Be open about removing forest reserve protection, says nature group

A nature conservation group in Pahang has called for a public inquiry into the process of removing the protected status of permanent forest reserves. Rajesh Nagarajan, president of Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka), urged the state government to be transparent about the criteria for degazetting a permanent forest reserve.

The group wants the public to be informed about which forests are being degazetted, the reasons behind the decision, the extent of land involved, the proposed development, and the potential environmental consequences. The Peka representative made these remarks in response to Pahang's Menteri Besar, Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, who stated that the state has its own conditions and procedures for degazetting permanent forest reserves, which he claimed had been working effectively.

Rajesh acknowledged that the state government has jurisdiction over land and forests, but maintained that a public inquiry is not an attack on the government's powers. Instead, he emphasized that such an inquiry is a fundamental mechanism of transparency and accountability. He pointed out the growing concern over the health of the Pahang River, which is the largest in the peninsula.

The riverbed near Maran is becoming exposed, revealing the extent of the pressure on the state's river system. While the Peka group did not attribute the river's condition solely to the degazettement of forests, they suggested that a public inquiry could help examine the relationship between forest loss, land-use changes, erosion, sedimentation, and the overall health of the river system.