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INTRODUCTION

An estimated 13 million hectares of forests were lost each year between 2000 and
2010 due to deforestation (WWF, 2015). In tropical rainforests mostly, deforestation
continues to be critical environmental issue that risk peoples livelihoods, threatens species,
and increase global warming. Deforestation refers to the destruction of naturally occurring
forests, for the most part due to human activities such as logging, cutting trees, slash and burn
agriculture, mining operations, oil extraction, dam building, and the uncontrolled expansion
of urban areas or other types of development and population growth. Logging alone much of
it illegal accounts for the loss of more than 32 million acres of our planet's natural forests
every year, according to The Nature Conservancy.
Forests still cover about 30% of the Earth's surface, but each year about 13 million
hectares of forest an area roughly similar to the state of Nebraska, or four times the size
of Costa Rica are converted to agricultural land or cleared for other purposes (Larry West,
2015). Reforestation programs as well as landscape restoration and the natural expansion of
forests have slowed the net deforestation rate somewhat, but the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization reports that approximately 7.3 million hectares of forests an area
roughly the size state of South Carolina are for all time lost every year.
The most risk and vulnerable place that deforestation happen is tropical rainforests in
place like Indonesia, the Congo, Malaysia, Paraguay, Guatemala, Cambodia,

and

the

Amazon Basin. At the current rate of deforestation, tropical rainforests could be wiped out as
functioning ecosystems in less than 100 years (WWF, 2015).
West Africa has lost about 90% of its coastal rainforests, and deforestation in South
Asia has been nearly as bad. Two-thirds of the lowland tropical forests in Central America
have been converted to field since 1950 and 40% of all rainforests has been lost (Larry West,
2015). Madagascar has lost 90% of its eastern rainforests, and Brazil has seen more than 90%
of the Atlantic Forest disappear (Larry West, 2015).

ISSUES OF DEFORESTATION IN MALAYSIA


Deforestation is actually logging the forest in order to build developments which
make income for country or citizen. However, deforestation can give big impact to other
living things and surrounding area. For example, the animal habitat will be destroying unless
the animal being transfers to other places. Fortunately is by having the development, our
country will be advanced with worldwide country.
Recently, Malaysia has made the record where it has the worlds highest deforestation
rate. Most of the deforestation in Malaysia is usually for build development or shopping
centre or others. This statement can be proved at Google forest map. In 2000 until 2012,
deforestation rate in Malaysia is 14.4% compare to second highest rate in Paraguay which is
9.6%. 14.4% of deforestation rate consider as 47,278 square kilometres where the area is
larger than Denmark (Butler, 2013). Nowadays, major political force in worldwide is palm oil
plantations. Malaysia with the loss of densest forests is to convert the unmaintainable logging
into palm oil industry. According to the news that has been reported on 11 th December 2013,
almost 3.5 million hectares of Malaysia was converted for oil palm plantations.

Kinabatangan River in Sabah


In Sabah, the forest is being clear in order to expand agriculture and palm oil
plantations. For this case, there are big impact occurred after clearing the forest such
as it increasing flooding occurred often and pollution occur because of the pesticides
and fertilizers from the industrial of palm oil. When the area of lower Kinabatangan is
flooding, it covers 23% of Sabah land which is 16,800 squares kilometres. Animal
habitat also can be affected by the impact of erosion and flooding. With these
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problems, Malaysia incomes decrease because Kinabatangan is one of the important


destinations for ecotourism.

Hulu Terengganu Hydroelectric Project in Terangganu


In this case, the largest deforestation in Terengganu is to build Tenaga
Nasional Berhad which is an electricity utility company. It is an underground power
plant project. The project is estimate will be complete in 2016. However, the project is
located at 50 kilometres west of Kuala Terengganu and the logging occurred more
than three times of land needed. With the clearing the forest, there 94 plant and animal
species is threatened by extinction. This project may kill endangered wildlife.

CAUSES OF DEFORESTATION

One of the causes of deforestation is for agriculture activities. Few decades ago,
Malaysia started developing thousands of acres of forest areas into palm oil plantations. Now,
even though Malaysia is one of the biggest palm oil producers in the world. The Malaysia's
North-South Highway (PLUS), which contain many oil palm plantations on both side of the
road at most part of these highway. Hence, the magnitude of deforestation that has taken
place in Malaysia. This deforestation activity due to agriculture can also be seen at Bukit
Cerakah in Shah Alam, Selangor. According to that report (see Bukit Cherakah to lose more
land, NST July 30, 2005) some 118.7 hectares of what was previously an integral part of the
Bukit Cherakah permanent forest reserve, had been degazetted.
The second big thing that causes deforestation to occur is mining. Oil and coal mining
require considerable amount of forest land. Apart from this, roads and highways have to be
built to make way for trucks and other equipment. The waste that comes out from mining
pollutes the environment and affects the nearby species. Decades of mining in peninsular
Malaysia have left a heavy mark on the environment. Deforestation, pollution of rivers, and
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siltation has resulted in agricultural losses, and road projects have opened new areas to
colonization.

The picture above shows the amount of forest that decreases and estimated to be
decreases by decades in Malaysia that causes by logging. The logging activities are divided
by two. There is legal and illegal logging. Early 1980s logging activities widespread in the
Bornean states of Sabah and Sarawak allowed Malaysia to temporarily outpace Indonesia and
become the world's largest exporter of tropical wood. Peninsular Malaysia's primary forests
are mostly gone but some magnificent forest still exists in Taman Negara and being
considered as the oldest forest in the world. Majority of Malaysia's remaining forests are
managed for timber production, and each state is permitted to formulate forest policy
independently. Urban population in Malaysia has increased from 10.2mil to 15mil. From
2000 to 2010 overall urban area in Kuala Lumpur grew from 4mil in 2000 to 5.8mil in 2010.
Many forest areas were cleared in order to give way for housing estates in order to meet this
huge demand. Urbanisation of areas like Hulu Langat, Gombak and parts of Hulu Selangor
have also resulted in the state losing a huge chunk of its permanent forest reserves a decision
the state could not compromise on as it needed to fulfil the industrial and housing needs for
the future. Gazetted on 8 November 2007 under the State-adopted National Forestry Act
1984, Gunung Stong State Forest Park (GSSP) (21,950ha) is located in the west of the state
of Kelantan and was previously known as the Gunung Stong Tengah Forest Reserve. In 5th
June 2013, the Sinar Harian Newspaper has reported on the deforestation of Gunung Stong
Tengah, Dabong, Kelantan. It is reported that illegal logging has been done and there were
project on making a new residence in the forest reserve.

EFFECT DUE BY DEFORESTATION


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Environment
Climate Imbalance
Deforestation also affects the climate in more than one ways. Trees release
water vapor in the air, which is compromised on with the lack of trees. Trees
also provide the required shade that keeps the soil moist. This leads to the
imbalance in the atmospheric temperature further making conditions for the
ecology difficult.
The unusual and prolonged dry season and water shortages especially in
Selangor and the Klang Valley February to August 2014.. This alone should
have been enough to tell us that something has gone seriously wrong in a
country usually blessed with abundant tropical rainfall. In addition,
deforestation however has affected the earth ecosystem. Nowadays, Malaysia
is easily affected by the flood and land slide. The newest case scenario is
2014-15 Malaysia floods. It is one of the biggest cases that hit Malaysia from
15 December 2014 until 3rd January 2015. More than 200,000 people affected
while 21 killed on the floods.

Wildlife Extinction
Due to massive felling down of trees, various species of animals are lost. They
lose their habitat and forced to move to new location. Some of them are even
pushed to extinction. Our world has lost so many species of plants and animals
in last couple of decades. In recent news, the Sumatran rhino is now
considered extinct in the wild in the Southeast Asian country of Malaysia,
according to a new study. No wild Sumatran rhinos (Dicerorhinus
sumatrensis) have been found on the Malaysian peninsula since 2007.

Land Slide
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The roots of the trees bind soil to it and to the bedrock underlying it. That is
how trees prevent soil from getting eroded by natural agents like wind or
water. When trees are uprooted, there will be nothing to hold the soil together
thus increasing the risk for landslides which can cause seriously threaten the
safety of the people and damage their properties. The 2008 Bukit
Antarabangsa landslide was a landslide that occurred on 6 December 2008, in
Bukit Antarabangsa, Ulu Klang, Selangor, Malaysia.The landslide, which is
believed to have buried 14 bungalows in Taman Bukit Mewah and Taman
Bukit Utama, occurred at about 4 a.m. MST, causing 15 casualties and 4
deaths.

Social
The impact caused by deforestation is devastating. It caused the loss of lives and
properties. Families loss the members and people loss the place they can called home.
Like the case of the 2011 Hulu Langat landslide was a landslide that occurred on 21
May 2011, in Hulu Langat, Selangor, Malaysia. 16 people mostly 15 children and a
caretaker of an orphanage were killed in a landslide caused by heavy rains at the
Children's Hidayah Madrasah Al-Taqwa orphanage in Kampung Sosrowijayan
(FELCRA Semungkis), Hulu Langat, Selangor, southeast of Kuala Lumpur. The
landslide occurred at about 2:30 pm.

Economy
Deforestation also brings impact to the countrys economy. Since the trees are being
cut down, while the industries grow bigger, the industries are over-using and over
cutting for prosperity and mostly profit. On the other hand, the population of the
country are increasing on daily basis, many corporation take this opportunity by
clearing forests to build infrastructure. This causes the poverty stricken while the
country gives their natural resources away.

PREVENTION
In order to minimize the issues that causes by deforestation, few steps as prevention
measures as been taken. One of it by using the technologies to observed the deforestation
activities.

Drones
Drone is refers to an unpiloted aircraft or spacecraft. It is also called as an unmanned

aerial vehicle or UAV. This spacecraft are basically used for military purposes because they
don't put a pilot's life at risk in combat zones. The ability of it to fly without rest as there is
fuel in the craft and there are no mechanical difficulties make it as the favor option in military
world. The technology of drones to combat the deforestation is enhanced by BioCarbon
Engineering. A flying drone will gather detailed terrain data in order to produce high-quality
3D maps of farmland, plantations and areas to be restored. This technology is able to deliver
precision planting and mapping to increase the uptake rates and the likelihood of healthy
forest development. Since there are many types of tree-planting techniques, including
planting by hand and delivering dry seeds by air, there will be the weaknesses. As an
example, hand-planting is slow and expensive, and spreading dry seeds results in low uptake
rates. The drones can provide invaluable intelligence on planting patterns, landscape design
and appropriate timing. It will conduct the planting audits and at the same time provide
assessments of ecosystem health over time.
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Satellite Imagery
Satellite and aerial imagery allows organizations to analyse changes in forestry
resources and prevent disappearance of forests. Technologies used in satellite and
aerial image processing include imaging mosaics, digital elevation models, and 3D
digital terrain modelling and visualization. High resolution stereo satellite imagery
allows production of realistic and detailed views of geographic locations. The images
produced by satellites are high precision of less than one meter to five meters and are
obtained in high resolution. Digital images can be used to obtain physical geographic
models of areas of interest, evaluate terrain parameters, and model the impacts of
landslides and other natural disasters. Digital images can be stored and archived to
allow analysis of historical patterns in the future.

High Resolution Forest Map


Powered by Googles massive computing cloud, the interactive forest map, establishes
a new baseline for measuring deforestation and forest recovery across all of the
worlds countries, biomes, and forest types. The map has far-reaching implications for
efforts to slow deforestation, which accounts for roughly 10% of greenhouse gas
emissions produced by human activities, according to the authors of the paper that
describes the tool and details its first findings. The project leverages the massive
computing power of Google Earth Engine, which processed some 650,000 NASA
Landsat images to map forest loss and gain. The map wouldnt have been possible
without long-term collaboration between several institutions, including the University
of Maryland, Google Inc, NASA, USGS, South Dakota State University, and the
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Woods Hole Research Center, among others. First touted publicly in 2008, the project
has been in development nearly five years with significant financial support from the
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

In Malaysia, Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM), has become one of the steps
that was used to monitor and prevention for illegal logging and deforestation. FRIM is a
statutory agency of the Government of Malaysia, under the Ministry of Natural Resources
and Environment. FRIM promotes sustainable management and optimal use
of forest resources in Malaysia by generating knowledge and technology through research,
development and application in tropical forestry. FRIM is located in Kepong, near Kuala
Lumpur. Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) is one of the leading institutions in
tropical forestry research in the world. Founded in 1929, the former Forest Research Institute
became a fully-fledged statutory body, governed by the Malaysian Forestry Research and
Development Board (MFRDB) under the Ministry of Primary Industries, in 1985. The results
of FRIMs research are published in peer-reviewed scientific journals and also transferred to
relevant government agencies involved in overseeing and managing forests, as well as forestrelated industries.
Last but not least, there is laws enforcement that was carried out to overcome the
issues of deforestation in Malaysia. The article 74 (2) of the Constitution things including
agricultural land and forestry is under the jurisdiction of the State. Peninsula: National
Forestry Act 1984 [Act 313] Sabah: Sabah Forest Enactment 1968. Sarawak: Sarawak Forest
Ordinance 1954. According to the Berita Harian News dated 28 May 2015, it has stated about
a case that happen in Perak. The case has involved the officer of Jabatan Hutan Hulu Perak
that was sentenced to be fined RM 70 000 or 7 months of jail by the Court Section after he
plead to be accepting bribes of RM 100 000 from a logging contractor, 3 years back. Judge
Rihaida Rafie also ordered RM768,970 cash belonging to Amir Sharifud-din Aliman, 61,
were seized from the accused's house and money RM3,103,324.71 in 12 accounts belonging
to his wife and four children (total RM3.872 million) stripped and handed over to the
Government of Malaysia.

REFFERENCE

Butler, R. (2013). Malaysia has the worlds highest deforestation rate, reveals Google
forest map. Mongabay Environmental News. Retrieved 19 October 2015, from
http://news.mongabay.com/2013/11/malaysia-has-the-worlds-highest-deforestation-

rate-reveals-google-forest-map/
Gwp.org,. (2015). Malaysia: Managing the Kinabatangan floodplains in Sabah
(#256) - Asia and Caucasus - CASE STUDIES - TOOLBOX - Root - Global Water
Partnership.

Retrieved

19

October

2015,

from

http://www.gwp.org/en/ToolBox/CASE-STUDIES/Asia/Malaysia-Managing-the

Kinabatangan-floodplains-in-Sabah-256/
Thepetitionsite.com,. (2015). petition: Save Wildlife from Logging!. Retrieved 20

October 2015, from http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/508/876/624/


WWF.(2015). WWF - Help fight against deforestation. Retrieved 21 October 2015,

from http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/deforestation/
West, L. (2015). How Much Destruction Deforestation Causes Every Year. About.com
News

&

Issues.

Retrieved

20

October

2015,

from

http://environment.about.com/od/biodiversityconservation/f/deforestation

overview.htm
Greenpeace East Asia,. (2012). Deforestation Problems. Retrieved 21 October 2015,
from http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/campaigns/forests/problems/

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