KUALA LUMPUR – The Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Ministry should advise Kedah against lanthanide mining in a forest reserve there, even though land and resources are under state jurisdiction, an environmental group said.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) said Kedah’s plans to mine the non-radioactive rare earth element in the Bukit Enggang Forest Reserve in Sik, would be an offence in that rare earth elements are not included in the “interpretation of forest products”, group president Meenakshi Raman said in a statement today.
Forest products and forests are under the jurisdiction of state governments, as provided in the Federal Constitution and its Ninth Schedule, but their definition excludes rare earth element mineral resources.
This definition is according to Section 2 of the National Forestry Act (Adoption) Enactment 1985 and the National Forestry Act 1984 (Act 313), Meenakshi added.
This definition was also adopted by the special task force meeting to study the effects of lanthanum production in permanent reserved forests held from September 2 to 3, 2020, she said.
“SAM urges the ministry to ensure that the Kedah government does not approve the mining of non-radioactive rare earth element mineral resources in the Bukit Enggang Forest Reserve.
“The federal government can advise the state that all policies, rulings, and commitments related to forests decided at the federal level are applied at the state level,” Meenakshi said.
Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Sanusi Mohd Nor in 2020 announced the state’s plans to mine rare earth, including lanthanide, as they carried an untapped value of some RM62 billion.
On March 20, however, NRECC minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said in a parliamentary written reply that the Department of Environment had yet to receive any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for such activities in Kedah.
It was also reported that Menteri Besar Kedah Incorporated (MBI Kedah) had signed a memorandum of understanding with Jangka Bakat Minerals Sdn Bhd and China’s Xiamen Tungsten Co Ltd on the exploration, technical assistance and mining of rare earth elements in January.
“SAM also reiterates that the state must heed the decision by the National Land Council (NLC) during the 70th NLC Meeting in 2014 for all state governments to take the initiative to control or as far as possible avoid the approval of mining and quarrying activities in permanent forest reserves.
“Mining and quarrying activities in PRFs will disrupt the forest biodiversity and its functions and will affect Malaysia’s achievement of sustainable forest management which is the core of our national forest management.” – The Vibes, April 4, 2023
