Is destroyed Johor land part of a degazetted forest reserve?

[superadmin]

JOHOR BARU – Forest land destroyed on the northeastern coast of Johor, shown on satellite images, may have been part of a forest reserve that has now been degazetted.

Following an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report carried out by Golden Ecosystem Sdn Bhd, which was approved by the Environment Department in May 2017, the land was understood to be part of the Jemaluang Forest Reserve.

The EIA said the reserve was “degazetted and transferred to private ownership under agricultural status”.

Although the EIA does not state when the forest was degazetted, Macaranga.org said the Jemaluang jungle was gazetted as a reserve in October 1923.

However, Macaranga reported that the land was not listed in the Johor Forestry Department’s reports from 2015 to 2019, suggesting that the exercise occurred in 2014.

The Vibes is awaiting a response from the Johor Forestry Department concerning the degazettement date of the Jemaluang forest.


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