PUTRAJAYA: The Central Forest Spine Ecological Network Master Plan (PIRECFS) has been approved by the government as the main policy related to the city and village and as a guideline for the planning and physical development of forests around Peninsular Malaysia.
Decided at the National Physical Planning Council (NPPC) meeting, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said, PIRECFS is an initiative to connect eight national main forests complex involving eight states namely Kedah, Perak, Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Johor, Selangor and Negeri Sembilan.
Ismail added, this is to protect the forest areas in the Peninsula besides having a physical forest network that is connected to the whole of Central Forest Spine (CFS) in line with the “reconnecting the forest” vision.
“The master plan is also to identify 39 ecological networks to connect forest areas or forest islands that are not connected following the separation and forest fragmentation.
“This is to reduce conflict between humans and wildlife by ensuring that natural wildlife pathways from one forested area to another are not hindered by development activities,” Ismail said after chairing the NPPC meeting held here Wednesday.
The Prime Minister also mentioned that through the implementation of the master plan, the country’s commitment to retain 50 per cent of the forest covered areas as agreed in the Earth Summit Conference at Rio de Janeiro in 1992 could be realized.
“This matter could be achieved together between the Federal Government and the State Governments. The 40th NPPC was also informed about the Public Open Land Status Report (TLA) in the Peninsula and Federal Territory 2020 that was prepared by the Ministry of Housings and Local Government (KPKT) via PLANMalaysia,” Ismail said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the government has set the target of two hectares of open land for 1,000 city residents. The total areas of public open land in the Peninsula and Federal Territory are 23,433 hectares.
However, only 33 per cent or 7,662.6 hectares from the total have been gazetted, 24 per cent (5,738.4 hectares) are in the process of gazetting while the rest have not been gazetted. The meeting requested the state governments to speed up the gazetting process of the public open land areas nationwide.
“Relating to that, all state governments via the responsible agencies under it are urged to take necessary steps to speed up the gazetting of the TLA under Section 62, National Land Code.
“The gazetting of TLA will ensure it is protected and maintains its function as open area that could benefit the people as recreational area and towards habitable Malaysia,” Ismail said.- Malaysia World News
