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@ Forest | July-August , 2021

BY FATIHAH MANAF

According to Datuk Ahmad Khirrizal Ab Rahman , Comptroller of the Royal Household of the Sultan of Pahang , the Regent ordered the rehabilitation of the former mining areas .

The prince commanded the said areas to be restored by planting suitable forest trees and demanded State and federal governments strengthen their preservation and conservation efforts .

Ahmad Khirrizal stated the royal command aimed to protect and conserve flora and fauna in the Tasik Chini area . The Regent was said to have made a surprise visit to Tasik Chini , following the recent claims and photos regarding mining activities in the area that went viral on social media .

According to Ahmad Khirrizal , Tengku Hassanal agreed with the State government ’ s decision not to issue any new mining permits since 2019 . Before the decision , 14 mining licences were issued , and only two are still active . The decision was made by the Pahang Land and Mines Office in March 2019 , after the Tasik Chini State Park was gazetted as Chini Forest Reserve .

As part of his commitment to Go Green and ESG , the prince had recently initiated a # PushUp4Environment challenge on his Instagram account . According to the HouseofPahang , Tengku Hassanal had called for people ’ s participation in the preservation and conservation efforts to protect the environment .

PEKA objects mining activities near Tasik Chini

On June 7 , the Organisation for the Preservation of Natural Heritage Malaysia ( PEKA ) expressed their objection to the approval of the Tasik

# PushUp4Environment challenge .

Tengku Hassanal of Pahang

Dato ' Sri Wan Rosdy , Pahang MB

Chini mining project by the Pahang government . The firm involved in the project located at Lot 89798 Mukim Penyor , Pekan , was co-owned by Kelantan and Pahang royalty .

PEKA Malaysia President , Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina , in an open letter to Pahang Menteri Besar , Dato ’ Sri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail , stated the mining activities , even though they take place three kilometres from Tasik Chini area , would contribute to ecological imbalances .

According to PEKA Malaysia , the existing deforestation and mining activities near Tasik Chini had already threatened the buffer zone size in that area .

PEKA Malaysia stated the ongoing pollution and hydrologic disturbance would lead to severe natural disasters such as flooding and landslides . It would also affect the Orang Asli and tourism sector in Tasik Chini .

“ PEKA Malaysia is glad approval was cancelled . This activity does not benefit the government and its people ,” stated Shariffa .

MyHutan calls out the lack of transparency

MyHutan , a youth-led environmental movement , then expressed its disappointment concerning the issue . Aidil Iman and Divya Arumugam , members of MyHutan said it was devastating to see an ecological heritage exploited rapidly .

“ The destructive mining in Tasik Chini and its surrounding area is not aligned with sustainable development . Nor does it uphold the standards of a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve ,” said MyHutan .

“ The Pahang government must gazette Tasik Chini as a Protected Area and allocate sufficient funds for restoration efforts . The recently passed Belanjawan 2021 introduced RM70 million worth of Ecological Fiscal Transfer ( EFT ), which should be a part of rehabilitating Tasik Chini .

“ Aside from financial support , the lack of transparency must be cracked down .”

Aidil and Divya also stated that efforts to preserve the Tasik Chini area are critical . The site is a biodiversity haven for freshwater species . They are quoted as the world ’ s most threatened species facing 83 per cent of average decline .

They also highlighted the cultural values of Tasik Chini , which helped to sustain the livelihoods of the Orang Asli communities .

“ Enforcing protection upon Tasik Chini prevents the leaking of pollutants and preserves our water catchment area ,” added MyHutan .

MyHutan pointed out the continuation of the project would be environmentally devastating .

They said : “ These impacts include biodiversity loss , sinkholes , contamination and erosion . It would also negatively affect the livelihoods of the local Orang Asli people . If this degradation continues , Tasik Chini will lose its UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status , and Malaysians would see the collapse of a national bio-heritage .”

Pahang Menteri Besar ’ s response

Wan Rosdy shared the State Land and Mineral Director ’ s Office , and Forestry Department had been instructed to identify additional areas and work for the expansion . The Pahang MB said the increase would be a great help in meeting the requirements set by UNESCO .

On June 25 , Wan Rosdy revealed that the restoration of the affected area in Tasik Chini was expected to cost almost RM20 million . He said the Pahang government had already allocated RM1 million for the effort , which would begin in August .

He stated one of the challenges of the action was the composition of severely affected mine land . However , the State government had designed the restoration plan to comprehensively include biodiversity and hydrological aspects .

The menteri besar denied the State government only took action after the issue went viral . He stated restoration efforts had begun in 2019 when Tasik Chini was gazetted as a permanent forest reserve .

Wan Rosdy also shared that the State government would accelerate their replanting work . They would add another RM10 million to the RM250,000 which had been spent so far for reforestation .

Additionally , the State government would also strengthen the enforcement activities .

Similar fate faced by Som Forest Reserve

An iron ore excavation project in Kuala Tembeling is now in the queue to be approved by the Pahang Department of Environment for its operation . The proposed site of this project is another degazetted forest reserve area . Similar to the controversial Tasik Chini mining issue , this project is also linked to