Malaysia causes of deforestation

Question 1

What are the causes of deforestation?

Answer 1

Subsistence farming
Commercial farming
Logging
Road building
Mineral extraction
Energy development
Population growth

Question 2

Subsistence farming

Answer 2

-Tribes grow enough food to support themselves
-Slash and burn provides nutrients to soil
-Small scale and protective of the environment

Question 3

Commercial farming

Answer 3

-Largest exporter of palm oil (85%)
-Global demand, large scale

Question 4

Logging

Answer 4

-Malaysia was the world’s largest exporter of tropical woods in the 1980s, it is used for furniture
-80% of deforestation in Malaysia is for logging

Question 5

Road building

Answer 5

-Roads are constructed to provide access to mining areas, new settlements and energy projects

Question 6

Mineral extraction

Answer 6

-Mining for tin, gold, copper

Question 7

Energy development

Answer 7

-Bakum dam built in 2011
-Reservoir flooded 700km of forest
-More projects planned

Question 8

Population growth

Answer 8

-Government encouraged people to move from cities to TRF (transmigration)
-Between 1956 and 1980, 15,000 hectares of rainforest was felled for settlers