted their business by shifting to oil palm plantations, villages, hotel premises as well as vegetable farms,” said Mohd Azizan, who brings with him 12 years of experience in the field.
He said based on his observation, the sub-sector has been the buzzword among holiday makers since the Covid-19 outbreak with existing operators developing new sites.
However, the rapidly evolving campsite market has brought challenges to stakeholders in providing the necessary infrastructure, he said adding that, prohibiting such activities would only cause many quarters including the government to incur losses.
“Many positive social effects are generated from family activities while camping. Many local economic chains have also received the much needed boost from camping events. The government is currently on the right track by not stifling their business from growing.
“The right thing to do is to regulate, that is fine-tuning the regulatory enforcement of existing licences so that the licensing cost matches with the cost of running a campsite,” he said, adding that it should be mandatory for operators to put in place a Risk Assessment Management System.
While it is possible that many operators are operating without a licence, he said that this could be attributed to several factors, including the government’s policy.
“First, a tourism business activity cannot be conducted on agricultural land. Due to the challenging economic condition, farmers have to resort to other means, such as this business (illegally) to generate additional income.
“Secondly, there is no field registration (specified) at the local authorities licensing division, hence operators are not able to obtain their permit or licence to run their business,” he said.
At the same time, basic facilities that are provided for do not match with the economic value of the business, for example, the cost of providing a fire extinguisher may be too high for a small campsite.
He said this aspect can be addressed by the state government by improving on existing regulations and guidelines.
“AsiaCamp also welcomes the proposed new guidelines (to be introduced by Selangor) for camping activities – a proactive move and a step in the right direction. We would also like to forward several proposals for the guidelines.
“Among others, regulations for activities on highland activities that pose risks or steep hills which, for us, should not merely focus on camping activities alone. It should also cover other activities such as opening of farms, public infrastructure construction and other development projects. In short, this aspect should be seen in a wider perspective,” he said.
He also hopes that the specific requirements for licensing of campsites which are expected to be introduced by Selangor will not be a financial burden for the operators.
“The licensing requirement should be streamlined throughout the country to facilitate the transfer of risk assessment and management data,” he said.
He also opines that safety risks can be managed if the public have the knowledge and interest on climate change, which is currently affecting Malaysia, noting that other matters such as age factor and the campers’ health condition are also crucial for managing risks.
— Bernama
