Parti Socialis Malaysia had falsely accused Selangor Menteri Besar Azmin Ali and the Selangor government of “simultaneously wiping out key forest heritage” in a press statement published on March 20, 2016.

In addition, they accused the Selangor government of destroying the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge.

Their incorrect claims and assumptions were based on two public advertisements which had proposed to degazette 33 hectares of Forest Reserves.

Similarly, BN's selangor Parti Gerakan Malaysia had also painted this false picture.

However, they left out the fact that the total gazetted forest reserves in Selangor is more 250,000 hectares and that if any area of that 33 hectares proposed is to be degazetted, it has to be replaced.

The Klang Gates Quartz Ridge (now known as the Selangor Gombak Quartz Ridge) will not be touched and in fact, an application to gazette it as a National Heritage Site has been made by the state government since 2014.

The state only allows the clearing of forests for infrastructure and utility projects, for example: roads, water, power and gas - and only if all avenues pertaining to the alternative realignment of these projects have been exhausted or cannot be found.

This is the 33 hectares PSM and Gerakan are referring to in the two advertisements.

The Department of Forestry Selangor will also assist to keep the alignment of projects near the boundaries of the forest reserves, or request for elevation of structures such as roads.

In the event of the any degazetting of Forest Reserves, the project proponent must provide a replacement at the closest Forest Reserves.

If Selangor were to degazette any forest reserve, it must be publicised and a public hearing will have to be convened. Selangor is a first state government in Malaysia to amend the state forestry laws to include this public engagement, and still is the only state to do so.

Selangor has one of the most comprehensive forest conservation and management policy since they were introduced in 2009.

It is also the first state to have a moratorium on commercial logging.

In addition, it has also stipulated a minimum forest reserve coverage of 30 percent.

Currently Forest Reserve cover in Selangor stands at 31.56 percent and this percentage increases every year.

Since 2009, there has been an additional 12,000 hectares of forest reserve added to Selangor.

ELIZABETH WONG is the Bukit Lanjan state assemblyperson and Selangor exco member for tourism, environment, green technology and consumer affairs.