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SAM welcomes national forestry review

  • Publication Date | March 20, 2018
  • Document Type | Letter to the Editor
  • Programmes | Forests & Biodiversity
  • Issues | Biodiversity, Deforestation, Forest Conversions, Forest Degazetting, Logging, Plantations
  • Tags | International Day of Forests, monoculture, National Forestry Policy, Permanent Reserved Forest, PRF, Rio Earth Summit, Sabah, Sarawak
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In conjunction with the International Day of Forests on 21 March, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) is pleased to learn that the government of Malaysia is currently reviewing the National Forestry Policy that was launched in 1992 (NFP 1992).

As with policies that require relook after some time, we welcome the move as the nine-page document is in need of an update in view of emerging challenges and international commitments that the country has taken on.

It is a well-known fact that Malaysia has ‘committed’ to the international community that it would maintain 50 per cent of its land area (330,712 km2 or 33 million hectares) as forest cover which means natural forests coverage would be kept at 16.5 million hectares. This is understood to include areas that are designated as managed production forests with logging activities carried out under a system known as sustainable forest management (SFM).

In fact, the bold pledge was first made at the Rio Earth Summit in June, 1992 and reaffirmed consistently at many subsequent sustainability-related global events including the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development or Rio+20, the 20-year follow up to the 1992 Earth Summit.

The pledge has often been brandished by the government as its resolute commitment to protect natural forests as the foundation for the country’s ecological well-being as well as its contribution to the global ecological balance. The commitment gained additional importance with the recognition of the carbon sink function of forests in the fight to stabilise and hopefully reverse global warming.

However, it has to be noted that the foremost policy document in forestry governance – the NFP 1992 – is silent on this famous pledge. It is of great concern that as the country develops further, pressure on forests would increase in tandem resulting in encroachment and conversion of forests into other land-use purposes.

According to the forest cover statistics published by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE), which covered both Permanent Forest Reserves (PFRs) and state land forest, the figures has dipped slightly from 18.5 million hectares in 1992 to 18.2 million hectares in 2014. It has to be pointed out that state land forests are highly susceptible to conversion and their contributions to the country’s forest cover are on shaky ground.

Therefore, PFRs which were gazetted and subjected to the provisions of replacement in the event of degazettement, is the more reliable statistics.  However, official statistics on PFRs showed that lowland forest which made up the bulk of the forest cover has decreased from 10.58 million hectares to 10.12 million hectares while peat swamp forests were reduced by half from 1 million hectares to 0.5 million hectares during this period.

Contribution to the 50 per cent forest cover according to land size of the three regions in Malaysia would be 6.63 million hectares for Peninsular Malaysia, 3.68 million hectares for Sabah and 6.22 million hectares for Sarawak.  

Based on the official statistics, Peninsular Malaysia would not be able to meet this commitment given that its forest cover in 2014 stood at 5.8 million hectares. Meanwhile, Sabah’s forest cover stood at 4.44 million hectares and Sarawak registered an 8 million hectare coverage.

Therefore, given the growing pressure on lands to generate economic activities such as mining, plantations, infrastructure development including dam building, industrial zones and human settlements, it is vital that the revision of NFP 1992 takes into account the 50 per cent forest cover commitment in view of these relatively new and emerging challenges.

We urge the Malaysian government to make good its promise by inserting this pledge into the revised policy document to ensure that economic plans do not compromise the need to develop in a sustainable manner which includes balancing the role of forests as an economic resource as well as provider of the varied ecological services.

Given that forests and land matters are under the states’ jurisdiction, the new policy needs to consider a burden-sharing mechanism among the states to achieve the 50 per cent forest cover. In addition, a policy will not achieve its goals unless there is a clear implementation plan supported by a financial plan.

Plantation woes

In addition, SAM is deeply concerned that the seemingly ‘stable’ forest cover also counts in the contentious large monoculture plantations. On the ground, such plantations are developed both within the PFR and the non-gazetted state land forests. As such, the integrity of our forestry statistics on forest cover is also questionable.

Based on the annual reports and reporting on the websites of the forestry departments in Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak and Sabah, we have estimated that by 2013, forested areas as large as 324,417 hectares in Peninsula, 271,110 hectares in Sabah and 2,827,372 hectares in Sarawak have been designated for monoculture plantation development. If Sarawak’s share is further limited to areas that have been cultivated, at 471,892 hectares, the figure would still be as large as 1.1 million hectare, or 5.9 per cent of our forested areas – slightly smaller than Terengganu. 

It has to be noted that the promotion of monoculture plantations is driving deforestation when they are established in PFRs as well as on state land forests. Monoculture plantations should not be allowed to replace natural forest areas, degraded or otherwise, any further. They must also be removed from the statistics on the country’s forest cover.

S.M. MOHAMED IDRIS

President

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Testimonials

Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah satu badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) yang telah sekian lama berjuang mempertahan kelestarian alam. Ia juga mendidik masyarakat tentang pentingnya kebersamaan dalam pemikiran dan tindakan agar alam ini dapat kita wariskan kepada generasi hadapan dalam keadaan yang elok dan terpelihara. Dalam pada itu juga SAM giat membantu golongan nelayan pantai dalam memperjuangkan hak-hak mereka sehinggalah tertubuhnya Persatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING). Nelayan pantai sepenuh masa ini dididik oleh SAM sehingga mereka mampu memainkan peranan sebagai pemimpin nelayan yang meneruskan kesinambungan memperjuangkan hak-hak nelayan pantai lainnya. Sebagai contoh SAM telah berjaya menyedarkan masyarakat nelayan keperluan menjaga hutan paya bakau untuk kebaikan hasil tangkapan nelayan itu sendiri.
Jamaluddin Mohamad Bualik
Jamaluddin Mohamad BualikPersatuan Pendidikan dan Kebajikan Jaringan Nelayan Pantai Malaysia (JARING)
During the 1980s, I used to read about the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) in the news. After retirement, some time in 2001, while lazing around, I read news about the construction of a carbon in leach plant using sodium cyanide to extract gold in Bukit Koman. My friends and I visited CAP and we were introduced to SAM and her legal team. We discussed the details of filing a case against the gold mining company and the department of environment with Ms Meenakshi Raman and her legal team. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship between lawyers from SAM and many of us from Bukit Koman. We had many ups and downs in our struggle to shut down the gold mine that was causing a nuisance in our village. But, as a community we never gave up because SAM had our backs.
Hue Fui How
Hue Fui HowSecretary, Bukit Koman Ban Cyanide in Goldmining Action Committee (BCAC)
Sahabat Alam Malaysia adalah sebuah NGO yang memperjuangkan nasib masyarakat luar bandar khasnya. SAM menerima aduan-aduan masyarakat dan menyelesaikan masalah yang dihadapi. SAM telah mewujudkan ramai aktivis-aktivis sosial dan alam sekitar. Pada era 1980 dan 90an SAM sangat dihormati oleh masyarakat dan agensi kerajaan. Apabila media sosial menguasai maklumat maka SAM pun terkesan dan masalah masyarakat terus disalurkan dengan pelbagai cara. SAM perlu mewujudkan aktivis-aktivis pelapis yang muda untuk terus membantu masyarakat. SAM juga perlu membuat perubahan supaya banyak turun kelapangan dan jangan mengharapkan laporan media sahaja. Tingkatkan prestasi sebagaimana pada zaman kegemilangan SAM di era 80-90an.
Che Ani Mt Zain
Che Ani Mt Zain
SAM taught me the importance of social activism and the role it plays in upholding the rights of people and the protection of the environment. In my experience, SAM has never hesitated to speak up in defence of people and their environment, and has gone the extra mile to champion their rights, by helping communities take their battles to the higher ups and even to the courts.
Jessica Binwani
Jessica BinwaniPublic/Private Interest Lawyer
Semenjak kami kenal SAM, banyak pengalaman dan pengetahuan yg kami dapat. Kami telah belajar cara membuat baja asli daripada SAM. Semenjak itu, bermulalah minat kami dalam aktiviti pertanian. Dengan memperolehi kemahiran dalam membuat baja asli dan penanaman lestari, kami juga telah dapat menambahkan pendapatan sampingan kami. Ini lebih baik daripada tanah kami terbiar dan tidak diusahakan. Terima kasih SAM kerana sudi memberi bantuan dan tunjuk ajar kepada Persatuan kami.
Chedo Anak Nyuwen
Chedo Anak NyuwenPersatuan Penduduk Sg Buri, Bakong, Marudi
My journey with SAM started when her community organisers took me to the meet the paddy farmers of Kedah, connecting my growing interest in environmental law with our people who struggle to work the land in the face of pollution, replacement of traditional seeds with commercial hybrids and their accompanying chemical package of fertilisers and weedicides. I then had the honour to work with SAM in the struggle for the rights of the native communities of Sarawak, in defence of their forests from massive logging and destructive mega-projects. In every issue that SAM takes up, she combines rigorous research with the realities and voices of the communities to advocate for policies and laws that care for people and nature. From the courts to the elected legislators to policy makers and implementers and to the United Nations, SAM walks side by side with the communities in Malaysia. How can I not be inspired by the vision and passion of the generations of women and men who coalesce to form SAM?
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Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Headquarters)
No. 1, Jalan Joki, 11400 Penang,
Malaysia
Tel: +604 827 6930
Fax: +604 827 6932

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (Marudi Office)
129A, First Floor,
Jalan Tuanku Taha,
P.O.Box 216,
98058 Marudi, Baram, Sarawak,
Malaysia
Tel & Fax: +6085 758 973

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