The Star, Thursday July 11, 2013
Plain
apathy: Terracing within the illegal logging site in Jalan Sungai
Tekali is exposed to the weather, drawing concerns to soil erosion.
The exemption of royalty on
rubberwood logging may have helped to boost commercial development of
the agricultural commodity but it has also caused severe damage to the
environment, with more problems brewing.
StarMetro discovered that a large tract of land in the Sungai Tekali forest area, Hulu Langat, has been cleared.
Rubber trees are being felled and the timber sold at a sawmill at the site.
A check with the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) revealed that both the sawmill and the clearing of land being carried out are illegal.
A spokesman from the council said the planning department had a rude shock too when the matter was brought to their attention because 28 lots of land, with a combined area of 22.7ha, had been cleared.
He said the council would be issuing notices to stop the unscrupulous operators.
Environmentalist Lim Teck Wyn, who was present during the site visit by StarMetro, pointed out that the site was being abused, with no control on soil erosion.
The site where logging is being carried out is hidden from view by hoardings and the area next to it, which has signs of sand-mining activities, is left abandoned.
Through the hoardings, one can see the sawmill, piles of rubber tree logs as well as the now-bare hill terraces where rubber trees used to be.
Worse still, with no rehabilitation measures taken, the banks of a stream running through the cleared land are on the verge of collapse, and could cause flooding and mud slides.
Rubberwood, usually used as fuelwood, has become a major source of revenue for the Malaysian timber industry. It is a popular wood for making furniture and other products.
The logging royalty for rubberwood is, therefore, exempted to benefit the country’s economy. However, the policy that has been in place for about 20 years has also brought about negative consequences.
Lim said the problem of rubberwood logging was widespread and the relevant authorities were lax in carrying out enforcement measures.
“Even though royalty is exempted, the operators still need a licence from the Forestry Department to log rubberwood.
“However, the authorities have not been stern enough in enforcing the law. This could be due to the fact that there is no incentive, since the royalty is waived,” he said.
Apart from stricter enforcement, he suggested that the Government consider increasing the royalty to protect the environment.
“Its damage to the environment is the same as other logging activities. It can cause flooding, soil erosion, water pollution and landslide if the area is too steep,” he said.
“This policy must be reviewed as more than 40,000ha of Latex Timber Clone (LTC) plantations have been identified for logging under the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA). Also, the replanting plans must be closely monitored,” he said.
LTC is a rubber tree species that produces a good yield of latex as well as timber, but the latter is given priority in view of the high demand for various industrial purposes.
Lim highlighted that apart from the Forestry Department, the Environment Department could also help monitor the situation as the state director had the power to request for an Environmental Impact Assessment on a logging site measuring more than 500ha, or if the site was in a sensitive area.
Even sanctioned logging of rubberwood had been reported to have caused much suffering to the surrounding population.
A large portion of secondary forests in Johor, especially near the Endau-Rompin National Park, has been cleared for LTC plantations.
Since 2009, there have been reports on increased flooding, damaged natural habitat for wildlife such as tigers and elephants, and reduction of water catchment areas in the state.
The Malaysian Nature Society is still up in arms against the policy whereby a forest reserve does not need to be degazetted if trees are felled and replaced with LTC for the production of timber, despite the damage such actions cause to the biodiversity.
StarMetro discovered that a large tract of land in the Sungai Tekali forest area, Hulu Langat, has been cleared.
Rubber trees are being felled and the timber sold at a sawmill at the site.
A check with the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) revealed that both the sawmill and the clearing of land being carried out are illegal.
A spokesman from the council said the planning department had a rude shock too when the matter was brought to their attention because 28 lots of land, with a combined area of 22.7ha, had been cleared.
He said the council would be issuing notices to stop the unscrupulous operators.
Environmentalist Lim Teck Wyn, who was present during the site visit by StarMetro, pointed out that the site was being abused, with no control on soil erosion.
The site where logging is being carried out is hidden from view by hoardings and the area next to it, which has signs of sand-mining activities, is left abandoned.
Through the hoardings, one can see the sawmill, piles of rubber tree logs as well as the now-bare hill terraces where rubber trees used to be.
Worse still, with no rehabilitation measures taken, the banks of a stream running through the cleared land are on the verge of collapse, and could cause flooding and mud slides.
Rubberwood, usually used as fuelwood, has become a major source of revenue for the Malaysian timber industry. It is a popular wood for making furniture and other products.
The logging royalty for rubberwood is, therefore, exempted to benefit the country’s economy. However, the policy that has been in place for about 20 years has also brought about negative consequences.
Lim said the problem of rubberwood logging was widespread and the relevant authorities were lax in carrying out enforcement measures.
“Even though royalty is exempted, the operators still need a licence from the Forestry Department to log rubberwood.
“However, the authorities have not been stern enough in enforcing the law. This could be due to the fact that there is no incentive, since the royalty is waived,” he said.
Apart from stricter enforcement, he suggested that the Government consider increasing the royalty to protect the environment.
“Its damage to the environment is the same as other logging activities. It can cause flooding, soil erosion, water pollution and landslide if the area is too steep,” he said.
“This policy must be reviewed as more than 40,000ha of Latex Timber Clone (LTC) plantations have been identified for logging under the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA). Also, the replanting plans must be closely monitored,” he said.
LTC is a rubber tree species that produces a good yield of latex as well as timber, but the latter is given priority in view of the high demand for various industrial purposes.
Lim highlighted that apart from the Forestry Department, the Environment Department could also help monitor the situation as the state director had the power to request for an Environmental Impact Assessment on a logging site measuring more than 500ha, or if the site was in a sensitive area.
Even sanctioned logging of rubberwood had been reported to have caused much suffering to the surrounding population.
A large portion of secondary forests in Johor, especially near the Endau-Rompin National Park, has been cleared for LTC plantations.
Since 2009, there have been reports on increased flooding, damaged natural habitat for wildlife such as tigers and elephants, and reduction of water catchment areas in the state.
The Malaysian Nature Society is still up in arms against the policy whereby a forest reserve does not need to be degazetted if trees are felled and replaced with LTC for the production of timber, despite the damage such actions cause to the biodiversity.
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