Stop building roads through forests, conservationists urge government
KUALA LUMPUR: A leading environmental think tank has called for an immediate halt to infrastructure projects cutting through sensitive ecosystems, following the tragic death of an elephant calf in a road accident on Mother's Day.
RimbaWatch, which conducts research on climate and ecological issues across maritime Southeast Asia, urged the government to prioritise both people and planet by safeguarding forest integrity and investing in sustainable transport alternatives.
"In order to protect Malaysia's remaining wildlife, the ecological integrity of our forests is key," it said in a statement today.
On Sunday, an elephant calf was fatally struck by a lorry on the heavily forested Gerik-Jeli Highway.
The incident, which occurred in the Belum-Temengor region, has reignited concern over the growing number of wildlife road deaths in Malaysia's ecologically sensitive areas.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi said over the weekend that nearly 2,400 wild animals have been killed in road incidents since 2020 — including eight Asian elephants and five Malayan tigers.
RimbaWatch also raised concerns about road projects approved since 2020 that cut through key wildlife habitats, including the Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tiger Reserve and Negeri Sembilan's Lenggeng Forest Reserve.
The group warned that these developments threaten endangered species such as the Malayan tiger and tapir, with sightings of tigers and black panthers already reported near newly constructed roads.
In April 2025, a black panther mauled a lorry driver who had stopped by the roadside at Bukit Tangga, highlighting the increasing risk of human-wildlife conflict.
RimbaWatch said that building highways through highly sensitive protected areas inevitably leads to deforestation, disrupts wildlife corridors, and exposes endangered species to roadkill, human-wildlife conflict, and poaching.
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