An iPhone capture during a recent hike near my home. Hiking trails are something I’ve had more of a chance to discover since when we aren’t in lockdown, I’m exploring local climbing crags or travelling for photo assignments. Kuala Lumpur, unlike the rest of Southeast Asia's sprawling megalopolises, still boasts pockets of lush, bio-diverse greenery. These spaces in the Malaysian capital are green havens for wildlife—some of it unique, much of it endangered— and the city's residents regularly recharge on the community-maintained hiking trails. Forest advocates point out that these areas play a critical role in the long-term sustainability and survival of Kuala Lumpur and its residents. These urban forests serve as an essential green lung to the greater metropolitan area and provide carbon sequestration, flood mitigation during monsoon season, a way to lower ambient temperatures and catchment areas to ensure clean water supply. Despite all this, real estate developers and the state continue to aggressively pursue new development projects in the remaining green spaces. A Mongabay report quotes a Global Forest Watch (GFW) study stating that between 2000 and 2018, Kuala Lumpur suffered a 24% loss of tree cover, a total of 1184 hectares or roughly 1190 baseball fields. #greenlung #saveoururbanforests #kualalumpur #malaysia #environment #climatechange https://www.instagram.com/p/CQaRBX2sqok/?utm_medium=tumblr