FWD: Selangor moves to protect fireflies’ habitat

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This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my)

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http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/4/10/nation/10638302 & sec=nation

 

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Sunday April 10, 2005

Selangor moves to protect fireflies’ habitat

<b>EXCLUSIVE<BR>BY TEOH TEIK HOONG</b>

 

KUALA SELANGOR: Kampung Kuantan’s world-famous fireflies’ chances of survival

have improved now that the authorities have stepped in to protect the insects'

habitat from further degradation.

 

The state government and Selangor Water Management Authority (LUAS) want

protection for Sungai Selangor, 20km upstream and downstream of Kampung Kuantan.

 

Kuala Selangor District Council president Amin Jaya Mohd Din said the main

objective was to preserve the fireflies’ habitat, which consists mainly of

berembang trees, nipah and sago palms.

 

“We are going to gazette the river reserves as protected areas. This will

include setting aside 400m of the river reserves on both riverbanks according to

Drainage and Irrigation Department guidelines,” Amin Jaya told The Star.

 

He said the area would be gazetted as a LUAS river reserve and would be out of

bounds to any development.

 

 

 

“The area to be gazetted is from Kampung Pasangan downstream to Tanjung Siam,

and upstream from Kampung Kuantan,” said Amin Jaya, adding that large tracts of

privately-owned land along the river would be a “major challenge” to the gazette

effort.

 

He said that steps taken by the district council to curb pollution in the river

included the setting up two rubbish traps upstream and downstream of Kampung

Kuantan.

 

“We collected 37 tons of rubbish – from tree trunks to plastic bottles and

plastic bags – over a three-month period.

 

“The council is paying the villagers to remove rubbish from the river.”

 

A check earlier this week found that the river along Kampung Kuantan was much

cleaner than it was in August last year.

 

Signboards have also been put up at the jetty warning visitors of a RM1,000

fine for dumping rubbish into the river, and that council officers in

plainclothes are on the lookout for litterbugs. A new ticketing counter by the

jetty is almost ready and better facilities are being built for visitors to

Kampung Kuantan.

 

On whether the district council had any plans to merge tourism promotions of

both the Kuala Selangor Nature Park and the firefly colony in Kampung Kuantan,

Amin Jaya said: “We can jointly promote both, but it will depend on what

plansthe Malaysian Nature Society (which manages the park) has.

 

“The council provides the infrastructure, but does not manage the park,” he

added.

 

Meanwhile, a Selangor palace official has indicated that Sultan Sharafuddin

Idris Shah was likely to visit Kampung Kuantan next month to see for himself the

progress made by the state government in protecting the fireflies.

 

The Sultan had ordered the government to do everything possible to protect the

fireflies.

 

 

 

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