The Malaysian Nature Society on 27 July 2017 welcomed VIPs, Society members, residents, members of local communities and students to witness a launch event for Urban Community Forest (UCF) Bukit Persekutuan.
UCF Bukit Persekutuan is an initiative to empower local communities to protect their green spaces, and is a novel endeavour for the city centre. MNS President Henry Goh said Bukit Persekutuan, with a lush secondary forest and low-density build-up, could serve city dwellers as a place to appreciate nature, in doing so improve their well-being.
“Nature enriches our lives, and for stressed city people, UCF Bukit Persekutuan can be a place for a quick recharge. Come and enjoy the cooler temperature from the shady trees, plant some seedlings or help replenish the forest, or take short hikes along the trails; there’s plenty to see and enjoy,” Goh said.
The things to see and enjoy include an impressive range of flora and fauna within such a small area, as found by surveys since 2007. They include bats, five species of amphibians, nine of reptiles, 77 types of birds, 34 families of insects including butterflies, moths and two types of fireflies. These biodiversity surveys will continue to be carried out in Bukit Persekutuan, alongside the development of the Forest Trees Nursery and scheduled enrichment of the forest, as well as the marking out of trails. Visitors can also enjoy facilities provided by the Resource Centre and Auditorium.
UCF Bukit Persekutuan is an initiative to empower local communities to protect their green spaces, and is a novel endeavour for the city centre. MNS President Henry Goh said Bukit Persekutuan, with a lush secondary forest and low-density build-up, could serve city dwellers as a place to appreciate nature, in doing so improve their well-being.
“Nature enriches our lives, and for stressed city people, UCF Bukit Persekutuan can be a place for a quick recharge. Come and enjoy the cooler temperature from the shady trees, plant some seedlings or help replenish the forest, or take short hikes along the trails; there’s plenty to see and enjoy,” Goh said.
The things to see and enjoy include an impressive range of flora and fauna within such a small area, as found by surveys since 2007. They include bats, five species of amphibians, nine of reptiles, 77 types of birds, 34 families of insects including butterflies, moths and two types of fireflies. These biodiversity surveys will continue to be carried out in Bukit Persekutuan, alongside the development of the Forest Trees Nursery and scheduled enrichment of the forest, as well as the marking out of trails. Visitors can also enjoy facilities provided by the Resource Centre and Auditorium.
The launch of the UCF Bukit Persekutuan Resource Centre was officiated at by Dato’ Nor Akhirrudin Mahmud, Director-General of the Forestry Department Peninsula Malaysia, representing the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. Also present were Datuk Mahadi Che Ngah, Executive Director (Project Management), City Hall, and Tan Sri Salleh Mohd Nor, Senior Advisor to MNS.
The guests were also taken on a tour of the Forest Trees Nursery, which serves to provide saplings for forest enrichment initiatives by MNS members and the public. On the Heritage Trail, a long-standing path through the forest adjacent to the MNS HQ that was upgraded through UCF Bukit Persekutuan, the guests planted several trees as part of the Society’s enrichment programme for the historic Federal Hill.
As a takeaway from the soft launch, it is hoped that the UCF initiative will impel the authorities and general public to see this Bukit Persekutuan as an important green lung that provides nature, recreational, health, tourism and youth services to the public and must be protected from development threats.
The guests were also taken on a tour of the Forest Trees Nursery, which serves to provide saplings for forest enrichment initiatives by MNS members and the public. On the Heritage Trail, a long-standing path through the forest adjacent to the MNS HQ that was upgraded through UCF Bukit Persekutuan, the guests planted several trees as part of the Society’s enrichment programme for the historic Federal Hill.
As a takeaway from the soft launch, it is hoped that the UCF initiative will impel the authorities and general public to see this Bukit Persekutuan as an important green lung that provides nature, recreational, health, tourism and youth services to the public and must be protected from development threats.