No mining will be allowed in forest reserves until Parliament debates the national climate change bill, says acting natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Johari Ghani.
He said the Attorney-General’s Chambers is currently studying the bill.
“If there are no major changes, the bill will be tabled after the federal budget. Then we will debate on it,” he told the Dewan Rakyat.
The 2026 budget is scheduled to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat on Oct 10.
Johari was replying to a supplementary question from Hasni Mohammad (PH-Simpang Renggam), who said that policies on mining in forest reserve areas remained unclear and asked whether the bill would be tabled soon.
Johari said that while waiting for the bill to be tabled, no mining would be allowed in any forest reserve. He said a team of scientists and researchers led by the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) would carry out a study in Labis town.
The team will make recommendations on the standard operating procedures (SOPs) to be followed prior to, during, and after mining operations.
“This study will give us information about what we can do and the SOPs to be followed, so that we do not face incidents like in Ranau, Sabah, and Bukit Merah, Perak,” he said.
In the 80s, rare earth mining in Bukit Merah released radioactive waste, causing serious health and environmental problems for the local community.
Johari said mining in Bukit Merah was halted due to a lack of SOPs to control mining waste, while mining in Ranau between 1975 and 1999 was linked to river contamination.
“I want to emphasise that we are still in the process of reviewing everything to ensure that if we proceed with the rare earth industry, we are absolutely clear on how to manage its waste,” he said.
He added that Malaysia still lacked the technology to process rare earth elements domestically.
He said FRIM would conduct an impact study on mining activities to provide a scientific and technical backing for policies on forest reserve areas.
The study is planned in phases over five years, covering pre-mining (2024–2025), mining (2026–2027), and post-mining (2028–2029), and involving government agencies such as the forestry, minerals and geoscience departments, as well as the wildlife and national parks departments.
It will cover six key components, namely hydrology, soil, flora, fauna, carbon stock and socio-economics.
FRIM will also conduct a short-term study at a rubber plantation in Kenering, Perak, using in-situ leaching methods.
“This in-situ study is expected to be completed by September 2025. However, FRIM still needs to assess the impact of mining in primary forest areas before finalising the overall study,” Johari said.
