Selangor assemblyman Elizabeth Wong said at present only Selangor had enacted a provision to make such public hearings mandatory. The federal government “cannot wait for (other) states to do the necessary,” she said today.

Commenting on the 12th Malaysia Plan, tabled in the Dewan Rakyat today, she said federal action was needed to find ways to compel the states to adopt the law “including the provision of financial incentives” to preserve and to maintain existing forest reserves.

Wong’s statement comes at a time when degazettement of forest reserve land has caused an outcry. Earlier this month, the Selangor state government said the degazettement of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve had been suspended.

More than 500 hectares of the reserve had been earmarked for a property development project by a private company.

Wong, of PKR, is a former Selangor executive councillor responsible for environmental matters.

She called for a number of other environmental policies, including a 25-year moratorium on commercial logging and a commitment to only degazette forest reserves for projects of national interest.

Any portion of protected forest that is degazetted must be replaced elsewhere by high quality forest land of equal or greater size. She said states must be encouraged to increase the area of their protected forestry every year.

“It is imperative that conservation of natural resources must be backed by adequate funds and financing. I welcome the setting up of the PES (Payment for Ecosystem Services) and the exponential expansion of the National Conservation Trust Fund,” she said.

“This will provide adequate compensatory funds and incentivise conservation activities in the states.”