CAMERON HIGHLANDS: The government should stop development in Cameron Highlands while the environmental damage at the famed hill resort is assessed.
Regional Environmental Awareness Cameron Highlands (Reach) president Dilip Martin said a moratorium on development would also allow the authorities to focus on rehabilitating barren land.
He said uncontrolled clearing of hillslopes increased risk of flash floods, murky rivers and landslides.
"Excessive land clearing also leads to loss of wildlife habitats. As a result, some species of flora and fauna will be destroyed.
"Cameron Highlands is a natural heritage that must be protected. For instance, scientists have documented rare orchids here," he said during an interview at Reach's biodiversity centre on Gunung Brinchang.
He said natural disasters could have been prevented if hill clearing was curbed.
"We welcome development, but all stakeholders, especially developers, should carry out due diligence, to ensure sustainability. Nature is what draws tourists here, not modern development."
He said it was understood that there were plans for a theme park in Habu, Ringlet, here.
"This is bad news. Not only will this damage the environment, but will also affect the livelihood of the Orang Asli. The amount of garbage the project would generate would also force a new garbage disposal system to be adopted here," he said.
He noted the rising number of crows here recently, which indicated a sanitation issue.
"Cameron Highlands should be preserved as a nature-based tourist destination. The rainforest took hundreds of years to grow, but unsustainable development can wipe this out in an instant."
He said Reach engaged the community, schools and corporate sector to raise awareness on local environmental issues.
"The activities include tree-planting at the biodiversity centre. We also gather trees and orchids from areas marked for development and replant them here.
"Forest plants, such as Medang and ferns, take a long time to grow. The ones I planted 12 years ago are only a few metres high. That is why feel sad when I heard of another area being cleared for development.
"You can't put a price tag on nature," he said.