(MY) no logging

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Tuesday August 1, 2006-The Star

 

No logging in Temenggor

 

*By HAH FOONG LIAN*

 

*IPOH:* The Perak government has ordered a stop to all logging activities at

the Temenggor forest reserve.

 

Without giving a timeframe, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Tajol Rosli

Ghazali said he had given this directive to the state Forestry director.

 

Of the 140,000ha of forest reserves, 70,000ha that are being logged will be

turned into a no-logging zone.

 

" The plan is to stop logging activities over one million acres (404,678ha)

of forest reserve in Gerik, Belum and Temenggor, " he said in response to

remarks by Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid

to stop depending on logging as a source of income.

 

Currently, there were no logging activities in 263,040ha and the remaining

logging activities were spread over a 30-year period, said Tajol Rosli.

 

The Belum-Temenggor forest reserve has been in the limelight following a

postcard campaign by the Malaysian Nature Society to stop logging activities

at the 130 million-year-old jungle.

 

For a start, Tajol Rosli said, logging activities surrounding Temenggor Lake

at the Temenggor forest reserve would cease from next year.

 

Licences given out to log the area surrounding the lake would be cancelled

and alternative spots would be given to the timber concessionaires.

 

The Mentri Besar said the state government could not stop logging activities

entirely, and it would be looking for alternative logging spots for the

timber industry, adding that these alternative sites would be areas that

could not be seen from the highway or places that were far from villages and

rivers.

 

He added that logging had to continue because close to 30,000 people were

employed in the timber industry.

 

On the withdrawal of the Forest Stewardship Council certification to Perak

Integrated Timber Complex (PITC), Tajol Rosli said it was a blow to the

state and PITC would try to regain the certification, which allows timber

products to be exported to the European market.