The Malaysian federal government has labelled the area as a whole as an essential water catchment area and part of Central Forest Spine and plans to protect the forest under the Malaysian National Forestry Act. Despite that, between the two, only part of Belum Forest Reserve has been gazetted as a State Park while the rest are production forest open for development.
The Malaysian government has declared the entire area an essential water catchment zone and part of Central Forest Spine, aiming to protect the forest under the Malaysian National Forestry Act. However, only a portion of Belum Forest Reserve has been designated as a State Park, while the rest are allowed for commercial development.