Deforestation

Causes:

Consequences:
Reduction in size of tribal lands

Visual impact

Logging companies may not invest in future

Increases surface run off

Desertification

Lack of species for tribes to hunt

Loss of biodiversity

Some species are only found in woodlands

Might increase chances of eutrophication

Potential destruction of new medicines

Extinction of species

Destruction of woodland

Species might become endangered

Increase in global warming

Advantages:
Employment for the local population
Areas to grow crop
Large profits
Communities can tax wood as it is exported
Can build access roads
Place to graze animals

Malaysia

Reasons for deforestation

Energy - Dam

Commercial Plantations

$2 billion Bakun Dam in Sarawak

Oil palm and rubber

Flooding of thousands of acres of

forest
Estimated 230km^2 cut down
9,000 Kenyah people moved from
the flooded area
Now suffer alcoholism and
depression

Factories abandoned
Threatened habitats
Resettlement
Tax breaks
Orangutan affected

Mining

Widespread in Peninsular Malaysia:

tin mining

Areas cleared to make way for

roads and mining buildings
Pollution of land and rivers

Resettlement
Fires
Logging

Drilling for oil and gas started in

Borneo

How has logging affected Malaysian forests?

Clear felling (Older)
Selective logging (newer)
Reduces biodiversity
Construction works - soil erosion
Loss of trees = soil erosion

Affected Penan community: Who protested against deforestation- Penan Community, 2003
in Sarawak protested against a logging company - were imprisoned.

What methods have been used to protect the Malaysian rainforest?

Selective Management System (Cycle)
Permanent Forest Estates and Parks
Forest Stewardship Council
Developing eco-tourism
Carbon sinks
Worldwide initiatives
Debt Relief
How is Biodiversity affected by all this..
Deforestation can directly lead to biodiversity loss when animal species that live in the trees
no longer have their habitat, cannot relocate, and therefore become extinct.
Deforestation can lead certain tree species to permanently disappear, which affects
biodiversity of plant species in an environment.
The effect of deforestation can have the largest effect in tropical rainforests. According to
the NASA Earth Observatory, half of all 5 to 80 million species live in the rainforests.
Rainforests only make up seven percent of Earths total land area, making these habitats
dense with life. Scientists have only named 1.5 million species in detail but yet about 137
species become extinct daily (Earth Observatory).