©New
Sunday Times (Used by permission)
by Chai Mei Ling
• Forest Reserves: Gone in five years
• Forest Reserves: They are vital for environmental conservation
HAS there been a net gain or net loss of permanent forest reserves over the past
five years?
The answer, it appears, depends on how one, and who, reads government gazettes.
According to statistics from state gazettes, state governments added 38,800ha to
forest reserves but cut down 40,500ha between 2001 and 2005.
This means that Peninsular Malaysia lost a net total of 1,700ha of its permanent
forest reserves in five years. That amounts to more than 2,000 football fields.
However, the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia (JPSM) painted a
contrasting picture, with an addition of 6,800ha.
It stated that there was an addition of 23,300ha over the
period with omission or degazetted areas of only 16,500ha.
When states add forest reserve acreage, they gazette these areas. Similarly,
omission means degazettement.
Interestingly, the department also cited the gazettes as its source of
information.
Discrepancies between the figures in the state gazettes and what the department
reported, based on those same figures, are baffling.
For example, JPSM placed reserve cuts at 16,500ha.
This does not tally with what the gazettes –– the only legal documents proving a
permanent forest reserve addition or excision process –– state.
Based on four major excisions plucked from the gazettes, the total had breached
the 18,000ha mark.
There were 115 other excisions in those five years.
On the inconsistencies, the department said: "Since the procedures of
gazettement and degazettement are lengthy and involve several parties, figures
might be displaced along the process."
Legal processes may take a long time to finalise, but current figures aren't
looking too good. Over the last decade, reserves have been on a slight but
steady decline.
The National Forestry Council and the National Land Council jointly approved a
proposal for a permanent forest estate of 5.18 million hectares (about 40 per
cent of Peninsular Malaysia's land area) 30 years ago.
The target has not been met and continues to appear unattainable if the recent
trend is anything to go by.
Between 1999 and 2004, total reserves fell from 4.85 million hectares to 4.68
million hectares and stabilised at 4.7 million hectares, according to Forestry
Department statistics.
On how viable the 5.18 million–hectare target was, considering that Peninsular
Malaysia is short of a whopping 480,000ha, the department played down those
concerns.
"The issue of excision and addition is being closely monitored by the
authorities.
"There are no worries of diminishing reserves in the near future because the
role of the Forestry Department pertaining to permanent forest reserves is still
relevant."
The department said forests played a significant role in the socio–economic
development of the country.
However, some of the areas had to be sacrificed or converted to other uses for
the betterment of the country, such as in poverty alleviation.
This was especially so in the case of massive land development and resettlement
sche–mes like Felda, it said.
"Malaysia aims to be an advanced developing country and should not be hindered
by global development issues such as climate change.
"Nevertheless, active steps are being undertaken by JPSM and state forestry
departments to ensure more gazettement of forest areas and to further classify
them as protection forests."
Between 2001 and 2005, 200,000ha of forested land had been approved by various
state executive councils for gazettement, it added.
Forest Reserves: Gone in five years
PERAK and Negri Sembilan experienced the biggest net loss in permanent forest
reserves between 2001 and 2005.
Perak lost about 11,900ha, an area slightly larger than the
Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Negri Sembilan lost 8,800ha.
Of the 11 states in the peninsula, Pahang is the only one which recorded an
impressive net gain of 26,600ha, an area spanning half the Langkawi archipelago.
Perlis and the federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya registered no
change.
Negri Sembilan forestry director Ahmad Zainal said the excisions took place
during the time of the former state government.
He said the state had marked two forested areas to be
regazetted, but he could not provide the size.
As of 2005, a quarter of Negri Sembilan was still covered with reserves.
On how the state was going to increase its permanent forest reserves considering
that there were few reserves left to be regazetted, Ahmad said:
"That's where you are wrong. Any state land can be planted back with forests and
regazetted.
"There are such things as reforestation and afforestation."
Pahang, which excised 3,000ha but added 29,000ha, had 42 per cent of its total
area under forest reserves.
The bulk of the addition came from the gazettement of peat swamp forests, said
its forestry department deputy director, Jalil Md Som.
"These peat swamps are not to be logged or even touched although they are
categorised as agriculture land. We have to keep them forested because of their
importance as carbon sinks."
Jalil said Pahang had always practised sustainable logging.
"For an area that has been logged, we have to wait 30 years for it to be
rehabilitated before we are allowed to go in again."
Forest Reserves: They are vital for environmental
conservation
PERMANENT forest reserves are gazetted mainly for sustainable timber production
and other forest produce, as well as for water and environmental conservation.
This is in accordance with the concept of rational land use.
One of the objectives of the National Forestry Policy 1978
(amended 1992) is to dedicate adequate reserves strategically located in the
country.
Although they are mainly for timber production, reserves are also important for
wildlife conservation, studies show.
Under the purview of the National Forestry Act 1984, the state authority can:
– Excise a reserve or any part of a reserve "under very special circumstances".
This is when the reason for its reservation no longer applies, or it is required
for economic use higher than the present forest value; and,
– Replace all areas of permanent forest estate that are cut down, provided there is a need for soil and water conservation, biodiversity and other environmental consideration; a need to sustain timber production; an economic interest for the state; and there is suitable land available. This responsibility lies with the state forestry departments with the help of land and mineral offices or district offices which have administrative authority over state forests.