This is why preserving our forests is so important

I REFER to the letter “Merbau good choice as national tree” (The Star, Sept 4; online at bit.ly/star_merbau). The selection of merbau as the national tree and the ongoing Hutan Kita exhibition at the KL Tower couldn’t have come at a better time.

As major parts of this nation continue to be choked by the haze of smoke from neighbouring Indonesia, we could do with a timely reminder about the importance of protecting our jungles and their rich biodiversity. Nothing is more effective than the haze in driving home the point of what happens if we do not take care of our jungles and let them burn – literally. From life-giving oxygen-producers, large tracts of green lungs turn into haze machines, disrupting lives, harming public health and hurting the economy.