Don’t develop vital forests

Green backbone: Parts of the ecologically vital Central Forest Spine runs through Kelantan and could be negatively affected if new development plans go ahead. — 123rf.com

SAHABAT Alam Malaysia (SAM) strongly opposes the proposed amendments to the Kelantan Draft Structure Plan, seven Local Plans, and one Special Area Plan, as they contradict the National Physical Plan.

The proposed amendments focus on the declassification of environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs). This is based on the decision of the 22nd Kelantan State Executive Council meeting convened on Oct 21, 2020, which decided that Permanent Reserved Forests that are not water sources or water catchment areas should no longer be classified as ESAs in Kelantan.