Penang gazettes 676 hectares of mangrove swamps as permanent forest reserve
GEORGE TOWN, Dec 21 — Penang Environment and welfare committee chairman Phee Boon Poh today said that a total of 676.48 hectares of mangrove swamps in the state have been gazetted as a permanent forest reserve to protect it from destruction.
Phee said the mangrove swamps could naturally expand and the state will gazette the expanded areas.
"This is not the first time we gazetted the mangroves, as the size increases, we will gazette it,” he said.
He said there are two large areas for which the state is in the process of completing the documentation to gazette.
He said the additional areas to be gazetted are located on both the island and the mainland.
The newly gazetted 676.48ha of mangrove swamps in the state will add another 18 per cent to the permanent forest reserves in the state.
The state has 5,100.93ha of permanent forest reserves as of December 2019 and it is now 6,063.25ha.
Among the mangrove swamps that were gazetted on December 15 are located in Pasir Gebu, Lahar Endin, Kuala Bekah, Air Itam Dalam, Juru, Sungai Chenaam, Sungai Udang, all on the mainland, and Pulau Betong on the island.
