(MY) more on logging

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Wednesday July 19, 2006-The New Straits Times

 

Musa brushes aside fears over reserves

 

*By MUGUNTAN VANAR*

 

vmugu

 

*KOTA KINABALU:* Don't worry – that is Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa

Aman's message to all those concerned about logging of two forest reserves

bequeathed as Malaysia's biodiversity gift to the world.

 

" As far as I am concerned, and as my Forestry director has stated, we

guarantee that it won't damage the environment, " he said when asked if the

state intended to re-negotiate the permits given to log Malua and Ulu Segama

reserves.

 

 

Brushing aside fears that the two reserves could be destroyed before logging

came to a halt at the end of next year, Musa said reduced impact logging

(RIL) techniques would be enforced.

 

RIL, he noted, was done at the Deramakot forest reserve, which proved that

logging and wildlife, like the orang utan, could co-exist.

 

" I think it (logging in Malua and Ulu Segama) poses no problem, " he told

reporters after opening the Palm Oil Industry Cluster (Sabah) Sdn Bhd office

here.

 

The Malua and Ulu Segama reserves encircle the Danum Valley conservation

area which together with Kinabalu Park and the Maliau Basin will eventually

become part of a one million hectare conservation zone in Sabah.

 

In March, Musa had announced that logging would cease in the reserves by the

end of next year.

 

The state-owned Yayasan Sabah, through subsidiary Rakyat Berjaya Sdn Bhd, is

going ahead with its plan to allow contractors to log the remaining 30% of

the Malua and Ulu Segama reserves, which covers a total of 236,825ha.

 

The other 70% has already been logged.

 

Environmentalists are upset that the state wanted to continue logging in the

reserves, which have a high concentration of endangered wildlife.

 

They are hoping that the state government will keep to its pledge to phase

out logging in the two reserves.

 

On environmentalists' fears that there would be intensive logging before the

deadline in 18 months, Musa said: " We have our Forestry Department, we have

Yayasan Sabah and everybody is there to make sure that logging conditions

are complied with.''