SHAH ALAM – The Selangor government intends to build a 120-km-long trail across the Central Forest Spine from Hulu Selangor to Hulu Langat, which is expected to become a new tourist attraction in the state.
Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said it was part of the state’s plan to declare the permanent forest reserves (HSK) as Selangor Royal Heritage Forest (HWDS), as a tourist destination for nature lovers interested in hiking and jungle trekking.
“The road that has been arranged (planned) by the Selangor Forestry Department for a distance of 120km and if it materialises will become one of the tourist attractions (in Selangor).”
“However, it is certain that we will control the number of tourists entering because it will have a direct impact on the quality of the forest.
“If we allow too many people to enter (the forest) then there will be less control of littering (pollution), care, conservation and preservation of the environment,” he said after the HWDS declaration ceremony as well as the Sg Chiling Scientific Expedition Mini Seminar of Hulu Selangor Forest Reserve, at a hotel here today.
Earlier, Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah consented to declare a forest area of 108,000ha as HWDS at the ceremony.
In the meantime, Amirudin added that the state government, through the Selangor Forestry Department, will facilitate the registration and control of entry into the HSK area as an effort to raise awareness about the importance of forest protection.
“Now you can use the application (to register) to enter the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) in Selayang. Making it easier for visitors who want to go to the ‘skywalk’ (canopy walkway) and so on, simply register through the application without queuing at the counter, and FRIM will be able to control the number of people entering there,” he said.
In addition, he said the Selangor Forestry Department is also collaborating with the research and development team of Telekom Malaysia to develop software to monitor activities in the forest.
“They will develop software to monitor the condition of the forest. So, based on sensors or reports, some activities, such as public entry, animal movement, fires, and various other occurrences such as landslides, can be detected,” he said.
Earlier, Amirudin, in his speech at the ceremony, said the state is now actively strengthening efforts to preserve and sustain forests and the environment in line with the First Selangor Plan (RS-1) to ensure that Selangor is a resilient state, its people are always protected and the environment is preserved.
He said a high commitment has also been given to supporting agendas and policies at the national and international levels regarding the preservation of biodiversity and climate change issues.
“Among the efforts made is to implement a moratorium policy on logging in HSK for 25 years since 2010; obtain international recognition through forest management certification by complying with the Standard Criteria and Indicators (Malaysia and Indicators, MC&I) of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM); and receive recognition as the seventh national geopark in Malaysia and the first in Selangor from the National Geopark Committee on November 4, 2022, which is known as Gombak-Hulu Langat Geopark,” he said. – November 28, 2023
