don't develop our forest reserve

April 20, 2002

Editorial

Hands off our FRIM...

news

April 19: NOT to put too fine a point on it, the Selangor State Government

should reject out of hand any applications to " develop " even one square

centimetre of the Bukit Legong Permanent Forest Reserve. Notwithstanding

developers' eagerness to capitalise on the Kepong district's capacity for

industrial, commercial and residential expansion, the case for preserving

one of the Klang Valley's most cherished green havens would be strong enough

to oppose development on the basis of its recreational utility alone. But

not only does the word " permanent " in fact have a dictionary definition,

this reserve is also the inheritance, legacy, field laboratory and arboretum

of the 73-year-old Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM).

Malaysia has a lot of use for FRIM. It has emerged as a globally respected

institution for its activities in fields ranging from primary research into

wood products, chemistry and medicinal plants, to forest management,

resource development, education and tourism promotion.

The institute has always allied pure scientific research to environmental

management. FRIM's scientific clout is among the main reasons Malaysia is

now recognised as a world authority on the sustainable and productive

management of tropical rainforest resources. En route to attaining such

credibility, FRIM has collected an array of national and international

awards for its primary research and product development, and established a

host of collaborations with scientific institutes and environmental bodies

worldwide.

All this behind the sylvan scenes of a 600-hectare forest park incongruously

but beautifully situated in an urban milieu, attracting locals and tourists

alike to wander amid its lush greenery and learn more than might be expected

for a casual Sunday stroll. The FRIM reserves of Bukit Hari and Bukit Legong

have been preserved, tended and protected for three human generations now.

The developers have alternatives; FRIM does not. Land use is up to State

Governments, but this matter indicates there may be grounds for Federal

concern.

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