Wherefore art thou, o brother forest?

Originally posted on January 25, 2006.

This article has been published in MalaysiaKini under Opinions and Features on 6th Feb 2006.

A belated congratulations to the Selangor State Government upon receiving its developed state status on August 27, 2005. It is that encouraging the state government declared and opened the Selangor Heritage Park (Taman Warisan Selangor) on the same day – hopefully marking the birth of a new era in forestry conservation.

The Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo said that the 107,000 hectare park, which spreads across 3 districts – Hulu Selangor, Gombak and Hulu Langat, was guaranteed as a permanent forest reserve and no logging or development will be allowed unless the public agrees. The Selangor Heritage Park not only provides 98% of Selangor’s water supply, it also boasts the longest quartz ridge in the world at 14km long. Among other things, the park’s biodiversity is so rich and abundant that it cannot be ignored.

Unfortunately, the euphoria was short-lived. Below are the recaps on the reports in a chronological manner.

On September 13, Shukor Kadir - a concerned citizen of Hulu Langat reported logging activities in the forest reserve that was suppose to be part of the Selangor Heritage Park. Upon lodging a report, Kadir was told that the gazette did not exist. The logging concessionaire Fungsi Mewah was awarded the permit in April 2001 but the logging permit commenced on August 1, 2005 and expires on July 31, 2006 for an area of 334 hectares. This mark the beginning of a very messy and confusing banter between the locals and the relevant authorities.

On September 16, the Press Secretariat of Selangor Government responded to clarify that opening of the park in August 27, 2005 was just a declaration of status and not the gazetting of the area. It is rather intriguing since the statements published in the Press following the event stating that it is indeed a gazette as mentioned by the Deputy Prime Minister, the Menteri Besar and members of the Press.

On January 15, it was reported by the Press that the villagers of Kampung Lembah Gahal, where the logging site is situated above, raised a complaint again after the previous complaint as reported by Shukor Kadir turned to deaf ears. This time it got the attention of Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo, State Exco for Natural resources, Datuk Raja Ideris Ahmad, and State Forestry Director Nik Mohd Shah. Dr Mohamad Khir claimed that the land is privately owned, and not part of the Selangor Heritage Park. Nevertheless, he was dissatisfied with the explanation given by the logging firm and hence issued a temporary stop work order pending further investigation and deliberation by the state executive council. Despite the stop-work order, villagers claimed that the operation continues. Apparently, logging activities were heavy and carried on till late into the night.

On January 18, the state government revoked the licence of the logging company. Although the stop-work order has been issued, the felled logs were allowed to be removed within a few weeks. Dr Mohamad Khir said the area would be turned into a forest reserve.

That was the last we have heard and it seems that there are still questions pending answers.

1. What is the status of the Selangor Heritage Park – was it a declaration or gazette back in August?
2. If indeed that the area has not been gazetted, does that mean the protection granted for Selangor Heritage Park cannot be applied to our forest reserves?
3. How do we ascertain if a forest reserve or logging site is not in the Selangor Heritage Park if the area has yet to be gazetted?

Being an avid nature lover, these incidences intrigued and compelled me to pay this infamous site a visit. I had a heavy suspicion that logging may still go on under the disguise of log removal. What I witnessed and discovered on this trip was very disheartening.

My first stop was the log yard – a clearing at the entrance where the felled logs are kept temporarily. I found logs that are oozing with sap which means they have just been felled. I also found logs that were too young to be felled as the diameter of the logs were far too thin. Logging firms in the past have claimed that the young trees were felled during the clearing of the logging path but I doubt we can be certain of it.

An interesting note is the signboard that states the area as Hutan Simpanan Hulu Langat when the site supposedly privately owned.

I was informed that the logging site is 3km away from the log yard. I went along the path for as long as I could before dusk falls. I noticed a few disturbing findings – the proximity of the logging path to the stream and the gradient of the slopes. I believe there should be a buffer zone between any clearing or logging road to a water source in order not to risk contamination or siltation.

The gradient of the slopes along the logging path was extremely steep where at certain points it was almost a vertical wall. These slopes are between 5 – 10 metres high. I dread to think the worst if there was a landslide or erosion as the villager are within the destruction path.

As I went along further into the path, I came to a split where the path had branches to the left, centre and right. The condition of the left and right path were very muddy and the vehicle tracks were very fresh. I could not continue on the path as it was dusk soon.

On the very next day, the headlines of our newspaper announces that Malaysia is ranked ninth on the Environmental Performance Index and next to that we saw the illegal felling of a 100 year old Tualang tree.

In all honesty, I do hope that our federal and state government step up to the challenge of being ranked the top nine most environmentally conscious country. Our Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak once said that the forest was a gift from God and that it was everyone’s responsibility to protect it - “Don’t look at our trees and forests as just a source of timber. Look beyond our forests and appreciate what they offer.”