Treat Every Environment Special, or TrEES, also urged state authorities not to degazette the forest reserve, spanning 23ha of valuable indigenous trees in Bukit Lagong that includes “a tall and close-canopied forest that is pristine in nature”.
“Indigenous tree species such as Meranti Tembaga, Meranti Kepong, Merbau and Petai, as well as an abundance of wildlife tracks serve to exemplify a species-rich lowland dipterocarp forest in the area,” TrEES told FMT.
It is understood that the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) got approval from the then-Barisan Nasional-led state government in 2003.
Last year, Selangor exco in charge of environment Hee Loy Sian reportedly said the land was no longer suitable as a forest reserve, adding that the state would replace its loss by gazetting a bigger forest land in Semenyih.
In December, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), situated some 3km from the Bukit Lagong area, warned that the clearing of the forest might affect its nomination for the Unesco World Heritage Site.
TrEES said the area proposed to be degazetted was extremely sensitive, adding that it was labeled as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) Rank 1 by the Department of Environment.
Under the National Physical Plan 2005, ESA Rank 1 areas prohibit development, agriculture and logging, with only low-impact nature tourism and research for educational purposes allowed.
TrEES said the areas surrounding Bukit Lagong were hit by landslides in 2009 during the development of Taman Amansiara, a nearby residential area.
It said at least three streams from Sungai Gapis flow through the plot and serve as sources of water for wildlife living in the forest area.
“This biologically diverse conservation area serves as a water catchment area providing a clean water supply for local communities, protects slopes, prevents landslides and very importantly, is a roaming ground for the Orang Asli,” said the group, which is made up among others of the Malaysian Nature Society, an Orang Asli group and several residents associations opposed to the clearing of forests in their neighbourhoods.