Tropical Rainforests In Malaysia Flashcards
General information about Malaysian rainforests.
Malaysia is made up of Peninsular Malaysia and Eastern Malaysia (which is part of the island of Borneo)
60% is forested and 13% commercial tree crops primarily rubber and oil palm
Most of the primary (virgin) rainforest has now gone (18% of the tropical forest is virgin forest) ➔ heartland for the giant dipterocarp trees, which dominate the tropical timber trade
What are some figures for organisms in Malaysian rainforests?
> 5,500 species of flowering plants
2,600 species of tree
1,000 species of butterflies
203 species of mammals (78% only live in rainforests)
What is the threat of logging in Malaysia?
World’s largest exporter of tropical wood in the 1980s
Clear felling’ common ➔ total destruction of forests
Recently ‘selective logging’, which still reduces biodiversity, especially through associated road construction
Illegal logging ➔ marginal slopes logged ➔ soil erosion & mudslides
Indigenous tribes threatened. e.g. members of the Penan community imprisoned for protesting encroachment of a logging company
What is the threat of energy in Malaysia?
$2bn Bakun Dam in Sarawak (completed in 2011) ➔ 230km3 virgin forest cut down & 1000s of hectares of forest flooded ➔ HEP for industrialised Peninsular Malaysia
10,000 indigenous people forced to move ➔ subsistence communities had to pay to be rehoused and now suffering from depression and alcoholism
What is the threat of mining in Malaysia?
Tin mining and smelting dominate
Pollution of the land and rivers
Drilling for oil and gas has started
Describe the threat of commercial plantation in Malaysia
Major producer of oil palm and rubber
Synthetic rubber ➔ rubber plantations abandoned or converted to oil palm
Plantation owners receive a 10-yr tax break ➔ Malaysia is the largest exporter of palm oil in the world
Describe the threat of resettlement
Poor urban dwellers encouraged to move into the countryside ➔ ‘transmigration’
15,000ha felled to accommodate new settlers between 1956 and the 1980s
Describe the threat of fires in Malaysia
Lightning strikes ➔ natural fires
‘Slash & Burn’ agriculture ➔ small areas of land cleared for agriculture but can result in wildfires
What is the National Forest Policy?
Improvements in technology (e.g. chainsaws, trucks) ➔ widespread logging after WWII ➔ National Forestry Act in 1977
Timber processing ➔ increase profitability & reduce demand for raw wood
Alternative timber sourcing (e.g. rubber trees)
Increase public awareness
Increase forestry research
Involve local communities in forest projects
The ‘selective management system’ recognised as one of the most sustainable approaches in the world! ➔ BUT… a lack of trained officials to enforce and monitor ➔ illegal activities and unsuccessful replanting strategies
What is the Forest Stewardship Council?
International organisation promoting sustainable forestry
FSC label educates manufacturers and consumers about the need to buy wood from sustainable sources
Reduces demand for rare and valuable tropical hardwoods (e.g. mahogany)
Describe tourism in the rainforest
‘Ecotourism’ aims to introduce people to the natural world without causing environmental damage
Small groups, local guides, local materials ➔ provides local employment ➔ nature-based (e.g. walks, birdwatching) and limited transport
What are recent worldwide initiatives?
Expecting countries to ‘mothball’ their rainforests is naïve…
Debt relief: Giving rainforests a monetary value and paying countries to maintain them by reducing their debt
Carbon sinks: Recognising forest’s roles in reducing global warming by acting as a carbon sink ➔ international organisations can support National Parks
Describe Malaysia’s Selective Management System
2 yrs before: Study to identify what’s there
1 yr before: Commercially viable trees marked for felling/arrows on trees mark the direction they should fall in
Felling: Carried out by licence holders
3-6 months after: Survey to check what’s been felled (could result in prosecution)
2yrs after: Treatment plan drawn up to restore forest
5-10yrs after: Remedial + regeneration work carried out, replacement trees planted
30-40yrs after: Cycle begins again
