Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate.

Happy New Year to everyone!

Happy Deepavali!

To all our Hindu friends - a very happy Deepavali!

May this festival of lights shed light on everyone's mind, especially our leaders, that we need to protect our one and only planet.

TrEES Launches it Facebook Page

Treat Every Environment Special (TrEES) has just launched our facebook page.  Come over and LIKE  TrEES facebook page , and be a part of  TrEES family.  Hope to see you there!

Promise to the Environment Not Fulfilled

‘Janji ditepati’ ('Promises fulfilled'), but probably not towards the environment.  And that falls on both sides of the party lines, as well as among us regular members of the public.

How have we all let the environment down?  Sadly, there are so many examples to site, and nearly every community probably has a local example as well.  A few obvious missed promises come to mind, but this article is not even close to being complete. 

The Selangor State Park, promised to be protected as 108,000 ha state park, yet till today, gazettement is not complete.  Further more, despite the area now being classified as a Rank 1 forest in the National Physical Plan, the park is under serious threat from development of expressways and housing.

Unfortunately there seems to be a disregard for the National Physical Plan in current development activities. Approved in 2006, the National Physical Plan is the ‘statement of strategic policies on the physical development and conservation throughout the peninsular of Malaysia.’   ‘The plan needs to be a guideline for the physical planning and should be implemented at federal and states level throughout Peninsular Malaysia’ as quoted from the Town and Country Planning Department’s website.

Ulu Muda, also listed as a Rank 1 forest in the National Physical Plan, which is the water tower for our rice bowl, Kedah, Perlis and the densely populated, Penang, still continues to be threatened with deforestation and unsustainable logging.

One of our only natural lakes in the country, Tasik Chini, listed as a UNESCO Biosphere Reverse in 2009, has been dying over the past 20 years, due to the man-made dam, pollution and land clearing around the lake.

Even a small, 32 acre green lung, in Balakong, Cheras Jaya, gazetted under the land office as a green lung for ‘recreation and flood mitigation’ still lies uncared for, and is being encroached upon by the factories and highways that surround this once mini-wet land and bird heaven.

The unkept promises continue.  Over 90% of our drinking water comes from rivers, yet government, business and individuals do not respect rivers in Malaysia. Every Malaysian is responsible for this - the lorry contractor who dumps the rubbish illegally, the factory manager who neglects the factory waste discharge, the farmers leeching their agriculture waste and even the young school student who throws their rubbish into the drain.   While the government is now initiating programmes such as River of Life and the river pollution-mapping project, it is yet to be seen if these will be effective in cleaning up our rivers.

Green buildings are hot news items.  It is exciting to see homes and buildings incorporating green technology and innovation.  But green buildings are still not the norm, as they should be by now.   More so, green initiatives such as rainwater harvesting and solar energy often seem to be limited to high-end properties.

When it comes to energy, the government has promised to incorporate renewable energy. But the target of renewable energy generating 5.5% of our energy by 2015 is far too small to make a real impact. By 2050, we aim to have 25% renewable energy, which will be lagging behind other developed countries.  What more, the government plans to build a nuclear power plant somewhere in Peninsula Malaysia, but at what cost?

During the recent Merdeka and Hari Malaysia, we have reflected proudly on our nation’s achievements (in addition to just enjoying the time-off!).  But we must remember, these achievements could not have been made possible without our natural environment.  While Malaysia is blessed with a rich natural environment, these resources are being destroyed and damaged beyond repair.  We must start seriously addressing the promises to maintain a healthy environment, so that future Malaysians will have the same opportunities for prosperity we now have. 

Sources:

http://www.townplan.gov.my/english/service_dev_npp.php

www.mengo.org/resources.../foum_ll_joint_statement_july2008.pdf

http://my.news.yahoo.com/tasik-chini-survival-highly-uncertain-014603896.html

http://www.theborneopost.com/2012/09/07/pollution-mapping-to-be-completed-by-end-of-2012-uggah/#ixzz262Q8c4e3

New Insect Species Discovered in the Park!

Semachrysa jade sp n.

A new species of insect has been recently discovered in Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor (Selangor State Park).  How exciting!

An extract of the finding:

An unusual new species of green lacewing (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae: Semachrysa jade sp. n.) is described from Selangor (in the Selangor State Park) as a joint discovery by citizen scientist and professional taxonomists. The incidental nature of this discovery is underscored by the fact that the species was initially photographed and then released, with images subsequently posted to an online image database. It was not until the images in the database were randomly examined by the professional taxonomists that it was determined that the species was in fact new. A subsequent specimen was collected at the same locality

Green lacewings are the second largest family of lacewings, with more than 1200 species in approximately 80 valid genera distributed in all major biogeographical regions worldwide (Brooks and Barnard 1990).

The insect was originally photographed and released and was a female Semachrysa jade sp. n. female habitus. The forewing length was15.0 mm.  It was photographed by Guek Hock Ping.

The insect was found 0.8 km SSW of entrance of Selangor State Park, Selangor, Malaysia (GPS: 3.3057, 101.693), in closed forest type.

The unusual new species is easily differentiated from all other species of Semachrysa by the distinctive wing venation mark between the antennal bases and only two spots across the frons, as well as the female abdominal sternite 7 being posteromedially acuminate with a tuft of strong setae. Only the female is known at this stage. Semachrysa jade sp. n. is similar in appearance to Semachrysa wallacei, based on head and wing markings. Like Semachrysa jade sp. n., Semachrysa wallacei is also only known from the female.

Information and photo extracted from the following site, read more here:

ZooKeys

Your Action is Needed to Complete the Park’s Gazettement

THE PARK NEEDS YOUR HELP!  The establishment of the Selangor State Park (Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor), over 107,000 ha in size, was declared in August 2005.   Since then, in January 2007, 92,000ha of forest was gazetted as the Selangor State Park, by the Selangor State Government, under the National Foresty Act Selangor Enactment leaving a remaining 15,505 ha of forest still to be gazetted. 

The last State Park Steering Committee meeting was held on 12 Feb. 2009, chaired by YB Tuan Haji Yaakob bin Sapari.  In the meeting it was stated that under Phase 2 of gazettement, 15,505 ha had been submitted to JUPEM for gazettement including 121 hectares of the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge. 

In addition, it was stated that following the decision of the Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri Selangor (MMK),  private lots within the original boundaries of the Park would be removed. The Forestry Department of Selangor proposed a new boundary, adding 954 hectares to the Park, to avoid the inclusion of these private lots.  The honourable Chairman and members of the park steering committee agreed with the new boundary and requested the Forestry department to prepare a working paper for the MMK for approval.

However, we are uncertain of the status of the above, since there has been no park steering committee meeting,  no announcement by the state government on the status of the Park, and no reply to our official queries to the state government.

THE PARK NEEDS YOUR HELP!   Write to the Chief Minister and ask him the following:

Y.A.B. Tan Sri Dato` Abd Khalid Bin Ibrahim

When will the Selangor State Government complete Phase 2 of the Selangor State Park’s gazettement (15,505 ha of forest including the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge)?  

What is the status of gazetting the additional 954 ha which was proposed to be part of the Park?

When will the Selangor State Government release a map of the boundaries of Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor with GPS coordinates, showing areas that have already been gazetted, and the areas that still need to be gazetted.

I look forward to the Selangor State Government’s official reply.

and please include your name, address or other relevant contact information.

The Park and all the creatures that dwell within it say THANK YOU.

Y.A.B. Tan Sri Dato` Abd Khalid Bin Ibrahim contact information:

1.  facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Abdul-Khalid-Ibrahim/38012338900#!/pages/Abdul-Khalid-Ibrahim/38012338900

2.  Email:

  khalid@selangor.gov.my     

3.  Post:

Dato' Menteri Besar Selangor

Pejabat Menteri Besar Selangor

Tingkat 21

Bangunan Sultan Salehuddin Abdul Aziz Shah

40503  Shah Alam

4.  Fax: 03-5519-0032

After you have written, please email to TrEES ( treateveryenvironmentspecial@gmail.com ) and let us know when and by which method you wrote to the Chief Minister of Selangor.  Thanks again.  Only YOU can keep the Park a reality.

Thank you Maybank Credit Card Holders

Thank you to all those Maybank credit card holders, who switched to an e-statement from April to end June! TrEES is grateful for your support, and for your extra step to go green.

The funds raised will help TrEES in our efforts to protect the Park, raise awareness and help Malaysians get active in conserving water.

Thank you again to Maybank and the credit card holders for your support!

No Update From DOE Yet

From the letter TrEES sent to the Department of Environment, we have not received any news or update on the status of the Detailed EIA on the eastern route of the KL Outer Ring Road, the East Klang Valley Expressway.

We'll keep you posted when and if we hear anything.

Enquiring Into the Status of the DEIA for the KL Outer Ring Road

It has been 3 months since the deadline for public comment on the Detailed EIA on the KLORR eastern route (East Klang Valley Expressway) has passed.

According to the Department of Environment’s website, a Detailed EIA is a procedure undertaken for those projects with major/significant impacts to the environment.  The DEIA report is displayed for the public and affected community to comment.

The Department of Environment (DOE) was only able to give a 2 week extension to the public to submit their comments, due to their ‘ISO 9001:2008 Certification by SIRIM QAS International Sdn Bhd. whereby one of the quality objectives is our client's charter.’

While there seems to be a time limit for the DOE to respond to the project proponent, sadly, there does not seem to be any ‘client charter’ or ISO objectives for getting information back to the public and affected communities.  

TrEES has sent a letter to the DOE to enquire on the status of the DEIA on the KLORR eastern route.  We will keep you all posted once we hear something from them.

Public Petition to Stop Nuclear Power Plants in Malaysia

Please sign the petition, like the FB page (see links at bottom) and SPREAD THE WORD!  Help keep Malaysia truly green, by  voicing your concerns against nuclear power in Malaysia.

 

Press Release:

A number of governments around the world have responded to calls from their citizens to end the nuclear age by phasing out nuclear power plants and reversing decisions to build new nuclear power plants.

The recent catastrophic nuclear accident in Fukushima has brought Japan to its knees and persuaded many countries, including Germany, Italy and Switzerland, to phase out existing nuclear reactors at the end of their useful life. They have also canceled plans for new reactors and instead are investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. 

However, the Malaysian government remains adamant to pursue the nuclear energy path, despite previous calls by concerned groups to scrap its plans. Disappointed with the Malaysian Government’s plans to develop nuclear energy despite the significant concerns that have been raised against the option, civil society groups have joined forces to embark on a public campaign to call on the Government of Malaysia to abandon its plans for the construction of nuclear power plants.

Nuclear power is inherently dangerous and not environmentally-friendly. The process of the nuclear fuel cycle itself – from uranium mining and extraction, fueling uranium enrichment, nuclear power plant construction, maintenance and monitoring of the processing and storing of radioactive waste, decommissioning and cleaning up radioactive contamination – require an enormous supply of energy, much more than other energy sources.

According to international studies which take into account the nuclear fuel cycle, a nuclear power plant indirectly emits between 376,000 and 1,300,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year. Nuclear power releases four to five times more carbon dioxide per unit of energy compared to renewable energy. Thus, the Malaysian government’s decision to opt for nuclear energy to achieve its declared goal of reducing carbon emissions intensity is one that is fundamentally flawed.

Furthermore, nuclear power plants produce ultra-hazardous, highly radioactive waste that will remain radioactive for more than a hundred thousand years. No country in the world has managed to safely dispose its nuclear waste permanently, as currently there is no such technology. At present, nuclear waste is temporarily stored in pools of water or in dry casks, alongside nuclear reactors.

The nuclear industry and proponents in the Malaysian government continue to spread disinformation about nuclear energy and are on a public relations exercise to persuade the public to accept nuclear energy, while failing to address the fundamental and yet unresolved issue of the handling of the nuclear waste, wastewater from the nuclear reactors, and other health and safety aspects.

The Malaysian government should seriously consider the health and safety risks of nuclear energy.  Human error and unpredictable events are unavoidable, making nuclear reactor safety uncertain.  The history of the nuclear industry is littered with minor and major accidents. Even without accidents, a nuclear power plant is dangerous to health.

In a 2007 meta-analysis of 17 research papers, covering 136 nuclear sites in the United Kingdom, Canada, France, the United States of America, Germany, Japan and Spain, the incidence of leukaemia in children under nine who live close to the sites, showed an increase from 14% to 21%, while death rates rose from 5% to 24%.

Another scientific study, published in the European Journal of Cancer Care in 2008, revealed that leukaemia death rates in American children living near nuclear power plants have risen sharply in the past two decades.

Besides environmental, health and safety issues, developing nuclear energy also faces challenging economic hurdles considering nuclear energy’s high capital costs, construction cost, availability and prices of fuel, engineering expertise, radioactive waste management, security and accident liabilities, and decommissioning, among other issues.

To conclude, nuclear energy is clearly not cheap, clean or safe. The nuclear option should not be considered at all as a solution to Malaysia’s energy needs.

This public petition demands that the Government of Malaysia applies the Precautionary Principle enshrined in the 1992 Rio Declaration, abandon its plans to build nuclear power plants, and instead earnestly implement its energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes, which are safe, economical and sustainable.

Dr Ronald McCoy

Malaysian Physicians for Social Responsibility  

On behalf of the Malaysian Coalition Against Nuclear (MyCAN)

The target is 1,000,000 signatures - so please sign & help spread the message:

The full petition can be accessed at http://www.facebook.com/PublicPetitionToStopNuclearPowerPlantsInMalaysia

& The petition can be signed at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/745/599/785/public-petition-to-stop-nuclear-power-plants-in-malaysia/

Reference

Baker P.J. & Hoel D.G. (2007) Meta-analysis of standardized incidence and mortality rates of childhood leukaemia in proximity to nuclear facilities. European Journal of Cancer Care 16, 355-363

Go Green with a Click!

Calling all Maybank Credit Card members:   Take part in Maybank’s Sign up and Go Green Campaign!   Switch to E-Statement and Maybank will donate RM1 to TrEES.

The funds raised will be used to help TrEES in our efforts to protect Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor, and other of Malaysia’s natural habitats and wildlife.

The campaign is for a limited time only, so sign up today and make a difference

Campaign Duration:   13 April - 30 June 2012

Sign up for E-Statement by following these simple steps:

For Registered M2U Users

•                Login to M2U

•                Select "Bills & Statements" and then "Statements"

•                If you are a first time Bills & Statement user, you will be prompted to "Accept Stop Hardcopy T&C".  Click Accept.

•                Then click "Email Statement Delivery" and enter your email address and password.

•                If you are NOT a first time "Bills & Statement" user, you will need to click on "Email Statement Delivery" and enter your email address and password.

  

For Non-registered M2U Users

•                Please call Maybank’s customer contact centre at 1 300 88 6688 to register and receive your statements via e-mail.

•                To obtain your access to Maybank2u.com, please visit the nearest Maybank branch to request for a pin number.

For more information on the campaign, please login to www.maybank2u.com.my
For more information on TrEES and our work, please visit www.trees.org.my 

Happy Earth Day!

For many of us, Earth Day is every day.  But still, it's good to take a few days out of the year to reflect and give thanks for all the planet has done to help keep us alive!

Thanks Planet Earth!

KLORR – adding to the growing list of concerns we have for the sustainable management of Malaysia’s freshwater

Freshwater is becoming one of the most critical natural resource issues facing the planet.  Human beings can survive for only a few days without freshwater.  We currently have 7 billion people on the planet, Malaysia has nearly 30 million people. Yet there is no more freshwater on earth now than there was 2,000 years ago.

To add to this crisis, we are now in the age of climate change - rising sea levels, flooding of coastal areas, increased drought and intense storms, decreases in agriculture yields, and the possibility of salt water intrusion into underground aquifers and farmland.

Climate change will lead to changes in rainfall patterns.  Some areas may experience more serious drought, others may experience more intense typhoons and rainstorms.  According to Met Office Hadley Centre, population increases, combined with changes in river run-off as a result of changes in rainfall patterns and increased temperatures, could mean that by 2080 there will be significantly less water available to people living under water stress.

Are we living in an area of water stress? Since 2000, there have been cries of a water crisis in the Klang Valley.  Yet neither the Federal nor the Selangor State governments have taken any measurable action to avert this “crisis” - except await the construction of the RM11 billion Kelau dam and inter-state water transfer project.

Malaysia has some of the highest rainfall in the world.  We certainly should have enough water.  We are just grossly misusing it.  There has been little or no effort to reduce the high water consumption levels of users – domestic, industrial and agricultural users, nor has there been a real effort to plug the leaking pipes that lead to nearly 35% lost water.  Nor are we seeing any serious effort to reduce the rate we are polluting our rivers, which on numerous occasions has lead to water being untreatable for human use.

Now both the Federal and State government want to build an expressway through 2 water catchment forests in the Selangor State Park, namely the Hulu Gombak (Klang Gates reservoir) and the Ampang Forest Reserves. The KLORR is yet another addition to the growing list of concerns we have for the sustainable management of Malaysia’s freshwater.

A six lane expressway will not just “have some impact on nature,”  as stated by the Selangor State Government.    The highway, together with the pending impacts of climate change and further misuse of our water resources, will impact the entire population of Kuala Lumpur and residents of Ampang – about 2 million people.

International studies have demonstrated that major cities should focus efforts and funds on conserving forests that naturally purify their drinking water.  Doing so has been proven to save cities billions of dollars on water treatment facilities.  And the rivers in the Hulu Gombak and Ampang forest areas of the Selangor State Park are extremely clean.

Environmental specialists from the World Bank have stated that "For many cities, time is running out. Protecting forests around water catchment areas is no longer a luxury but a necessity."

According a paper in 2007 by Equilibrium Research, the presence of forest on Mount Kenya saved Kenya’s economy more than US$20 million by protecting the catchment for two of the country’s main river systems, the Tana and the Ewaso Ngiro.

New York City is spending US$1 billion to conserve and protect water catchment areas in upstate New York the source of the city's drinking water. The alternative would be to spend $5 billion on a state-of-the-art water filtration plant that would cost an additional $300 million a year to operate.

So why are both our Federal and Selangor State Government so unwilling to see the value in protecting our existing water catchment areas? Residents and NGO have been protesting against the KLORR since it first appeared in the Draft Structure Plans back in 1998, to no avail.

We cannot think that just because we spoil our water supply in one location, we can then look to another location for new supply.  We cannot keep looking at new development and construction as the cure-all for our nation’s problems.  This is not sustainable, realistic nor economically sound.  Add to this, our water supply and natural forests are finite.  Once we’ve destroyed them it will be nearly impossible to get them back.

Most people are concerned about the traffic on the MRR2. However, building more roads encourages more traffic which requires more road building thus resulting in a vicious cycle of ever increasing roads and traffic. The Malaysian public desires better, smarter solutions than this.

While building another expressway to solve the traffic woes of Jalan Ulu Kelang may be good for the next election, building an 6 lane expressway through our water catchment is clearly not a good investment in the long term.  As true leaders of this country, the Federal and State governments need to make hard decisions that will lead us down a sustainable path, that will ensure both current and future generations will have all the resources they need to survive and succeed.

To Quote and Get More Info, Please Read More Here:

2012 Met Office Hadley Centre together with the Britian’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office:

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate-change/guide/impacts/high-end

2012 Selangor Will Not Block Expressway:

http://www.mmail.com.my/story/s%E2%80%99gor-will-not-block-expressway

2007 by Equilibrium Research:

http://www.fao.org/docrep/010/a1598e/a1598e10.htm

1997 Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Population Information Program Study:

 http://www.k4health.org/pr/m14/m14print.shtml

Keep an Active Watch on the Forests that You Love

Some exciting news...now you can be even more involved in protecting our forests...

Transparency International-Malaysia has launched a Forest Watch Project under its Forest Governance Integrity (FGI) Programme.  Forest Watch involves the public to become the eyes and ears of the forest by monitoring the forests you love, using Google Earth and your own eyes. 

If you see something in the forest that doesn’t look right (clearing of land, for example), go to TI's Forest Watch website to make a report on what concerns you.  This may be something you see while hiking in the forest, or driving past the forest, or while searching via Google Earth.

The reports made by the public will be followed up by a monitoring and advisory team, which consists of representatives from Transparency International FGI Programme, the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia, Institute of Foresters and the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission.

This programme helps to empower the community to be more involved in protecting our forests, and makes it much easier for people to write-in on something that they may see in a forest area, by simply using the internet to write your concerns, and pinpoint the location on Google Earth.

How does it work?

1. You see something irregular while driving past a forest, or you are scanning Google Earth and you see something in the satellite image of the forest that makes you concerned.
2. Go to Forest Watch website
3. REGISTER as a user.  Wait for a password to be emailed to you (should be almost immediate)
4. LOG-IN using your user name and new password
5. Hit REPORT
6. Fill the report and then hit PUBLISH

From there, the monitoring team should take over and investigate your report.

Tiger Skins & Elephant Tusks Seized

Unfortunately, it's back to some bad news...

The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP or PERHILITAN) just raided a house and seized 8 tiger skins, 9 elephant ivory tusks and 22 plastic bags believed to be filled with bones and body parts of the barking deer (Read about it in The Star )

It is unclear whether these animals were from Malaysia.  But where ever they were originally from, they are all endangered or threatened species, and each individual really counts. There are less than 4,000 tigers world wide.  The highest population is in India, with about 1,200 individuals.  Malaysia has an estimated 500 tigers, sadly considered the second highest population of tigers in the world.  So when we lose 8 tigers, it can be considered a significant loss.

While it is good that PERHILITAN is hot on the tails of the poachers and illegal wildlife traders, it would be even better if we could protect the animals BEFORE they are killed - a seemly difficult task indeed.

Celebrating Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor

It’s time for some positive news about the Park…

There was a ‘Celebration of Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor’ held at the Ampang Recreational Forest, at the end of last year.  As the name suggests, the celebration was a fun and exciting event, building a bond between the community and the Park. 

For many of the participants, it was the most fun they had in a long time.   To some it was also an introduction to Selangor’s magnificent tropical forest.   The Ampang Recreational Forest, a hidden natural gem, was abuzz with laughter and good spirits as residents took part in the different activities that were organised for the day.  

The main event was the heritage hunt, an amusing and educational race emphasizing the importance of Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor.  Running helter-skelter from one station to another, teams had to solve puzzles, become water scientists, break codes and feed leeches while looking for names of trees.    The hunt was flagged off by Tuan Haji Yusoff bin Muda, Director of the Forestry Department of Selangor.

Various activities were open to the rest of the public who were present and not participating in the hunt.   While some went on the guided jungle trek, others browsed through the exhibition, participated in the stream ecology and nature craft sessions, face painting and family fun games that were being run.   

The event also introduced the community to tips on going green.  For example, for many participants, this was the first time they saw environment friendly packaging in the form of sugarcane fibre eco-packs.  

There was a rush towards the end of the heritage hunt as teams raced to return their completed forms within the time limit. While waiting for the results to be announced, participants relaxed and had a bite to eat.  They also checked out the other activities that were going on and took part in fun games.     

Prizes were given out by YB Tuan Lee Kim Sin, ADUN Kajang.   The winners for the heritage hunt were the team from Setapak High.   Bringing the celebration to a memorable close, residents together with YB Tuan Lee planted trees to commemorate the event.

“Celebrating Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor” at Taman Rimba Ampang was organised by TrEES in partnership with the Forestry Department of Selangor and Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS) with the support of the Selangor State Government.   

TrEES hopes to organise more celebrations in and around the Park.  Contact TrEES if you’d like to get involved!

Comments to the DOE on the DEIA Sent In

Thank you to all those who sent in their comments on the DEIA for the eastern route of the KLORR, also known as the EKVE (East Klang Valley Expressway).

Every effort makes a difference.  We hope to post links to some of the comments sent to the DOE soon.

Thanks again for all your efforts.

Public Briefings and Extension of Submission Date

Thank you to everyone who wrote into the DOE to ask for an extension for the submission of written comments to the DOE  on the DEIA for the eastern route of the KLORR.  Based on the information we have received at TrEES, the DOE has extended the submission deadline to Friday, 3 February 2012!

But that doesn't make the report any less thick and technical to read!  Reviewing the DEIA can be very time consuming and difficult, especially if for the average person.

So to help us all better understand what it's all about, public briefings on the eastern portion of the KLORR are being organised by  WWF-Malaysia, on the 12 and 14 January 2012.  Members of the public are invited to attend learn more about findings of the proposed project based on the DEIA.

Details of the briefing sessions are as follows:-

1st Session: 

     Date:      12th January, 2012 (Thursday)
     Time:      7.30pm – 9.00pm
     Venue:   WWF-Malaysia Boardroom,
                     No. 49, Jalan SS23/15
                     Taman SEA, Petaling Jaya, Selangor

2nd Session:

     Date:      14th January 2012 (Saturday)
     Time:      3.00pm - 5.00pm
     Venue:   Rimba Ilmu 
                     Institute of Biological Sciences 
                     University of Malaya 
                     50603 Kuala Lumpur 

Once again, there is still time to submit your written comments to the DOE.   Comments now due by Friday, 3 February 2012.  Don't forget - YOU MAKE A DIFFERENCE, so send in your comments to the DOE!

Director General
Department of Environment
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
Level 2, Podium 3, Wisma Sumber Asli
No.25, Persiaran Perdana
62574 PUTRAJAYA
(Attn: Assessment Division –DEIA Secretariat)
Tel : 03-8871 2000, Fax : 03-8889 1045