IPOH: Satellite images of cleared forest land, said to be at the Bintang Hijau Forest Reserve in Kuala Kangsar, have surfaced on social media.

The size of the area involved is unclear but it does appear vast.

Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said she was informed about the cleared land by fellow environmentalists on Friday (Jan 10).

"We have Google experts who will check on maps every now and then and update us.

"From the images, we believe the land clearing was done recently, probably a few months ago," she said when contacted.

The Star reported in December 2019 that some 20ha of hills near the Bukit Kledang range was cleared as part of a 151.49ha project for an orchard project under the Perak State Development Corporation.

A group of Orang Asli, represented by Sahabat Alam Malaysia field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman, had on Wednesday (Jan 8) presented a memorandum to urge the state government to stop its plan for monoculture plantations in forest reserves.

Shariffa Sabrina said the Bintang Hijau Forest Reserve was gazetted as a wildlife conservation area in 2013.

"If the land has been cleared, it opens up paths for poachers into the forests while wildlife could also come in contact with humans.

"The forest reserve is also a water catchment area and the destruction of such forest land can affect the water sources and dry up rivers," she said. It will cause further problems for the people near the area," she added.

The Perak Forestry Department, in a statement, said based on Google Maps and its own global positioning system, the said area is not at the Bintang Hijau Forest Reserve.

"It is highly possible the area is located near Felda Lawin Selatan, which has been spread on social media before," it said.

"The Department will conduct a check to confirm the real situation immediately," it added.