A river worth getting to know
Sungai Juru flows past factories, housing estates and aquaculture ponds to the coast of Seberang Perai Tengah. It is one of Penang’s most polluted rivers, yet its mangroves, mudflats, rice fields and the Bukit Juru Forest Reserve still hold a surprising amount of wildlife. This project set out to find out exactly what lives there, and to give local people the knowledge and skills to show it to visitors.
What the surveys found
- Birds: 168 species, 17 of them recorded in Juru for the first time, including five globally threatened or near-threatened species such as the Mangrove Pitta and Eurasian Curlew.
- Insects: 100 species, including the Vulnerable firefly Pteroptyx valida, still present at two jetties.
- Reptiles and amphibians: 23 species in the first-ever inventory for the river, including the Malayan Box Turtle and Black Marsh Turtle.
- Mammals: 14 species, including the Silvered Langur, Sunda Slow Loris and Smooth-coated Otter.
- Mangroves: at least 14 true mangrove species and 6 associates.
- Fish and water: the river is badly affected by sewage and farm run-off (Class III–IV), with only 18 species of fish and shellfish recorded, but natural filtering by wetlands and mangroves means recovery is possible.
Read the findings and each team’s recommendations in Sungai Juru biodiversity survey: findings and recommendations. The full bird checklist is in the Avifauna Survey of the Greater Juru Area by the Malaysian Nature Society Penang Branch.
Training local eco-tour guides
On 22 January 2026 the project ran a half-day training for residents, students and small businesses. Participants learned about each group of wildlife from the survey teams, practised turning scientific facts into stories for visitors, ran safety briefings and role-played guided walks, and pitched their own eco-tourism ideas, from homestays to night walks for fireflies and frogs. Each participant received an “Introductory Eco-Tour Guide – Sungai Juru” certificate.
The training plan is free to use: Becoming a Local Eco-Tour Guide for Sungai Juru.
What happens next
- Better protection and monitoring of the Bukit Juru Forest Reserve, with no new trails cut.
- Setting aside abandoned rice fields as high-tide roosts for shorebirds.
- Replanting native trees and mangroves, and removing invasive plants.
- Working with Indah Water to find and fix sewage leaks into the river.
- A visitor information centre to support eco-tourism.
