Sahabat Alam Malaysia is absolutely furious at the incessant clearing of the forest reserve in Bukit Antarabangsa, Kuala Lumpur resulting in a mousedeer seeking refuge in a resident's home and later dying from the trauma.
SAM totally supports the call by Ampang residents for an immediate halt to the clearing of forests and hills to prevent such an incident from ever happening again.
It seems to us that there seems to be more cases of blatant land clearing as well as illegal logging cropping up in the media. We have come to the conclusion that tracts of forests and hills are being cleared with a total disregard to what is left of the wildlife in these areas.
There is a total lack of transparency in the way land and development deals are processed. The rights of the citizens have to be taken seriously. Citizens should be allowed to enjoy what is left of our mature forests which also cater for the recreational needs of the urban population.
SAM suggests that a proper, independent and transparent appeals procedure be set up against wanton development so that this type of excessive land clearing can be stopped. The authorities should also question how wildlife in the area earmarked for development are going to be taken care of or transferred to the right habitats.
The inability of developers to strike that balance between providing housing and maintaining nature has been proven despite their claims to the contrary in their advertisements for new properties.
This leads us to believe that developers in this country are only greed-motivated and do not seriously consider the consequences their careless actions have on nature and its wildlife.
In regards to this, SAM applauds the natural resources and environment ministry's move to ask state governments to get the approval of their state assemblies before they develop recreational land.
The government has also planned to make environmental impact assessment reports a must for development of areas exceeding 20 hectares. Currently, EIAs are only required for areas exceeding 50 hectares.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Adenan Satem has also said that his ministry would set up a ‘flying squad’ to take a more proactive role in punishing those responsible for environmental pollution and degradation.
SAM hopes that these proposals will materialise for the sake of our innocent wildlife who are being forced to seek refuge in residential areas because their homes are being rampantly destroyed.
The writer is the president of Sahabat Alam Malaysia.
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