A three-year project called Rangkaian Urban Green Spaces (Rugs) is underway in the Klang Valley in Malaysia. The project, led by the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), aims to create a network of pathways connecting isolated green spaces in the region. The project covers the Kuala Lumpur city centre and an area known as the Damansara-Pantai Arc. The spaces under the arc that are part of the project include Kwasa Damansara, Bukit Lanjan, Kampung Sungai Penchala, Bukit Sri Bintang, Bukit Kiara North, National Institute of Public Administration (Intan), Rimba Ilmu in Universiti Malaya, Bukit Gasing, Federal Hill, Carcosa Sri Negara, Taman Tugu, Bukit Maxwell, and Changkat Tugu Hill.
The aim of creating these pathways is to encourage wildlife movement and provide recreational and educational opportunities for local communities. The project is the first of its kind in the Klang Valley and Peninsular Malaysia and seeks to protect Malaysia’s resources and diminishing land space. The initiative received funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
A team of experts and nature enthusiasts conducted surveys within the selected areas to assess their biodiversity. The surveys recorded more than 14 species of mammals, 110 bird species, 58 herpetofauna, and 104 types of butterflies and dragonflies. Phase I of the project will focus on linking green spaces between Damansara Arc and Federal Hill before expanding further in Phase II towards the Central Forest Spine (CFS).
Urban conurbation and human activities have significantly fragmented the green spaces in the Klang Valley. The project aims to address this issue by creating green corridors and waterfront green spaces along existing roadways, riverbanks, and other linear spaces. Additionally, the project will work to maintain vegetation and build physical structures such as wildlife viaducts and tunnels to enhance connectivity.
The project will utilize both private and public land. MNS plans to replicate the Taman Tugu model, where landowners agree to allow nature conservation and recreation on part of their land. For public land, MNS will engage with relevant authorities to incorporate biodiversity conservation and recreation into existing land-management procedures.
The project aims to create a green refuge that offers recreational opportunities and ecosystem benefits such as mitigating the heat island effect and improving water and air quality. The Rugs project will serve as a nature-based environmental and ecological services master plan in the Klang Valley.
The project faces challenges such as maintaining existing corridors, creating new ones, and gaining stakeholder buy-in from decision makers and the public. However, MNS will continue to guide the implementation of the project and focus on its ecological aims.
The Rugs project aims to enhance ecological linkages through land-based and riparian corridors. Land-based corridors will utilize existing roadside vegetation, green spaces in utility reserves, and neighborhood playgrounds. Riparian corridors will focus on increasing protection of vegetation alongside drains, flood retention ponds, lakes, and river reserves.
The project aims to create safe migration routes for wildlife to bigger sites and avoid human conflict. It also seeks to preserve land corridors for wildlife protection by evaluating spatial planning and zoning issues.
The project is similar to the Central Forest Spine (CFS) initiative but focuses on urban areas in the Klang Valley. The project involves collaboration with government agencies and aims to gain their support. It also aims to understand and establish linkages between public and private land and leverage legislative and policy frameworks to create sustainable corridors.
Credit: The Star : Metro Feed
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