Several groups have raised objections to a proposed 2,020ha plantation project in the Kledang Saiong Forest Reserve, alleging that the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report is incomplete and biased in favour of the developer.
They said this after submitting a memorandum to the Environment Department (DOE) at the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry today.
The groups present outside the DOE’s office were Save Kledang Saiong Forest Reserve Network, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM), Persatuan Aktivis Sahabat Alam (Kuasa), Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM), and others.
SAM field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman said the EIA fails to properly address several critical environmental impacts, particularly sedimentation and flooding risks in tributaries that flow into Sungai Perak.
“All the tributaries from the project site flow into the main river, Sungai Perak. When land clearing occurs, there will be erosion and sedimentation.
“This makes the river turbid and shallow, leading to polluted water, mud floods, and flash floods,” he explained.
Potential human-wildlife conflict
Meor also noted that the EIA failed to address wildlife movement and the barrier created by the North–South Expressway.
“We also worry that when this area is developed, the wildlife cannot move to other forests because topographically, the area is blocked by the North-South Expressway.
“Meaning, the project becomes an ‘island’ and wildlife cannot escape to safer forests because of the expressway barrier,” he said, warning that insufficient mitigation would force animals into settlements and increase human-wildlife conflict.
The environmentalist also argued that affected residents were not properly consulted and that the social impact assessment (SIA) in the EIA was inadequate.
“The number of respondents surveyed in each village is less than 50 percent of households. That is too low.
“The project also threatens the income sources of Orang Asli communities and Malay villages that gather forest produce in that forest,” Meor said, noting it violates Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) principles endorsed under the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Second project
They noted that this is the second forest plantation project approved in the Kledang Saiong Forest Reserve. The first, spanning 4,280ha, was approved last year but has yet to begin on-ground works.
PSM chairperson Dr Michael Jeyakumar Devaraj said the coalition was unable to challenge the first EIA in court because its approval was discovered after the three-month legal deadline had passed.
Both projects in the area involve clear-cutting natural forest and replanting only three commercial tree species, which will be harvested every five to seven years for timber.
Kuasa project officer Nizam Rahman argued that the project defeats the purpose of forest plantations, which are meant to reduce dependence on logging in natural forests rather than convert intact forests into monoculture plantations.
He said such plantations should be established in degraded areas instead of existing forest reserves, disputing claims that the project site falls under a “poor forest” category.
“The forest is ecologically valuable not only for its high diversity of mammals and protected wildlife, but also for its rivers, which provide clean water to surrounding communities,” Nizam said.
On that note, Jeyakumar claimed that the biggest flaw is that the EIA consultant was hired directly by the project’s proponent, creating a conflict of interest.
“The problem in Malaysia is that the EIA is done by a consultant who is hired by the developer; they are the ones paying for the EIA.
“So, when we read this EIA, we see many issues and weaknesses. We say this EIA is biased, tries to save cost (of the development), and should be thrown away,” he said.
Brief scuffle
Earlier, before submitting the memorandum, a brief scuffle broke out when security guards asked the group to disperse during a press conference outside the DOE office, alleging disruption.
The situation was resolved after a short discussion, and the activists proceeded to the DOE assessment division to hand over their documents.
On their next move, the coalition plans to meet Perak Menteri Besar Saarani Mohamad once the EIA objection process concludes, and hopes for further discussion with the ministry.
“The first step is to object to the EIA, the next is to meet the menteri besar.
“We also requested in our memorandum for a dialogue with the (DOE) director-general, so we can explain this more deeply.
“We hope for more participation space, especially for the community itself to express their views,” Jeyakumar said. - Mkini
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