GOPENG, July 25 — The Perak government will take action against a cooperative that allegedly cleared over three hectares in the Kinta Nature Park here last week.

The cooperative is believed to have cleared the gazetted land for agricultural purposes, which was discovered by members of the public on July 17.

The Kinta Nature Park is Perak’s third gazetted park and comes under the purview of the Perak State Parks Corporation.

State tourism and culture exco Tan Kar Hing said the corporation lodged a police report on the encroachment on July 19, a day after visiting the site.

"The people who did this claimed to own the encroached land and signed a rental agreement with another operator,” Tan told reporters after visiting the site.

"However, this document was never approved by the state government and it is illegal. We did not give any such permission to anyone.”

State parks corporation director Noor Asmah Mohd Nawawi said the area was unfenced and easily accessible.

She then admitted that enforcement was a problem as there were only two rangers patrolling the 395ha park.

"They patrol daily covering different areas. The numbers we have are a limitation and we have asked for more personnel from the state,” she said.

Tan said the state government will erect fencing and increase the number of security and enforcement personnel at the park as a response.

He noted that there were several other infrastructure-related problems with the park, including a lack of electricity and running water.

In addition, the main access road is a rough and dusty gravel road with numerous troughs and dips.

"We are also aware that there isn’t enough signage here. We want to solve these problems as soon as possible,” Tan said.

Located around 40km from Ipoh, the park was first set up in 2000, before being gazetted as a state park last year.

It is a haven for nature lovers and bird-watchers alike, with over 150 bird species calling the park home.