THE destruction of the Shah Alam community forest (SACF) to make way for a road and cemetery will mean the loss of one of the last few green lungs in the Klang Valley, said a group of local residents.

They are furious the Selangor government does not acknowledge the value of SACF as a habitat for animals like the Malaysian tapir and snakes, and as an recreational spot with its 15km-long hiking trails.

SACF, which is connected to the Bukit Cerakah forest reserve, also brings economic benefit to the small businesses and traders in the neighbourhood, said local resident Bernard Tan.

“This forest is not just a spot for hiking but it also helps to boost the local economy around this neighbourhood.

“People from around the Klang Valley come here to hike and this has resulted in restaurants and local shops sprouting in the area,” said the software engineer.

Tan and other residents said the authorities should gazette the SACF as a permanent forest reserve.

“This is exactly why Malaysia wasn’t invited to the climate summit” Tan said, referring to a meeting of world leaders on climate change hosted by US President Joe Biden this month.

While Malaysia has been left out, its neighbours Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam have not, prompting domestic criticism of Putrajaya’s lack of climate change action.

The SACF is largely on state land owned by the Selangor government and state-owned State Development Corporation of Selangor (PKNS).

Plans for a proposed road through the forest to connect Setia Alam to Section U10 are in the Shah Alam Local Draft Plan 2035.

Regular hiker Fariz Khalid, 37, said it is unacceptable to destroy the SAFC.

“We cannot continue deforestation, replacing forests with concrete jungles. It’s extremely unsustainable.

“I moved to this neighbourhood just so that my children can enjoy the greenery that this place has to offer,” said the father of two.

Another frustrated resident who asked to be identified as Chandra, 49, called the authorities’ development plan “a disgrace”.

“All our lives we have been told to take care of Mother Nature and now they want to deforest and build another concrete jungle.

“We already have a country filled with skyscrapers and another development is not going to help the country in any way,” Chandra said.

SAFC founder Alicia Teoh said investigations have not turned up a forest’s land status, there is no de-gazettement notification for its excision from the Bukit Cherakah Forest Reserve.

“Hence, SACF is technically still a permanent forest reserve and not land meant for development,” she said.

“Our lawyer sent the details of our investigation to the Selangor State Secretary in November 2020 and although they have acknowledged receipt of our letter, they have not responded to our request for a meeting to clarify this matter despite numerous follow-up calls and letters.”

SAFCS wants the state government to acknowledge the mistake of placing the forest as land meant for commercial development and a cemetery, and to certify the area as a permanent forest reserve.

The natural lowland forest is 172ha large and forms the major part of the Bukit Cherakah forest corridor.

Earlier this month, the Shah Alam City Hall (MBSA) held a public hearing to hear objections to the proposed connecting road that would cut across the forest.

Although a public hearing, the media were barred from reporting on it while residents and others who attended were not allowed to take photos and videos. A limited number of people were allowed to speak, according to SACF’s Teoh.

She has written on SACF’s Facebook page that the group will be seeking the minutes of the public hearing from MBSA to follow up on questions on the legality of degazetting the SACF, since it is still part of the Bukit Cerakah Forest Reserve.

“No one from the authorities at the hearing could give a definite answer on SACF’s true status, including the Petaling Land Department. The Forestry Department was conspicuously absent.

“If indeed SACF has not been degazetted via proper procedures (including a public consultation as is required by Selangor state forestry laws), then it is unlawful for MBSA or any other party to develop this forest,” Teoh wrote on April 8.

Teoh, when asked by The Malaysian Insight yesterday, said the group had not managed to obtain copies of the minutes yet, and will be writing to MBSA and to state tourism, environment, green technology and Orang Asli affairs committee chairman Hee Loy Sian. – April 22, 2021.