Endau-Rompin National Park (Malay: Taman Negara Endau-Rompin) is a protected tropical rainforest located in Segamat and Mersing Districts in northeastern Johor and Rompin District in southern Pahang. It covers about 870 square kilometers (340 square miles), making it the second-largest national park in Peninsular Malaysia after Taman Negara. The park has approximately 26 kilometers (16 miles) of trails and was the second national park established by the government of Malaysia. Gunung Besar, the second-highest peak in Johor, is located within the park.

The park is named after the Endau and Rompin rivers that flow through it. Other rivers in the park include Segamat, Selai, and Jasin.

There are two official entry points to the park: the Kampung Peta entrance, located along the eastern boundary in Mersing District, and the Selai entrance, located at the southwestern boundary in Segamat District.

The park is closed to the public during the monsoon season from November to March. Fishing is banned from September to October during the mating season.

History

The first study of the area was done in 1892 by H.W. Lake and Lieutenant H.J. Kelsall. Using this study, the Endau-Kluang forest complex was declared a forest reserve in 1933. In 1972, the forest reserve was expanded to include the Lesong forest reserve in Pahang.

In the same year, the federal government proposed to protect 2,000 km of the area as a national park. At that time, there was no law in place to create a national park. In 1980, the National Parks Act 1980 (Malaysia) was passed by the Malaysian Parliament. However, disagreements between federal and state authorities prevented the creation of a national park at that time. Five years later, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks suggested designating the same area as a wildlife sanctuary to protect the critically endangered Sumatran rhinoceros. In 2022, Endau-Rompin National Park was declared an ASEAN heritage park.

Flora and fauna

Endau-Rompin is one of the oldest tropical rainforest areas in the world and contains rock formations that are about 248 million years old.

Mammals that are found only in Endau-Rompin include the Malayan tiger, Indochinese leopard, Clouded leopard, Asian golden cat, Leopard cat, Marbled cat, Asian elephant, Malayan tapir, Bornean bearded pig, Banded pig, Barking deer, Sambar deer, Lesser mouse deer, Greater mouse deer, Sunbear, Long-tailed macaque, Pig-tailed macaque, Dusky leaf monkey, and Banded Langur.

This area once had the largest remaining group of Northern Sumatran rhinoceroses, a species at risk of extinction, on the Malay Peninsula. However, these animals are now extinct in the wild throughout Malaysia.

The Gollum's toad, Ingerophrynus gollum, is found only in Endau-Rompin National Park.