The Star 14 Jul 11;
LESS forest reserve in Selangor is being taken up for development or agriculture, State Tourism, Consumer Affairs and Environment committee chairman Elizabeth Wong said.
Wong said from 2000 to 2008, a total of 7,842ha of forests had been degazetted for development and agriculture.
“Less than 500ha of forest have been de-gazetted from 2008 until today and most of it is for agriculture.
“This shows that the state is concerned over the forests and wants to protect it.
“Now, the existing forest reserve areas in Selangor are maintained systematically with observations from satellite, ground crew and by air for encroachment,’’ said Wong, who was answering a question by Gan Pei Nei (PR-Rawang).
Gan also asked on the steps taken by the government to protest the forest reserves.
Wong said the state had placed the forest reserves under the National Forestry Act 1984 to safeguard from development if any government took over in future.
She pointed out that under the act, there should be a public hearing for residents in the surrounding areas before the forest could be developed.
“This is to ensure that the forests in Selangor cannot disappear without public knowledge,’’ she said.
