AN important peat swamp forest in Kuala Langat is not degraded but re-growing, said a coalition of civil society groups as Selangor moves to end its protected status and cut it down.

The latest field checks show that 90% of the area, which was once depleted, is now carpeted by mahang and tenggek burong trees, the majority of which have grown up to 10m, the Global Environment Centre (GEC) said.

The revitalisation takes away a key rationale cited by the state government to cut down and develop the forest.

Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the administration wants to cut down and develop 930ha of the Kuala Langat north forest reserve as it is degraded and a source of forest fires.

“I think the state government has received outdated information. I don’t think they’ve seen for themselves how the forest is re-growing,” said GEC director Dr Faisal Parish.

“It’s not some patch of lalang (long grass) any more, its actually regrown forest,” Faisal said in a press briefing at the edge of the reserve.

The replanted areas, which comprise 372ha out of the 930ha, is no longer a fire risk because of efforts to care for and rehabilitate it by the local Orang Asli community.

The forest is home to about 1,000 Orang Asli from the Temuan tribe, who live in four villages surrounding it.

The community has ancestral land claims to the forest that date back to 1927, when it was first gazetted as a protected area by the then Selangor sultan.

“If the state government goes ahead and cuts down the forest, it will increase the risk of forest fires breaking out in surrounding peat swamp areas,” said Faisal.

A massive fire that broke out in 2014 and razed 40% of the forest is believed to have started during a drought.

“The fire had started from the Elite Highway, perhaps from a cigarette butt from a motorist, and it spread through the forest. Since then, only one fire has broken out in 2017 but that was quickly brought under control.”

The GEC, along with the four Temuan villages and six other civil society organisations, have launched a campaign to oppose the de-gazettement and keep it as a permanent forest reserve.

North Kuala Langat is an important water catchment area for Sg Langat and Sg Klang basin and helps mitigate floods in the district.

Cutting it down would also release about 5.5 million tonnes of carbon, a greenhouse gas responsible for global warming, which would impact on the climate in Kuala Langat, Sepang, Cyberjaya and Putrajaya.

Local residents and groups have until March 5 to submit objections to the state’s move to the Forestry Department.

Another environmentalist who is part of the coalition, Leela Panikkar, said the coalition will launch an online campaign to assist Kuala Langat residents to file objection letters.

This is because objection letters must clearly state the reasons for opposing the de-gazettement.

“We will also write to the department to extend the process of filing objections because the 30-day period is insufficient time for residents to object,” said Leela of the Treat Every Environment as Special (TrEES) group.

Plans for the de-gazettement were revealed on February 5 through a notice in two local newspapers.

“It is not enough time for residents to be informed of the de-gazettement as Kuala Langat has a population of about 320,000.”

Theiva Lingam of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) said any Selangor resident can file a letter of objection against the de-gazettement, even though the state government has said it will only accept letters from local residents.

“The spirit of the enactment of such public hearings is that anyone with an interest in the forest can file an objection.” – February 25, 2020.