(MY) logging licences

[Guest guest]

2007/08/11-New Straits Times

 

'Forget licences, plant timber trees instead'

By : Jaswinder Kaur

 

SANDAKAN: Stop the issuing of logging licences and make the timber

industry depend on sustainable forestry practices, the prime minister

said.

 

" You can plant good trees that provide timber. If you plant them, then

you have the right to harvest them. If you don't plant, I don't think

you should be allowed to chop down magnificent trees which have taken

years to grow, " Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said here yesterday.

 

Underlining the government's commitment to preserving the country's

remaining natural forests, he expressed confidence in Sabah Chief

Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman's and Sabah Forestry Department director

Datuk Sam Mannan's ability to clamp down on the award of timber

concessions in the state.

 

" Mannan is passionate about the rainforest and Musa relies on him if

there is any request for logging. Both appear to be equally stubborn

about this and there is nothing anyone can do about it.

 

" If anyone requests a concession for timber logging, I will say no and

I know Musa will also say no, " he said at the Rainforest Discovery

Centre (RDC) in the Kabili-Sepilok Forest Reserve, about 30km from

here.

 

The prime minister also wanted more attention on developing forest

plantations to produce timber.

 

" It is best to ensure that forest plantations flourish to provide

quality wood for our needs, " he said.

 

The government would continue to take steps to strengthen sustainable

forest management, including the protection of forest resources and

water catchment areas, Abdullah said.

 

Sustainable forest management includes identifying areas for

restricted felling, the harvesting of timber on a scheduled basis and

monitoring activities against illegal logging.

 

In the 50 years since independence, Abdullah said the country has

managed to preserve about 60 per cent of its land area under forest

cover.

 

He also touched on the 240,000 square kilometre Heart of Borneo

conservation initiative involving Sabah and Sarawak, Brunei and

Kalimantan in Indonesia, an Asean research project, which he said

would lead to more extensive forest protection.

 

On the RDC, a Sabah Forestry Department facility which he later toured

for more than an hour, Abdullah said the centre would educate the

public on the value of rainforests and promote eco-tourism.

 

Developed over 106ha under the Eighth and Ninth Malaysia Plans, the

centre contains several attractions, including a plant discovery

garden and nature trail.

 

So far, RM9.2 million has been spent on it, with more funding expected

for the construction of new features including a canopy walkway.

 

Before leaving, Abdullah witnessed the signing of two memoranda of

understanding for the development of a banana and a rubber plantation.

 

The MoU to plant the Cavendish banana variety is between Yayasan Sabah

and Penang-based Synergy Farm Sdn Bhd.

 

--\

-------------

 

PM: We are committed to protect rainforest

Aug 11, 07 11:26am Adjust font size:

 

Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has pledged not to

indiscriminately approve logging licences, amid mounting concerns that

clearances are threatening endangered species and tribal communities.

 

 

Abdullah said Musa Aman, the chief minister in Malaysia's Sabah state,

will not " easily give licences so that he can protect the

rainforest. "

 

" If anyone requests for forest concession for timber logging, I will say no,

and I know Musa will say no, " Abdullah was quoted by the official

Bernama news agency as saying last night.

 

He said government has taken steps to promote sustainable forest

management, with timber companies required to pass stringent

certification procedures.

 

About 60 percent of Malaysia's total land area, or about 19.52 million

hectares, will remain as forested sections, Abdullah said

 

Benefits from forest

 

" We must defend this because we get a lot of benefits from the tropical

forests, like medicines and so forth, " he added.

 

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on Thursday said that about 40 percent of the

forest cover in Sabah, in the Malaysian part of Borneo island, has been lost to

logging, palm oil plantation and human settlement.

 

It said human encroachment on forests was also threatening wildlife

including the pygmy elephants unique to Borneo, whose numbers are

falling.

 

Meanwhile, indigenous communities are also furious over major infrastructure

projects that force them out of ancestral lands into forced relocation.

 

- AFP