For years, the dedicated nature guides of Taman Negara Pahang had welcomed visitors, but many relied on knowledge passed down through generations, lacking formal training in environmental interpretation—the art of transforming sightseeing into a meaningful and engaging experience. While visitors marvelled at the canopy walkway, most left without truly understanding the wonders they’d witnessed, simply because the guides had yet to unlock the forest’s secrets, like transforming sightseeing into conservation education.
Dr. Mohd Aswad Ramlan from Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Department of Recreation and Ecotourism recognized this critical gap. He launched a capacity-building project focused on enhancing interpretive skills among certified local nature guides in Taman Negara Pahang. The team conducted interviews with 11 local guides, discovering that while the guides possessed a natural talent for storytelling, they lacked a formal understanding of interpretation techniques to bring the forest to life for visitors.
With The Habitat Foundation grants, Dr Aswad’s team designed a CTRE-accredited (Continuous Tourism Related Education) workshop with UPM experts specializing in storytelling and insect discovery, since visitors often encounter fascinating insects during jungle treks. All the guides who participated earned their certification. What followed was to determine if the training really worked.
The team conducted some post-training assessments and follow-up interviews and noticed a surge in confidence as the guides applied the interpretive techniques. In other words, the guides were better equipped to share the wonders of biodiversity, engage visitors, and inspire a passion for conservation. This project opens up the possibility of expanding similar CTRE programs for other nature guides and creating handbooks for guides in other protected areas.
