Kelantan govt urged to stop 'contentious exploitation' of environment

 

The Kelantan state government has been urged to stop all activities that have a risk of impacting environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs), especially in the state’s permanent forest reserves.

Pertubuhan Sahabat Ekologi Perak also said the justification by Kelantan’s leadership, that logging in the state is according to stipulated regulations, was baffling.

“This is highly questionable. The Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) was cancelled on March 11, 2016, and one of the major factors for the cancellation was excessive logging beyond the Annual Felling Ratio (AFR) quota,” the environmental group said.

The group said the certification was retracted as the Kelantan state forest management unit failed to comply with the corrective action request for improvements raised by SIRIM QAS International Sdn Bhd.

“This is a clear indication that the state does not have a sustainable forest policy in place, nor is it committed towards sustainable forest management,” it said.

The group said it is not questioning the legality of the logging activities.

“What we do dispute is the contentious exploitation of the environment carried out under the guise of logging as a source of income for the state government.”

It pointed out that almost 28 percent of Kelantan’s permanent forest reserve has been zoned for monoculture plantations, which is a “strong indication” of the contentious exploitation.

This figure does not even include mining and quarrying activities being carried out within the permanent forest reserve, it added.

Clearing forests for large-scale monoculture plantations, mining, and quarrying depletes and destroys the indigenous foliage, it said, which will then impact the forests’ hydrology and expose the soil surface to high rainfall rates.

This will then affect the biodiversity function of the forest and result in excess surface runoff, hillside erosion, damage to river structures, and the deterioration of water quality, the group added.

“Native forests are pivotal assets that need to be protected. Trees and plants absorb rainfall, whilst decay on the forest floor protects the soil from the direct impact of rainfall.

“Furthermore, when forests are destroyed, the process of evaporation increases, raising water vapour levels and resulting in higher temperatures.”

The group pointed out that Kelantan has several major ranges that are recognised as the Central Forest Spine of Peninsular Malaysia, which is categorised as an ESA.

When ESAs are destroyed and activities other than forest land use are carried out, there will be a great impact on the environmental ecosystem, it stressed, adding that such uncontrolled human activities can also contribute to flooding disasters and other worse catastrophes.

“Pertubuhan Sahabat Ekologi Perak hopes that the Kelantan state government and the relevant authorities will comply with, and adopt truly sustainable development plans... as well as enforce the provisions of existing laws,” it said. - Mkini