PENGUNJUNG SETIA

12 Februari 2012

JOHOR REFUTES A-G'S REPORT ON FOREST LAND

TANGKAK: The Johor Government has refuted the Auditor-General’s Report that the state has less than 30% natural forest land.

Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the report only covered forested land under the jurisdiction of the Forestry Department.

“It does not include the land maintained by Johor National Parks Corporation.

“We still maintain our natural forested areas of 30% as requested by the Forestry Department.

“These include the Endau-Rompin National Park, the Pontian wetlands, the Gunung Ledang National Park and more than 50 islands,” he said after opening a new road to Taman Lagenda Gunung Ledang here yesterday.

He said the Gunung Ledang National Park, which covered an area of more than 8,600ha, still maintained its natural flora and fauna and development had been limited to certain areas.

The state had also banned new quarrying along the mountain slopes and those in operation were individually-owned plots, he added.

On the new road leading to Taman Lagenda Gunung Ledang, he said the state was grateful to the Tourism Ministry for allocating funds to build it.

About RM3mil was used to construct the 2.6km road from Sagil town to the Taman Lagenda Gunung Ledang complex, located at the foot of Gunung Ledang.

“Johor also contributed to the project as we paid compensation totalling RM1.6mil to landowners.

“With the new road, we expect more people, including scientists to come here for research,” he added.

SOURCE: THE STAR, FEB 12, 2012

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