SELANGOR’S move to seek public feedback on a plan to degazette the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve is only the third of nine procedures that the state must undergo before making a decision, said Amirudin Shari.

The menteri besar said the state government will not decide on the matter without first hearing the public’s views and studying technical reports on the proposal’s cost benefits.

“Selangor is the only state to invite public feedback on the status of forest reserves, and this is only the third step out of nine that must be done before any decision is made,” he said in a statement today.

Amirudin said he acknowledged criticism from Orang Asli and environmentalists over the plan to degazette 930ha, or 97%, of the forest reserve for a mixed-development project.

He reiterated the state government’s commitment to respecting the rights of the Orang Asli living in the forest reserve, and pledged to find solutions so that their settlements are not disturbed.

The government will replace degazetted forest reserve land in another part of the state to increase the percentage of permanent forest reserves in Selangor to 35% by 2025 from the current 31%, or 250,209ha, he added.

Amirudin’s administration has come under fire since the plan to degazette the forest reserve was revealed on February 5, when the state Forestry Department published a notice in a newspaper inviting stakeholders in Kuala Langat to voice their objections to the proposal within 30 days.

The Temuan have said the plan will destroy 97% of the forest reserve and rob them of their livelihood and identity as Orang Asli, while environmental groups said the area serves an important function as a carbon sink. – February 21, 2020.