21/03/2025

FRIDAY | MAR 21, 2025

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Malaysian Paper

/thesundaily /

Monoculture plantations greater deforestation threat

programmes and campaigns in line with the government’s goal to make Putrajaya a leader in low-carbon green cities, with a target of reducing greenhouse gas emission intensity by 60% by 2030. Themed the Putrajaya Ramadan “Go Green” Bazaar, the activities included going cashless, and campaigns such as Avoid Single-Use Plastics, Bring Your Own Bags or Containers and Use Bio-degradable Products. The bazaar also implemented the Used Cooking Oil Collection Programme and the Organic Waste Reduction Campaign through Composting, he added. – Bernama RM22m to benefit 14,000 Sabah fishermen SANDAKAN: A total of RM22 million has been allocated for the benefit of about 14,000 fishermen in Sabah this year. Fisheries Development Authority of Malaysia chairman Muhammad Faiz Fadzil said the allocation involves fishermen’s living allowances, as well as other initiatives. “The allocation is also for the construction of a small jetty and repairing 50 fishermen’s houses,” he said after completing the Madani Ramadan friendly Rahmah programme with members of the Libaran Fishermen Association here on Wednesday. Muhammad Faiz also reiterated that Sabah fishermen should not abuse the diesel fuel subsidy provided by the government, and that the raw material subsidy is only to be used for fishing. “We are also concerned about the diesel oil leakage issue and will take strict action against anyone involved in the sale of the fuel, such as cancelling the licence or suspending the receipt of subsidies, as well as closing the jetty used for such activity,” he said. Muhammad Faiz said a total of 110 members of the Libaran Fishermen Association, as well as asnaf individuals received food baskets and duit raya of RM100 each. – Bernama Move to promote clean public toilet awareness KUALA LUMPUR: The Toilet of The Year Award (Totya) will be institutionalised as an annual national event to foster greater civic awareness in maintaining cleanliness of public toilets. Housing and Local Government Minister Nga Kor Ming said the initiative had received the Cabinet’s endorsement. Now in its third year, the competition offers a total cash prize of RM160,000, with the top winner in each category receiving RM20,000. “This year, Totya will feature eight categories – local authorities, rest and service areas, hotels, restaurants, shopping centres, schools, food courts and places of worship,” Nga said after the “Sentuhan Kasih Ramadan Bersama Media” programme here on Wednesday. The deadline for participation is April 30. The ministry, with the collaboration of the Education Ministry, has upgraded about 12,000 public toilets, including over 8,000 in schools. In line with Visit Malaysia Year 2026, the ministry has allocated RM4 million to construct six-star smart toilets at Dataran Masjid Putrajaya, Dataran Flora in Putrajaya, Jalan Alor, and Jalan Petaling in the capital city. – Bernama

PETALING JAYA: While logging is a major environmental concern in Malaysia, monoculture plantations, particularly those involving exotic species, pose an even greater threat. These plantations contribute to biodiversity loss and ecological degradation. Contrary to public perception, RimbaWatch director Adam Farhan said the biggest misconception is that illegal logging is the primary cause of deforestation. “In reality, the main driver is the conversion of forest reserves into monoculture plantations. “These plantations, often consisting of rubber, acacia and oil palm, drastically reduce biodiversity and permanently alter ecosystems,” he told theSun recently. A monoculture plantation is a large-scale agricultural system that involves cultivating a single crop or tree species over a vast area. Widely practised in commercial farming and forestry, this method aims to enhance productivity and operational efficiency. Despite government commitments to maintaining 50% forest cover, he said deforestation remains rampant due to policies allowing large-scale conversions of natural forests. Sarawak, Sabah, Kelantan and Pahang are among the most severely affected states. Citing data from the organisation’s State of the Malaysian Rainforest 2024 report, Adam said 2.47 million hectares of forest reserves are at risk of being cleared for monoculture plantations under government programmes, including the Licence for Planted Forests in Sarawak and the Forest Plantation Development Programme in Peninsular Malaysia. “To put this into perspective, 2.47 million hectares is larger than the entire state of Johor and represents 7.5% of Malaysia’s total land area.” His comments were made in conjunction with the annual celebration of World Forestry Day today, a global event aimed at promoting o Policies allowing large scale conversions of natural forests for single crop cultivations drastically reduce biodiversity, permanently alter ecosystems: RimbaWatch Ű BY DEEPALAKSHMI MANICKAM newsdesk@thesundaily.com

Adam warned that without strong legal protections, Malaysia’s forests will continue to shrink under the guise of ‘sustainable’ development. – ADAM AMIR HAMZAH/THESUN

president Datuk Fadlun Mak Ujud. Shariman Yusuf said as part of its continuous educational and awareness efforts, Alam Flora had distributed 350 reusable bags and 2,000 packs of bubur lambuk in reusable containers to visitors at the Precinct 3 Ramadan Bazaar here. “We hope that this small gesture by Alam Flora can spark a shift towards more sustainable and environmentally positive shopping habits by reducing the use of plastic bags,” he said. Meanwhile, Fadlun said in conjunction with the Putrajaya Ramadan Festival, the corporation is continuing various sustainability loss of clean water, food sources and non timber forest products, while also violating their land rights under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. “There have been reports of indigenous graves and sacred sites being destroyed due to logging. Many plants essential for religious ceremonies have also disappeared, infringing on their right to practise their religion,” he added. Adam stressed that indigenous communities are the most effective forest guardians. “Satellite imagery shows that in areas where indigenous communities have full control over their land, deforestation rates are exceptionally low. “Globally, indigenous peoples protect over 80% of the world’s biodiversity, and Malaysia is no exception,” he said. He urged the government to take decisive action against deforestation, beginning with the shutdown of all monoculture plantation programmes in forest reserves. Additionally, he called for amendments to the Environmental Quality Act 1974 to prevent future deforestation projects and stronger laws to stop the degazettement of forest reserves. “Without strong legal protections, Malaysia’s forests will continue to shrink under the guise of ‘sustainable’ development,” he warned.

awareness of the essential role forests play in environmental sustainability. Adam also claimed that Malaysia’s National Forestry Act 1984 is designed to regulate the timber industry rather than serve as a conservation or forest protection policy. “We have no law or national policy that outright limits deforestation. Even if 100% of our forest reserves were converted to monoculture plantations, Malaysia would still technically meet its 50% forest cover commitment because these plantations are classified as ‘forest’ on paper. “This is a deeply troubling loophole,” he added. He also highlighted another major cause of deforestation – the forest reserve degazettement, in which legally protected forests are reclassified for development. “In 2023 alone, Malaysia degazetted over 11,000ha of forest reserves, further reducing critical green cover. “A single hectare of Malaysian rainforest may contain more than 200 tree species, but when converted to a plantation, it holds just one. We’ve already seen species like the Sumatran rhinoceros go extinct in the wild,” he said. Beyond environmental damage, Adam warned that deforestation disrupts the livelihoods of indigenous communities. For these people, deforestation results in the

Public urged to utilise reusable bags at Ramadan bazaars PUTRAJAYA: Alam Flora Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Malakoff Corporation Bhd, has called on the public to bring their own reusable bags and food containers to Ramadan bazaars to reduce waste disposal. impact, including pollution and destruction of ecosystems.

“That’s why we wish to cultivate the habit of bringing reusable bags as a move towards ensuring a cleaner and healthier environment. “It is also to make it easier for the public to make positive changes in their daily practices,” he said at the Alam Flora’s “Kongsi Rezeki” programme with Putrajaya Corporation in conjunction with the Putrajaya Ramadan Festival here on Wednesday. Also present were Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Datuk Seri Dr Zaliha Mustafa and corporation

Its chief executive officer Shariman Yusuf Mohamed Zain said as the leader in environmental solutions, Alam Flora will continue its efforts to educate the public on reusable bags as part of its sustainability initiatives and an alternative to single-use plastic bags, which have a significant impact on the environment. “The use of single-use plastic bags has a big