Tuesday January 1, 2008
Chronology of events at Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve
Jan 14, 1898 the colonial government gazetted an area of 6,590ha under Article 6 of the Selangor Land Enactment 1897 as Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve for public purposes of ensuring accessible sources of wood.
1908 Gazetting of the Selangor Forest Enactment (18/1907) and the forest reserve falls under State Forestry Department.
1929 a tree nursery and a Forestry Department training centre was established in the north of the forest reserve.
1954 Forest Reserve Research Institute (FRIM) set up a number of long-term research plots to study the dynamics of tropical rainforest ecology.
1983 About half of the original reserve had been excised for agriculture.
1988 Entire eastern edge of the area was cleared for the North-South Highway.
1992 1,600ha was given to PKNS for Kota Damansara township (originally named Bandar Baru Sungai Buloh Jaya).
1993 Kota Damansara township launched with theme Living in Harmony with the Environment.
21 Dec, 1993 State Government excised 402.6ha from the forest reserve for botanical garden
3 Feb, 1994 State Government reserved the area under Sect 62 (1) of the National Land Code for the public purpose of a Botanical Garden to be maintained by the state government.
2000 Federal Government allocated RM125mil to the Malaysian Agriculture Research and Development Institute (Mardi) for the National Botanical Garden under the Eighth Malaysian Plan (2001-2005).
2002 Federal Government decided to shift the National Botanical Garden to Bukit Cherakah Forest Reserve in Shah Alam.
May 2002 development proposals for the parcel was published. Residents protested. March 2004 State Government promised that the land would be left as Taman Botani
17 June, 2004 State Government published its intention to revoke 58.83ha of the Taman Botani to the east of the highway for a Muslim cemetery.
2006 State Government agreed to lease the Bukit Cahaya Sri Alam (Bukit Cherakah) to the Federal Government for 60 years.
March 2006 Friends of Kota Damansara (FOKD) produced guidebook entitled A Step Beyond the City.
Dec 2006 State Exco member said the area to the east of highway too rocky and unsuitable for cemetery and approved 50acre of Taman Botani for the purpose.
March 2007 Earthworks on the cemetery starts.
Oct 2007 Federal Cabinet approved RM141mil for the site to be developed over five-year period.
Dec 2007 the Draft Petaling Jaya Local Plan 2020 was published, zoning more of Taman Botani for residential development with a small area for recreation (inclusive of the cemetery area).
Related Stories:
40ha of forest earmarked for development
Kota Damansara folks say no to development
RSS
