DEFORESTATION IN MALAYSIA

DEFORESTATION – the cutting down of trees on a large scale

o The timber is highly valuable
o Deforestation means the land can be used for other enterprises like commercial farming or the production of palm oil
o The rate of deforestation in Malaysia is increasing the fastest in the whole world
o Between 2000 and 2013, the total area of forest lost was larger than Denmark

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THREATS TO MALAYSIA'S RAINFORESTS

Logging:
o Malaysia became the world’s largest exporter of tropical wood in the 1980s
o Clear felling (where all trees are chopped down in one area) was common – leading to the total destruction of forest habitats
o Clear felling has recently been replaced by selective logging – where only fully grown trees are cut down
Road building:
o Roads are constructed to provide access to new mining areas, settlements and energy projects
o Logging required road construction to bring in the machinery and take away the timber
Energy Development:
o In 2011 the Bakun Dam in Sarawak started to generate electricity
o It is Asia’s highest dam (205m) outside China
o The dam supplies energy for the industrialised Peninsular Malaysia
o The dam’s reservoir flooded over 700km² of farmland
o Several dams are planned to be built to boost Malaysia’s energy supplies

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Mineral Extraction:
o Mining (mainly tin and smelting) is very common in Malaysia
o Rainforest has been cleared for mining and road construction
o Drilling for oil and gas has recently started in Borneo
Population Pressure:
o Poorer urban people were encouraged to move to the countryside, away from the rapidly growing cities (transmigration)
o Around 15 000 ha of rainforest was felled for the settlers
o Plantations were then set up
Commercial Farming:
o Malaysia is the largest exporter of palm oil – large areas of land have been converted to palm oil plantations
Subsistence Farming:
o Traditionally, local communities would hunt and gather food from the forest and grow their own crops in small patches of cleared land
o This type of farming is sustainable

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Soil Erosion:

Loss of Biodiversity:

o Deforestation destroys an ecosystem and therefore their inhabitants and the environment that is within them

Contribution to Climate Change:

o Trees give off moisture through transpiration – deforestation reduces the moisture in the air causing a drier climate
o The process of evaporation uses up heat and cools the air – so if the trees are cut down the temperature will rise

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Economic Development:

Gains:

o Development of land for mining, farming etc. – more jobs
o Companies will pay taxes which can be used for development of public services
o Increased levels of development
o Improved transport infrastructure opens tourism up to new areas
o Products such as palm il and rubber provide raw materials for processing industries
o Minerals such as gold are very valuable

Losses:

o Pollution of water sources and an increasingly dry climate may result in water shortages
o Fires can cause harmful pollution and burn out of control
o Rising temperatures could devastate farmers
o Plants with medical benefits may become extinct
o Tourism numbers to rainforests could decrease

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