Ecotourism drive in jeopardy

Too close: The land clearing at the edge of the Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest next to its observation deck in Sungai Dua.

By LO TERN CHERN

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BUTTERWORTH: Years of effort by the state to promote the Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest in Sungai Dua is now in jeopardy following the illegal land clearing activities at its neighbouring plot of land.

“It is disappointing that all efforts to protect the country’s second largest bird watching site has gone down the drain, said Penang Wel­fare, Caring Society and Environ­ment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh.

“This is despite the fact that we were aware of the issue in April. But the activities had continued until now.

“Before 2004, the Penang Regional Development Authority (Perda) gave us the forest land to promote local tourism.

“We conducted studies and the area was gazetted as a forest reserve and the Land Office Department was involved.

“The Land Office accepted that the place is to be gazetted for ecotourism and the neighbouring land was to be preserved as a buffer zone. But nothing much was done to stop the development taking place there now,” he said.

Phee said that with almost the entire swamp land beside the forest being illegally cleared, serious action should be taken against the culprit under the National Land Code and Environment Quality Act.

“The council by-laws are too lenient. It’s just a tap on the wrist, not even a slap.

“There should be a jail term, apart from fines, for the culprits,” said Phee.

He also explained that the forest reserve is the country’s second largest bird watching site, and the largest in Peninsular Malaysia in terms of the number of migratory birds.

“Bird watchers from all over the world come to study and photograph the birds. The forest is also the only remaining peat swamp in Seberang Prai,” he added.

The Air Hitam Dalam Educational Forest covers about 11ha and has a 210m long suspension bridge, observation towers and a boardwalk longer than 1km for visitors to explore and learn about peat swamps.

It lies at the confluence of three waterways – Sungai Air Hitam, Sungai Jarak and Sungai Prai.

Besides lizards, crabs, otters, squirrels and several species of monkeys, birds such as the Asian openbill storks, Asian glossy starlings, mangrove pittas, racket-tailed drongos, crested serpent eagles, barn owls, and both collared and ruddy kingfishers have been spotted in the forest.

Yesterday, The Star reported that work at the site continued despite the Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) issuing a stop-work order and seizing vehicles from the site.

The council is in the process of taking the landowner to court for carrying out development work without permission.

Four lorries have been seized so far since April.