Land cleared in Perak ‘for orchards, not logging’

IPOH: The clearing of the Kledang Saiong Forest Reserve near Chemor, near here, is for the development of orchards, not laid bare for logging activities, as claimed by Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) on Sunday.

According to the Perak State Development Corporation (PKNP), it is a joint venture project with Insan Permata Sdn Bhd to develop a 160.06ha of PKNP-owned land at the Perak Hi-Tech area.

Its statement also said the clearing of the land was carried out under the agriculture category to prevent incidents of landslides which could affect the ecosystem in the area, under the condition stipulated in the Environment Management Plan (EMP).

“Insan Permata Sdn Bhd was entrusted to develop the orchard land project and obtained the approval licence from the Perak Forestry Department for the period Nov 1, 2019 to Jan 31, 2020,’’ said the statement.

It said the land is no longer under the Kledang Saiong Forest Reserve.

PKNP explained that the orchard land development project had been approved by the Perak Environment Department based on an Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Evaluation Report on Jan 21, 2009.

‘’PKNP is confident that the planning and implementation of the project will have a positive impact on the sustainability of the ecosystem in the surrounding areas,’’ said the statement.

Recently, the media reported a claim by SAM that about 20ha of the 500.2ha of the Kledang Saiong Forest Reserve had been cleared for logging. – Bernama

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