PETALING JAYA: Every few months, government agencies and NGOs plant thousands of trees in a bid to restore Cameron Highlands’ famous cool climate.
But despite their efforts at replanting forests that have been cut down for resorts and hotels, new projects keep getting approved which result in more forests being destroyed, they say.
“While our organisation is actively engaged in reforestation efforts with schools, corporate partners and government agencies, these initiatives take years to yield results,’ said Dilip Martin Anthony Lock, who heads a Cameron Highlands community organisation.
“To our dismay, the authorities continue to approve developments that counteract our work,” said Dilip Martin of the Regional Environmental Awareness Cameron Highlands (REACH).
Besides REACH’s replanting programme, the Forestry Department reclaims abandoned farmland and restores the forest by planting trees, said local mountain guide Engku Muhamad Khalily, 38, who is known locally as Pak Engku.
What is worse, is that some of the new structures that are being built are breaching the rules in the Cameron Highlands District Local Plan 2030, said Dilip Martin.
“Mixed developments in Cameron Highlands are supposed to be capped at seven storeys. Yet, with special approvals during the planning process, we have seen buildings as tall as 22 storeys,” said Dillip Martin
“This not only violates planning norms but also poses a significant risk, especially when public funds are involved,” he said, adding that the impact on all this development and land clearing can be literally felt.
“Visitors sometimes remark that it’s foggy and cold during the monsoon, but on most days, it is extremely hot,” he observed.
“Hotels now have to install fans to cope with the heat, even at night. The changes are undeniable, and Cameron Highlands is in trouble.”
A frequent visitor, Jessica Wong, 26, said the climate in the highlands has noticeably changed since she was a child
“I have been visiting Cameron Highlands since I was very young as my aunt’s hometown is there, and we gather now and then. When I was five, it was so cold that I always needed a jacket.
“Now, I can walk around in short sleeves during the day. It is quite sad to see the temperature rising every year,” she said.
Recently, Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii said last year was the hottest year on record for Cameron Highlands with the average daily temperature being 18.91°C.
“This is an increase of 0.86°C compared to the long-term average daily temperature from 1991 to 2020, which is 18.05°C .
“The highest temperature ever recorded in Cameron Highlands was 27.9°C on May 19, 1998, while the lowest temperature was 10°C in February 1989,” he said.
Pak Engku said deforestation has made it harder to find rare plant and animal species such as certain orchids and small creatures that were once a tourist attraction.
The loss of forest cover has also weakened the highlands’ slopes and caused landslides, he added.
