PETALING JAYA: While some states already have mechanisms to protect their permanent forest reserves, others do not.

       Selangor and Sabah are the two states that already have mechanisms in place requiring public inquiries to be held for the degazettement of permanent forest reserves.

       Selangor state executive councillor for the environment Hee Loy Sian said it was the first to formulate a state law that required holding public inquiries when degazetting permanent forests.

       “The state law also requires that when a permanent forest is taken over, a replacement must be allocated. The legislation pertaining to the matter was passed in 2014 in Selangor,” he said.

       In Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Forestry Department conservator of forest Datuk Frederick Kugan said the proposed amendment to the National Forestry Act on the federal front is similar to laws already in place in Sabah.

       “We have existing safeguards in Sabah, the state forest policy 2018, on the need to ensure that any forest reserve ceased or excised must be replaced with (one of) comparable size and quality.

       “Section 22 of our Forest Enactment 1968 clearly states no forest reserve shall cease to be a forest reserve or be excised except by the enactment – that is, it must be tabled and passed by the state legislative assembly,” he added.

       On the need to hold public inquiries, he said the powers on notifications, notices and enquiries on forest reserves were covered under Sections 5 to 9 of the Forest Enactment.

       In George Town, Penang state environment committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the proposed amendment had been the state government’s policy all these years.

       “We have not degazetted any permanent forest reserve in Penang,” he said.

       In Kangar, Perlis state environment committee chairman Teh Chai Aan said it will look into the suitability of the amendment and what it portends for local needs.

       “We cannot follow 100%,” he said.

       In Seremban, state environment, health, consumerism and cooperatives committee chairman S. Veerapan said the proposed amendments, if approved, would not have much impact in Negri Sembilan.

       “It will not be an issue with us because the state government already has a policy that clearly states that 23% of our land area has to be permanent forest reserve,” he said.

       Veerapan said it was also premature to say more as the proposed amendments were still being debated in Parliament.

       In Alor Setar, Kedah state Forestry Dept Director Muhammad Abdullah said the amendment to the National Forestry Act at the federal level will only affect Kedah if the state assembly decides to amend its own forestry act at the state level.

       “The decision can only made during state legislative assembly,” he added.