IPOH, Jan 8 — A group of Orang Asli joined environmental groups today to ask the Perak government to reject a proposal for monoculture development (forest farming) in the state’s permanent forest reserves.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman said monoculture development would not only hurt the livelihoods of the Orang Asli but also the nature and wildlife in the forest reserve.
“A big part of the proposed area of the forest farming involves water catchment areas and Central Forest Spine (CFS), which is also a wildlife corridor.
“This proposed forest farming requires the land to be cleared fully which will also destroy all the forest products,” he told a press conference in front of the State Secretariat building.
Meor said that among the forests that would be affected by the proposal are Ijok Forest Reserve, Kledang Saiong Forest Reserve, Bintang Hijau Forest Reserve, Bukit Kinta Forest Reserve, Korbu Forest Reserve and Piah Forest Reserve.
“The Kledang Saiong Forest Reserve and Bukit Kinta Forest Reserve are part of the Kinta Valley Geopark. No point gazetting the area as Geopark if the state wanted to start a monoculture development,” he said.
Meor said that the proposed monoculture development is believed to be for timber latex clones and “Musang King” durian.
He also said that in 2017, about 56,503 hectares or 5.6 per cent of Perak’s permanent forest reserve in Perak was developed for forest farming.
Mohd Radi Changang, 48, who represented the Orang Asli from Kampung Kerawat, Simpang Pulai, said land clearing around the village would also violate their ancestral land.
“We want the state government to stop destroying the forest. We oppose all the logging projects which destroy our ancestral land.
“This land clearing will also cause landslides and damage the quality of the rivers near our village,” he said.
Earlier, about 30 Orang Asli representatives from various villages around Perak held a gathering in front of the State Secretariat Building.
Also present at the gathering was Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam chairman Hafizudin Nasarudin.
Meor also delivered a memorandum opposing forest farming in the state to the mentri besar’s special officer Mohd Jaffery Mohd Zainol.
