Exploring community forests in cities

The Department of Student Affairs of Sungai Long Campus and UTAR Sustainable Development Club organised a guided walk and gotong-royong at Shah Alam Community Forest, Setia Eco-park on 19 March 2022. The event also saw the participation of UTAR students.

Alicia Teoh (right, in blue) briefing the participants

The exploration was led by Founder-cum-Secretary of Shah Alam Community Forest Society Alicia Teoh along with her sister Melissa Teoh. They guided the participants along the trail and explained how community groups can join hands to protect the Shah Alam Community Forest (SACF) while utilising it in a responsible way. Alicia Teoh explained that residents and other concerned citizens could involve in advocacy initiatives to create awareness of the urban forests.

She explained that it was important to create this awareness as forests in urban areas are threatened by unsustainable property development. She also mentioned that it was challenging to engage with policymakers to gazette the remaining forests. She provided an example of the Kota Damansara Community Forest Society (KDCFS) in advocating to gazette the forest as part of the Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve. She said, “It is truly an eye-opening experience to see how young generations take part in nature conservation, especially in urban settings.”

Students working together to remove the tree logs from the pathway

During the guided walk, she showed participants some native species as well as invasive species of fungus, something most of the participants have not seen before. She also introduced some native species such as dipterocarp trees and kelulut (stingless bees) to the students. While hiking through the forest trail, the participants faced extreme difficulties due to the steepness of the trail. They had to use a lot of stamina to move up and down the trail.

The participants also joined hands to clear up the area by picking up rubbishes after the walk. After that, they were advised on how they can take part in urban nature conservation with a wider community group of members. Throughout the guided walk and cleaning activity, the students were able to enjoy and learn a lot from the activities.

The rubbish collected at the end of the walk

The Shah Alam Community Forest (SACF) with its approximately 430 acres of selectively logged lowland rainforest, forms a critical ecological corridor that connects the two remaining patches of Bukit Cerakah forest reserve: Subang Dam water catchment forest and Taman Botani Shah Alam, both of which are believed to still home the endangered Malayan Tapir, among other threatened species. Owned by both the Selangor state government and Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Selangor (PKNS), the forest is highly at risk of rampant commercial development. Hence, the SACF Society was formed in March 2016 to save and gazette this precious forest in the state government. The SACF Society was accorded with funding for a project from the Global Environment Facility/Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP) which was implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Alicia Teoh (front row, first from left) with UTAR students and staff