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Major Reasons for Deforestation in Malaysia

By Melanie J. Martin, Demand Media

The nation of Malaysia, which encompasses part of the island of Borneo as

well as a peninsular land mass across the South China Sea, suffers from a high rateof deforestation. Malaysia holds tropical rainforests as well as peat swamp forests,

both of which feature diverse ecosystems threatened by a number of human

activities (see Reference 3). This deforestation threatens a number of endangered

species, such as the orang-utan, which lives only on the islands of Borneo and

Sumatra.

Oil Palm Plantations

The rapid expansion of oil palm plantations has led deforestation to skyrocket

in Malaysia. In fact, oil palm agriculture acts as the leading threat to biodiversity

across Southeast Asia (see Reference 4). Palm oil is an ingredient in numerous

products from foods to cosmetics, and it has even been heralded as a bio fuel,

though its "green" virtues in the latter case are hotly debated (see Reference 1). Oil

palm growers have cut massive swaths of natural forest to make room for oil palm

plantations, replacing the diverse natural ecosystem with a monoculture crop.

According to the World Watch Institute, Malaysia was the world's largest producer of

palm oil until in 2006, when Indonesia took the lead. However, Malaysia remains one

of the world's top producers, which comes at the expense of its forests (see

Reference 2).

Logging and Mining

Harvesting timber -- often through illegal logging -- remains a serious threat to

the island of Borneo, as Dr. Luca Tacconi, director of the Asia Pacific Network for

Environmental Governance, writes in his book "Illegal Logging: Law Enforcement,

Livelihoods and the Timber Trade." Frequently, he writes, timber is brought from the

Indonesian to the Malaysian side of Borneo for processing. However, Malaysia's own

illegal logging issues remain serious as well (see Reference 7). Mining also

contributes to the degradation of Malaysia's natural forests.

Forest Fires

According to NASA, multiple factors often cause deforestation simultaneously.

One factor may stem from another, exacerbating the problem. Forest fires act as a

driver of deforestation in Malaysia, but these fires frequently stem from human

activities such as clearing land for oil palm plantations and other slash-and-burn

agriculture (see Reference 1). In other words, fires intended to be controlled often

grow out of control. Fires have been particularly devastating for Malaysia's peat

swamp forests, reaching the built up layers of peat below the surface as well as the

rest of the ecosystem (see Reference 6).

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Tourism

In some areas of Malaysia, tourism has led to deforestation to create facilities

such as resorts. However, ecotourism initiatives are increasing in Malaysia,

according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. About 7

percent of Malaysia's visitors are particularly interested in ecotourism, says the FAO,particularly in Malaysian Borneo (see Reference 8).

http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/ecotourism-and-travel/http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/ecotourism-and-travel/