Ampang Jaya

Malaysia

Ampang Jaya

Introducing

At the base of the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge, the world’s largest pure quartz formation, is Taman Melawati, a 364-hectare township administered by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ). Part of the Quartz Ridge surrounds a dam and nearby forest and is home to 265 plant species, including five endemic species. It also serves as habitat for the Serow (Capricornis sumatraensis), a rare mountain goat. Formerly a rubber plantation in the 1970s, Taman Melawati has since evolved into a matured residential area, but demand for housing is not the only threat to its remaining natural areas. In the original plan for the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), developers intended to dig a tunnel under the Quartz Ridge. Not only would this have led to forest and biodiversity loss but also the degradation of the entire catchment area.

Other highlights in Ampang Jaya include Bukit Kembara, Bukit Saga, Taman Rimba Ampang, and the waterfalls of Sungai Ampang. However, construction also threatens many of these essential ecosystems.