Civil society groups and independent experts are sounding the alarm over the proposed 1,289ha forest plantation in Pahang’s Tersang Forest Reserve, warning that it flouts national policy and threatens biodiversity, water security, and indigenous communities.

Most alarming, the Pahang state executive council approved the plan in March 2022, just four months after the National Land Council’s (NLC) December 2021 resolution imposing a moratorium on new forest plantation approvals in permanent reserved forests (PRF).