Over 7,000ha of reserves illegally occupied

Full force: Loggers driving a lorry laden with logs out of the area. The number of trees cut down is quite substantial.

KOTA BARU: Some 7,248ha of more than 600,000ha of permanent forest reserves in Kelantan has been illegally occupied since the 1980s, said Kelantan Forestry Director Zahari Ibrahim.

He said the illegally cleared forest land was now used for agriculture, including oil palm, and in some areas, developed into settlements.