RAUB: The Pahang Forestry Department has issued a stop order on all logging activities near Fraser's Hill here.
In a statement issued today, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that the order, issued on Sept 8, covers the removal of logs and the construction of roads to logging sites.
He said the order was issued pursuant to opposition raised by the Association for the Protection of the Natural Heritage of Malaysia (Peka) president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil.
"The area that has become the point of (contention) by (Peka) is a logging area, measuring 106.78 hectares, (of) government land.
"The government land comprises mining lots within the Batu Talam Forest Reserve, which form part of Compartment 213 and 214. The height of the area is around 950 metres above sea level," he said.
Junaidi noted that the logging areas are just 15 kilometres from Fraser's Hill.
He said that two forest reserves near the holiday hotspot are the Batu Talam Forest Reserve (61,888 hectares) and the Tranum Forest Reserve (2,701 hectares).
"The Pahang Forestry Department licensed the area, with the Licence Number *CC-02-3-2017 (KP/K), effective July 15, 2017 until Jan 14, 2018.
"Initial checks by the Pahang Forestry Department on Sept 12, 2017 found that works that have been carried out in the area only involved construction of a road of around 1.7 kilometres in length.
"The contractor had also removed machinery from the area on Sept 13, 2017. Only broken machinery and vehicles were not removed from the area," he said.
On Sept 14, Shariffa had said that Peka opposes any logging activities at the base of Fraser's Hill, near Kampung Bukit Telaga, an Orang Asli village.
She expressed worry that the logging activities would jeopardise the environmental integrity of Fraser's Hill and surrounding areas.