An ancient peat swamp forest on the edge of Selangor's growing lowlands
Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve
Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve is a small but ecologically significant peat swamp forest in the Kuala Langat District of Selangor, Malaysia. Once part of a much larger continuous forest tract first gazetted in 1927, it now covers only a fraction of its original extent, surrounded by housing estates, plantations, and Temuan Orang Asli villages.
The reserve is notable for its old-growth character, with some of its forests dating back roughly 8,000 years. It shelters characteristic peat swamp species, endemic mammals such as the Selangor pygmy flying squirrel and the Langat red fighting fish, and large mammals including Malayan sun bears, clouded leopards, and Malayan tapirs. Beyond its ecological value, the forest has deep cultural meaning for the Temuan people, whose traditional burial grounds lie within the reserve.
Since 2020 the reserve has been at the center of a high-profile degazetting controversy, in which most of the protected area was briefly removed from the reserve system before being reinstated following strong public, legislative, and federal opposition. The episode has made the forest one of Malaysia's most closely watched remaining lowland peat swamp fragments.