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(MA)HANG IN THERE, SABAH! FUNDRAISER
Bandanas for Covid-19 relief in Sabah! Featuring the mahang -the first tree species to grow after a forest fire.
100% handmade. Min RM50 donation. 100% of proceeds to @BorneoKomrad
Order here: https://forms.gle/dpeh7XR2oJztWCa26
#KitaJagaKita
I first encountered mahang trees in North Kuala Langat Forest Reserve w/ @ShaqKoyok. That part of the forest experienced a big fire 10 years ago. Tall mahangs sang in the wind above us. So dim n cool in there
When we left the forest - unbelievable heat radiated from the cleared landscape. Gamuda n other developments all around that area. #NKLFR is the last patch left
Selangor gov say they r degazetteing #NKLFR cos it’s degraded, but it’s actually in recovery. The mahangs are evidence of that. Forest know how to heal themselves, just like our bodies do. If we only give them a chance!
Learned more about mahang during a trip to Tanjung Tuan coastal forest reserve w/ Msian Nature Society. ‘Nanny of the forest’, our guide said, cos their big leaves shield exposed soil from 
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Many mahang species have #mutualaid with ants, who nest in the hollow stems n feed on the sap. In return, if any herbivores wanna chomp on the leaves, they will rush out and spray the intruder w/ formic acid!
There’s more! Birds LOVE eating mahang fruits. Birders have recorded 30 different species visiting a single mahang tree. Birds r important pollinators. Ants r also essential workers - breaking down matter n cycling back nutrients to the forest 
Org Asal communities use the leaves to wrap food. The underside has a compound/fungus that makes it perfect for making tempe. Here’s how the stem seals the wrap, can dangle from belt like a pouch. Fashyun!
There’s abt 300 known species of mahang, 9% of them found in Msia, across Semenanjung, Sabah n Sarawak. The land we share holds the promise of recovery! Listen to the land. Don’t lose hope!
