(MY) logging at Sabah

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Tuesday July 18, 2006 - The Star

 

Logging at Sabah reserves to go ahead

 

*KOTA KINABALU:* Sabah will go ahead to log at two forest reserves

bequeathed as Malaysia's biodiversity gift to the world once the

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is approved.

 

The EIA report for logging at the Malua and Ulu Segama forest reserves in

the state's east coast has been completed.

 

Whether it would be made public will depend on the Department of Environment

(DOE).

 

" Transparency is of utmost importance to us, " said Sabah Forestry Department

director Sam Mannan.

 

He was at a press conference with Yayasan Sabah director Tan Sri Khalil

Jamalul to explain the controversial proposed logging.

 

Mannan said logging contracts had been signed since 1999, but as far as they

knew, no tenders had ever been called for such deals.

 

He said although no logging was allowed for now, contractors were in the

reserves to carry out road and bridge maintenance.

 

He said that only 30% or 60,000ha of the 236,825ha reserves around the

pristine Danum Valley was to be logged while the remaining 70% had already

been harvested and was now placed under sustainable forest management.

 

*The Star *reported on Sunday that the state-owned Yayasan Sabah had

appointed at least three contractors to log the reserves, about three times

the size of Singapore, in a month or two.

 

Mannan said logging had never caused the extinction of wildlife unlike

hunting, land conversion from forests into plantations and fires.

 

" Wildlife is found thriving in logged-over jungles. Do not underestimate the

adaptability of these animals, " he said, adding that the two Yayasan Sabah

concessions could not be stopped immediately due to contractual obligations

and financial flow.

 

Asked how much the foundation would earn from logging in the two reserves,

Mannan said: " If we were to whack it all, it would be about RM4bil, but we

are only taking 20% to 30% of what is there. "

 

Mannan said that strict conditions would be imposed on the logging

operations, including only allowing trees from* *60cm and 150cm

circumference to be cut.

 

In *Lumut, *Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk S.

Sothinathan said the Federal Government was concerned over logging in the

two areas.

 

He said his ministry would get the details from the Forestry Department.