SHAH ALAM – The re-gazetting process of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve (KLNFR) spanning an area of 536.7ha, which was previously de-gazetted in 2021, was finalised during the state government meeting two weeks ago.
Bernama reported Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari as saying that the issue is considered over and the implementation will be carried out by the Selangor Forestry Department.
“The total forest area is still the same as before. Implementation will be done by the department,” he said when asked to comment on the matter.
He said this after officiating the handing-over ceremony of sacrificial animals for Hari Raya Haji at the Shah Alam City Council Convention Centre here, today.
The degazetting of KLNFR was announced by state Tourism, Environment, Green Technology and Orang Asli Affairs Committee chairman Hee Loy Sian at the state assembly sitting on August 30, 2021, approved under Section 12, Selangor Forestry Act (Adoption) Enactment 1985.
At the ceremony, Amirudin said the state government will hand over 700 cows and 1,000 goats from June 28 onwards to mosques, surau, agencies, and institutions to carry out the religious sacrificial rites at the end of this month.
He said that in total, the state government has spent RM6 million for the implementation of sacrificial rites this year.
Also present at the ceremony was state Infrastructure, Public Amenities and Agriculture Modernisation Committee chairman Izham Hashim.
The degazetting of KLNFR for commercial use in 2021 was controversial as it was done by the state executive committee in May that year and only revealed to the public in the Selangor assembly sitting three months later in August.
The move drew an outcry as the assembly had voted against the degazettement of KLNFR the year before in November to protect its biodiversity value and functions for mitigating climate change, and as a resource for Orang Asli living around it.
There were also reports of development plans for the degazetted forest portions, with the state government justifying the move then by saying that the forest was largely degraded and prone to fires.
This however, was refuted by pressure group Pertahankan Hutan Simpan Kuala Langat Utara and members of the Orang Asli community, who said they had taken several initiatives to plant trees and regenerate the forest.
The Selangor government was urged to re-gazette the degazetted portions of KLNFR, and in March last year, Amirudin pledged that the state would do so, keeping 97% of the area to be re-gazetted as a forest reserve. – The Vibes, June 3, 2023
