Ayer Hitam

Ayer Hitam is a 1,200 hectare forest reserve that straddles the urban townships of Puchong and Serdang, and is one of the last true green lungs in the Klang Valley. Selectively logged in the past, the forest consists of mostly old secondary growth, but still continues to support an impressive range of wildlife species, including wild boars, slow lorises and even black leopards. Originally ten times its current size, the reserve shrunk drastically into an isolated forest pocket over the last few decades, due to booming residential development. Tigers were even known from this reserve, but the last specimen was caught in the nineties and shipped to a zoo.

Today, the forest is managed by a local university for research, but also provides a much-needed recreation ground for locals while injecting fresh air into the heavily urbanised surroundings. Composed of hilly terrain, the highest peak stands at 233m, with hiking trails that lead from Kinrara, Taman Wawasan and Saujana Puchong. Wild boars and long-tailed macaques are common at the forest edge, but rarer animals have depleted or retreated to the quieter sections. This is assumed to be mostly due to hunting by Aborigines (it can also be surmised that local restaurants have exacerbated the problem, by soliciting exotic meat from the Orang Asli in the past). Fortunately, regular field studies and traps reveal the continued existence of more wildlife species, but a walk through the forest here still seems strangely quiet.

However, it is not fair to put full blame on the Aborigines even if their poaching has disminished wildlife tremendously, as what was once their abundant game meat, also culturally, has disappeared in the face of swollen development eroding the sustainability of such harvests. Meanwhile, crystal clear streams still meander through the forest, at certain junctures flowing into brilliant emerald pools and cascading majestically over sloping granite beds. A single natural lake remains (an angling spot which can be seen at the forest section edge at Kinrara), the rest having been swallowed up by residential homes. In future, it is hoped the forest will be officially gazetted as a public park, a move that will help ensure its protection from being eaten up by Klang Valley's development bubble.