In March 2007, when opening the fourth sitting of the 11th Selangor State Assembly, the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah made an important statement on the environment which offers a sliver of hope to people that care about nature.

In an article entitled “Sultan urges civil service upgrade” - The Star, Saturday, 17 March 2007, it was stated as follows:

On another matter, the Sultan said the state government had decided that 30% of Selangor would be maintained as a green lung to support the nation’s sustainable development policy.

In view of this, he added, the state government has agreed to preserve 107,000ha of jungle spanning the Hulu Langat and Hulu Selangor districts to be gazetted as a state Heritage Park.

This is an encouraging decision. Let’s hope, for all our sakes, that the state government is true to its word. And let us register our appreciation to our Sultan for taking steps to ensure that conserving our natural heritage and ensuring a healthy functioning environment remain key elements in our country’s development aspirations.