Quarrying threatens to flatten this wildlife refuge in Kelantan

1. These tree-clad limestone karsts are the only remaining wild areas in Chiku but they may soon by quarried for cement production. - MOHD FAIZAL SHAUPI2. Unique cave formations, shaped over millions of years, can be a tourism-draw. - ALI SHAMSUL BAHAR3. This bent-toed gecko, seen here cleaning its eye with its tongue, is a new species found in a cave in Chiku 7. - DR LEE GRISMER4. Pottery shards reveal the existence of a neolithic settlement in the cave. - LAILI BASIR5. A stream runs through one of the caves in Chiku 7 limestone. - ALI SHAMSUL BAHAR

These tree-clad limestone karsts are the only remaining wild areas in Chiku, Kelantan, but they may soon be quarried for cement production. Photo: Mohd Faizal Shaupi

On maps, it shows up as a tree-covered region. The Relai Forest Reserve, to be exact. But what is seen from the air is an expanse of rubber and oil palm trees, broken up in parts by soaring limestone outcrops.