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, Friends of Kota Damansara (FoKD) together with Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) and Global Environment Facilty (GEF) will be celebrating Mega Earth Day 2010 for its fifth consecutive year!

This year’s Earth Day, themed Forest for All will be held on April 24th and 25th, 2010 (Saturday and Sunday) at the Kota Damansara Community Forest (KDCF).

This year’s event is regarded as a Mega Earth Day 2010 Celebration as the Kota Damansara Community Forest (KDCF) gazettement process is completed before April 2010. Kota Damansara Community Forest (KDCF) is part of the former Sungai Buloh Forest Reserve gazetted in 1898 covering 3,900 acres (16 km2) of protected primary forest. It is the oldest forest reserve in Peninsular Malaysia. The forest reserve was degazetted and subsequent development reduced the size of the reserve to an 800 – acre (3.2 km2) area.

The remaining forest reserve at Kota Damansara has been turned into a community forest park, which will be the first of its kind in the country. The forest is home to a variety of plants including several exotic species. Despite being a secondary forest, a number of primary forest species such as Meranti is found in KDCF. The forest also boasts a lake which was created in 2001 following the construction of a road that blocked a small stream that flowed through the forest which in turn had resulted in the introduction of aquatic flora and fauna.

Today, KDCF is conceptually a “Community Forest”, whereby community takes ownership of the forest, a pioneering concept in Malaysia. Previous Earth Day themes reflected the spirit of community participation; they were KD Community Forest – By the Community, For the Community and The Forest that builds a community.

This year’s theme Forest for All reflects our desire to ensure that all residents in Petaling Jaya (and Selangor) will benefit from this urban green lung. It also recognizes that the community will have to work closely with various government agencies through Local Agenda 21 and with businesses through their Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.

The purpose of this trisectoral collaboration is to promote a Sustainable Community in line with Petaling Jaya vision of being a Sustainable City. This approach will mean that the forest will not only provide ecological, recreational, and educational services, but will contribute towards nation building.

Sport Users

KDCF will meet the needs of multiple out-door active stakeholders. Ranging from Hashers, mountain bikers, hikers, campers, etc.

Nation Building Users

Focus will be made to ensure that uniform units like Scouts, Pandu Puteri, Cadets, Boys Brigade and other groups that build society and life values amongst youth will make KDCF a venue of choice to impart an appreciation of nature and an understanding of sustainable development.

Marginalised Users

All infrastructure and purposes built for the forest will address the needs of the marginalized communities like the physically challenged, visually impaired and elderly. Facilities built in KDCF will be considerate to their physical needs. Marginalised users will also include the economically marginalized communities who are deprived of recreation facilities; this will include flat dwellers, children of single parents, jobless workers, and low income families.

In particular, the activities of the forest will be geared towards a social entrepreneurship model where the marginalized will benefit from the activities generated within KDCF. E.g. the orang asli are gaining employment opportunities even as the use of the forest is promoted.

Environmental Users

Environmentalist will be using KDCF to educate the public about the importance of nature especially in the context of global warming. They will also be able to connect urbanites to an urban forest where their interest for nature will extend to other nature attractions in Malaysia. They will also ensure that the biodiversity of the forest is enhanced as well as our sporting activities harmonize with the biological conservation of the forest.

Volunteers

Central to the activities of KDCF is the creation of a pool of volunteers that use KDCF to create a critical mass of caring Malaysians. The two days event will be jam-packed with concert, booth stalls, eco-related competitions, camping, night hike and many fun happenings for all walks of life during the Mega Earth Day 2010 celebration. This event is envisaged to pull together the various stakeholders, including the urban communities/ general public, NGOs and media into conveying the messages on collaborative ownership of the forest and sustainable living, amongst other things.