(MY) shrinking forests

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2007/08/24-New Straits Times

 

Forest reserve shrinking by the day

By : Jaspal Singh

 

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More than 3,000ha of the forest reserve have been de-gazetted for

development projects.

 

 

PARIT: From about 4,100ha more than 20 years ago, the Parit forest

reserve today is a shadow of its original size.

 

With only about 1,000ha left, the forest reserve in the district of

Perak Tengah continues to be de-gazetted for infrastructure, township

and agriculture development projects.

 

The trend is worrying environmental activists.

 

They are concerned that if development activities are carried out

without restraint, the remaining forest cover, which is home to

several endangered species, will be gone forever.

 

The greatest worry for Perak Environment Association members is that

if the forest cover is lost to development, the endangered species

will be forced to forage for food in villages and townships

mushrooming around the dwindling reserve.

 

The forest reserve is home to seven protected species: Clouded

leopards, Malayan tapirs, leopard cats, lesser and large mousedeer,

smooth otters and purple herons.

 

These animals, association spokesman Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman

said, depended on swamps in the forest reserve for their survival.

 

" In fact, the Parit forest reserve happens to be the only freshwater

wetland area in Perak.

 

" If development is left unchecked, the wetland's fragile eco-system

will be damaged in no time, " he said.

 

Meor Razak said the forest reserve began to be de-gazetted for

development in the 1980s for the establishment of the Universiti Sains

Malaysia engineering branch campus in Tronoh (now Universiti Teknologi

Petronas), the Institut Teknologi Mara (now UiTM) and the Seri

Iskandar township.

 

Parts of the forest reserve were also de-gazetted for oil palm

estates, he added.

 

And, Meor said the state authorities had been allowing the remaining

forest to be logged under concessions.

 

Meor Razak said the association was also concerned with land-clearing

on a 161.8ha area which was once part of the forest reserve.

 

He said the association had on Aug 17 written to Menteri Besar Datuk

Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali to reconsider the de-gazetting of the forest

reserve for development projects.