(MY) clearing of hectares of tropical rainforest

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Clearing of area will 'destabilise ecology', drought along border

foreseen - Straits TImes - Sulok Tawie

 

KUCHING, SARAWAK, 17th Feb 2006

--

A plan to clear 1.8 million hectares of tropical rainforest along the

Sarawak-Kalimantan border might cause severe drought and destabilise

the ecology.

 

Sarawak Natural and Environmental Board deputy chairman Dr James

Dawos, issuing this warning today, said that clearing such a huge area

would affect the micro-climates along the border areas.

 

He was commenting on a proposal by the Indonesian Government to open

up land in Kalimantan, near the border with Sarawak, for oil palm

plantations.

 

The 2,000km-long, 5km-wide area proposed by the Indonesian Economics

Ministry in mid-2005 would traverse almost the entire border with

Malaysia, slicing through three national parks, including the famed

800,000-hectare Betung-Kerihun National Park.

 

A RM27.26 billion plan, proposed by a Chinese bank and backed by

Jakarta politicians, would clear 1.8 million hectares over the next

six years.

 

" Chopping down trees within a huge area will affect the micro-climates

of the area and the stability of the ecology, " Dawos said, adding that

this might also affect water storage within watersheds in the area.

 

Dawos, who is also the Mambong MP, said this could result in less

water in future and drought along the Sarawak-Kalimantan border.

 

Chopping down trees, especially at the Betung-Kerihun National Park,

would cause untold damage to the flora and fauna, he said.

 

" There will definitely be a great loss because in Indonesia

(Kalimantan), there is a high diversity of flora and fauna. The

animals may be able migrate to our side. The loss will be in plant

diversity. "

 

Scientist Dr Alexander Sayok said any uncontrolled and massive

development would lead to environmental disaster.

 

Sarawak Forestry Corporation protected areas and biodiversity

conservation division general manager Wilfred Landong said he was

trying to contact his Indonesian counterpart to verify the proposal.

 

News of the planned plantation made headlines weeks after Indonesian

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono returned from a trip to Beijing

last July.

 

Details of what was agreed in the plan have not been made public.