Selangor Journal
A Selangor Forestry Department ranger showing the border of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve, Kuala Langat, on February 26, 2020. — Picture by HAFIZ OTHMAN/SELANGORKINI

A promise to protect KLNFR

By Nasuha Badrul Huzaini

The state government has regazetted some 1,203 acres of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve (KLNFR) to date, after taking into account the need to dedicate 93 acres of land to the Orang Asli at their Busut Baru settlement and 21 acres to the piping alignment of the Sungai Rasau raw water treatment plant.

State executive councillor for the environment Hee Loy Sian said the state government has always prioritised the public’s interest and has listened to the plight of the people, especially the Orang Asli community.

Hee said in a recent interview with Selangor Journal, the decision to regazette KLNFR was made at the most recent State Executive Council Meeting and the authorities are currently in the process of issuing a public notice on the matter.

State executive councillor for tourism, environment, green technology and Orang Asli affairs Hee Loy Sian. — Picture by REMY ARIFIN/SELANGORKINI

“The Selangor Forestry Department is preparing to issue the public notice soon, hopefully in a month or two, and only then will the process of regazettement be fully completed. Before this, the state government was faced with several challenges such as the re-measuring process as we needed to ensure that we could fulfil all the requirements needed for future development projects, including for the aboriginal settlement and the piping alignment project that I mentioned earlier,” he said.

Last year, the state government agreed to cancel plans to develop the KLNFR and chose to regazette the area after taking into account the public’s objections as well as the need to protect the Orang Asli community.

In 2019, due to the rapid development of the areas surrounding the KLNFR that included the Saujana Putra housing project, the Elite highway and the Gamuda Cove, the state government had planned a mixed development project there.

The process to change the land’s status for development was made in accordance with Section 11(b) Enactment (Adoption) National Forestry Act 1985, which allows the state to degazette the forest reserve should the area pose a higher economic value.

Flood control

So, why was the degazettement of KLNFR, in particular, so contentious? Why were nongovernmental organisations, or more specifically, environmental groups, so fiercely against the decision? After all, it is a known fact that the forest is mainly made up of peat swamp land that is acidic and infertile.

The view from a boat along a conserved mangrove forest park in Langkawi. The Selangor state government has made effort on mangrove conservation and restoration in the state, in critical areas along its coastline. — Picture by Wikimedia Commons.

Hee said peat swamps are often misunderstood to be of little use to the environment. “One of the positive features of the KLNFR — and few people know this — is that being a peat swamp, it has the ability to absorb underground water.

The land acts as a sponge to suck up excess rain water and this helps greatly in preventing flooding in nearby areas like Banting and Tanjung Dua Belas,” he said.

“Apart from that, this forest is the habitat of many flora and fauna species that are unique to their environment. There are numerous types of small mammals living in the forest, like civet cats and squirrels. This explains why the degazettement plan received objections from many parties.

“And as a caring government, we took into consideration every opinion. We listened to the people’s voices, hence the decision to regazette the area was made.”

Replacement policy

Hee said the state government is very concerned about the size of forest reserves in Selangor.

“Ever since we took over the state administration, the size of forest reserves in Selangor has never decreased. In fact, they have got bigger as we have a policy that we adopted years ago.

“For each forest reserve that needs to be developed, we must find a replacement forest — either of the same size or bigger — to be gazetted. Selangor is the only state in Malaysia that implements this policy; there is no other state that goes the extra mile like what we have been doing to protect the forest.

“To date, the current size of forest reserves in Selangor stands at 32.5 per cent and we are aiming to increase the number to 33.3 per cent within 10 years, which is equivalent to one-third of the total forest size in the state. We are moving in that direction now,” he said.

Hee added that as an advanced state, it is nearly impossible to avoid developments in Selangor, especially in the next 10 to 20 years.

“There are three types of development that must be continued for the sake of the people’s wellbeing, namely the construction of new highways, the development of power transmission towers which allows the supply of electricity in Selangor as well as the construction of new piping alignments.

“If we were to carry out all of these projects in the future, we would have to find suitable land and this might lead to another forest reserve degazettement. However, rest assured that the state government will gazette another forest in replacement,” he said.

100 million trees

The councillor for the environment said Selangor has also taken part in the 100 Million Tree-Planting Campaign that was led by the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry as part of the Greening Malaysia programme.

Hee said the state government is collaborating with the relevant government agencies, especially the local councils, as the bodies play an important role in tree-planting.

Volunteers planting mangrove saplings during the planting programme organised by the Sepang Municipal Council (MPSepang) and the Selangor Forestry Department, at Sungai Sepang Besar in Pantai Pasir Putih, Sepang, on February 27, 2022. — Picture by REMY ARIFIN/SELANGORKINI

“Trees help to improve the air quality in Selangor, and will play a vital role in helping us achieve our target of 45 per cent of carbon emissions by 2023, as what has been set in the low carbon city framework.

“We are aiming to record zero carbon emissions by 2050 and I am proud to say that we are currently on track to achieving that target. To ensure that we can meet this target we will have to plant as many trees as possible.

“The goal is to get 100 million trees planted in 10 years, so the state government through its agencies are working hard to plant 10 million trees a year,” he said, adding that they include garden trees, forest reserve trees and mangrove trees.

Price to pay

Hee also highlighted that the state government is still intent on imposing a moratorium on logging activities for 25 years.

“Since 2010, we have suspended logging activities in Selangor and it will last until 2035. The Selangor government has to pay a compensation of RM90 million to three companies that were given logging licences by the previous state administration because they were not allowed to continue the activity after we made the ruling.

“That is the price we have to pay in our effort to preserve our forests and to retain the size of our forest reserves to always be over 32 per cent,” he concluded.

 

This article first appeared in the Selangor Journal monthly May edition, published on April 25, 2022

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