Bukit Gasing is one of the last remaining green lungs in PJ and as one of the few places that urban dwellers can be refreshed by nature it is frequented by people seeking recreation both from within and outside the Section 5 area. In 1961, a portion of the forested hills that roughly forms the boundary between KL and PJ was gazetted by the Selangor State Government as a Green Belt. The Bukit Gasing Forest Reserve, as this area became known, has been assigned an education and recreation function. In fact, the area is really an old rubber plantation that is slowly returning to forest. It has since become a sanctuary for numerous plants and animal species.

Bukit Gasing offers a variety of recreational opportunities to jungle trekkers and runners, a playground for children and a lovely atmosphere for nature lovers. There are many trails that take you through the jungle. Along these trails too, there is much to see, treeshrews, squirrels, birds and monkeys, wild boars and variety of snakes, giant ants, lizards big and small, butterflies and bees, scorpions and huge centipedes.

However, on the 25th of November 1995, the Star ran an appeal under the heading Bukit Gasing is Dying. The housing developer Gasing Heights Sdn Bhd, cleared over 40 acres of land on Bukit Gasing, and proposed to clear a further 42 acres. This put the already compromised Bukit Gasing Forest Reserve under greater threat.

PETALING JAYA  COMMUNITY FOREST PARK (PJCFP)
A single idea has the power to transform our thinking, enrich our community and change our lives. In a neighbourhood like Section 5 what has happened in terms of community cohesion is nothing short of a miracle. There was no way of knowing that so many diverse groups with varied interests would be drawn in to help us achieve our final goal - a living, growing forest park that would be all things to all people. 

We needed people with skills and experience and we found it in our community. We needed strong moral support and we found this in our Local Authority and Central Agency Planners, namely the Economic Planning Unit. We needed to collapse barriers concerning conversion of land use and we found that everyone we approached lent a sympathetic ear. My appeal is for everyone to work in concert, to make this initiative a palpable experience in community participation in planning and in building a project that none can refuse. 

Edward Lee, 
Chairman of Protem PJCFP Committee

Why a Forest Park?
Well just imagine a place of great big trees, with the various sounds of nature calling. A place of wild creatures, big and small. A place that will stimulate the body, mind and spirit with endless adventures through jungles and streams and secret dwelling places. A place to reconnect ourselves with nature at our very doorstep.
The residents of Section 5 have had a long and enduring relationship with the Bukit Gasing Forest Reserve. But the forest itself is under threat. So a community forest park integrated into Bukit Gasing Nature Reserve would be one way of ensuring the long-term ecological survival of the Petaling Jaya Green Belt. This forest reserve already serves more than 1 m