MB disputes A-G’s claims of shrinking forests in Johor

-The Star- By ZAZALI MUSA

NUSAJAYA: Johor has refuted claims in the Auditor-General’s Report that the state’s forest reserves were rapidly shrinking due to poor forest management and enforcement.

Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said Johor’s forest reser-ves was 29% of the size of the state making up 440,940ha, and not 18% as reported.

He added that in 1923, the state had gazetted a total of 557,864ha as forest reserves, however some 216, 924ha were opened for the Felda, Felcra and Kejora schemes.

But, in 1997 some 100,000ha had been gazetted as permanent forest reserve to replace part of the land opened up for the schemes, added Abdul Ghani.

Of this, 42,000ha was turned into the Endau-Rompin National Park, 38,000ha as the Gunung Ledang forest reserve and 20,000ha as wetlands, he said.

Abdul Ghani was speaking at the launch of the Our Jungle-Johor project at Kota Iskandar, the Johor State New Administrative Centre by Malaysia Landscape chairman Tun Jeanne Abdullah.

Also present was former Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who is also the advisor for the development of the National Growth Corridors.

He said the project to develop man-made landscapes or gardens to look like natural jungles was based on the Our Jungle-Kiara launched by Jeanne at Taman Bukit Kiara in Kuala Lumpur in February.

Some 40.46ha of the total development area of 121.40ha in Kota Iskandar will be planted with 7,000 trees including 200 jungle tree species, he said.

Under the Eighth Malaysia Plan, he said, Johor had planted over 500,000 trees and by the end of the ninth plan next year another 500,000 trees would have been planted statewide.

“Apart from the efforts taken by the government, property developers have also played their part in greening Johor, by allocating 10% of their total development area as urban jungle parks,” Abdul Ghani said.