Protect Klang Gates Quartz Ridge and Selangor State Park from the proposed KL Outer Ring Road (KLORR)

We, the undersigned, are troubled by the proposal to align the Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road across the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge and through the Selangor State Park.

We would like to draw your attention to the following concerns.

The Klang Gates Quartz Ridge is a world-class geological monument that is internationally recognized for the size, scale and splendour of its quartz dyke - the longest in the world - and, if not disturbed any more, stands every chance to be declared a World Heritage Site. The site also harbours a unique vegetation with five species of plants that are found nowhere else in the world, and our endangered wild goat (serow).

The former state government gazetted nine forest reserves as the Selangor State Park in 2007 in recognition of the need to protect their immense natural heritage value for present and future generations.

The many rare and threatened plant and animal species found in these increasingly rare lower altitude forests attest to its value. They include the merawan kanching tree, the gaharu tree, the tiger and the Malayan tapir, and eight threatened species of birds.

The proposed expressway will fragment and disturb habitats making it more difficult for threatened plant species to propagate and for animal species to hunt and forage for food, and to mate. It will also lend poachers easy access to coveted wildlife. Poaching remains a serious threat to our endangered animals.

The forests also provide a vital ecosystem service by serving as a catchment for clean water, a critical resource which is already in short supply in the state. Building and maintaining road infrastructure in the catchment will contaminate and reduce our clean water supply.

Other important ecosystem services that we receive from the Park include flood mitigation, slope protection and landslide prevention, and the presence of landscapes of great aesthetic and spiritual value. A highway will diminish all of these services.

We believe that better planning of townships and choice of transport infrastructure can provide a holistic long-term solution to the overcrowded roads and traffic woes that constantly beset us.

We, therefore, appeal to you and the authorities to protect the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge and the Selangor State Park from the proposed expressway and all other threats.