deforestation in malaysia case study

Sustaining our Environment for Better Future pp 175–193 Cite as

Deforestation in Malaysia: The Current Practice and the Way Forward

• Abdelnaser Omran 3 &
• Odile Schwarz-Herion 4  
• First Online: 06 August 2019

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5 Citations

Among global climate concerns, deforestation is one of the most critical, particularly in developing countries but also in industrial countries where forests are equally rhoded to make place for windmills and 5G masts in an attempt to satisfy the energy need and the requirements for fast data transfer in highly digitalized Smart Cities. Deforestation is an activity of permanent destruction—the clearing of earth’s forests on a massive scale, damaging huge land areas by removing indispensable sinks for CO 2 , destroying complex eco-systems, and causing a significant loss of biodiversity. In recent years, several efforts have been introduced and implemented to reduce deforestation, but appears such efforts are on the decline in some countries, including Malaysia. This chapter examines the factors that contribute to deforestation as based on the perception and understanding of residents from across Malaysia. A survey questionnaire of 59 respondents, randomly distributed among Malaysians in different parts of the country, indicate a majority of the participants believe urbanization is the main contributor to deforestation, with 56% of east Malaysia respondents and 40% of west Malaysia saying so. However, those conducting the survey concluded that palm oil plantation is, in fact, perceived as the principal cause of deforestation, since its weighted average was highest. —In fact, Malaysia is one of the biggest exporters for palm oil. The study also concluded that deforestation can be successfully reduced by numerous methods, including vertical housing—the building of structures on narrower plots of land than conventional houses.

• Deforestation
• Agriculture
• Urbanization
• Carbon dioxide sinks

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Omran, A., Schwarz-Herion, O. (2020). Deforestation in Malaysia: The Current Practice and the Way Forward. In: Omran, A., Schwarz-Herion, O. (eds) Sustaining our Environment for Better Future. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7158-5_11

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State of the Malaysian Rainforest: report

RimbaWatch (formerly known as the Rimba Disclosure Project), as part of its efforts to monitor activities related to deforestation in Malaysia, has published a study entitled “State of the Malaysian Rainforest 2023” which collates and analyses all its data on past and potential future deforestation. This is the first time a study has been attempted to identify the economic drivers of past and future deforestation, estimate statistics for future deforestation, and provide an overall assessment of forestry governance – all on a national scale.

RimbaWatch first analysed deforestation based on an interpretation of Global Forest Watch (GFW)’s tree cover loss data to estimate that, between 2017 and 2021, Malaysia deforested 349,244 hectares, with Sarawak and Pahang experiencing the highest rates of deforestation. The biggest driver of past deforestation that could be identified for this period was timber plantations, accounting for 41.6% of deforestation, followed by palm oil which was responsible for only 15.5%.

Secondly, using data collected from desktop research which includes official forestry maps, project descriptions, etc., RimbaWatch has analysed 438 alerts concerning areas at risk of deforestation in the future through 5 categories: (a) zoning of forested land for non-forest usage, (b) real estate listings of forested land, (c) forest reserve degazettement, (d) approved forest-risk environmental impact assessments and (e) miscellaneous data. From our analysis we estimate that a further 2,346,601 hectares of forests in Malaysia have been earmarked for deforestation.

The Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment & Climate Change lists Malaysia’s 2017 forest cover at 18,332,583 hectares, which is 55.52% of our total land area. In the final analysis, through combining data for deforestation which occurred between 2017-2021 and potential future deforestation alerts, benchmarked against the 2017 forest cover as reported by the Ministry, RimbaWatch estimates that Malaysia’s forest cover could decrease to 15,636,737 hectares, or 47.35% of total land area, in the future. This is below Malaysia’s commitment to maintain 50% of its land as forest cover.

About RimbaWatch: RimbaWatch is an environmental watchdog building an independent, timely and open inventory of data and analytics on deforestation, climate change and human rights issues in Malaysia.

For media enquiries, please contact: RimbaWatch (Kuala Lumpur) [email protected] +44 7721 647013 (whatsapp) web.rimbadisclosureproject.com

Notes: The full study “State of the Malaysian Rainforest 2023” can be read here.

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Change of Forest Land Use Based on Conservation Policy and Practice: A Case Study in Danum Valley, Malaysia

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Southeast Asia’s forest and green areas are undergoing a fast and substantial experienced sudden change, depending on complex area management issues resulting in deforestation, including Danum Valley, Sabah, Malaysia. The study purposely to determine the land-use pattern at Danum Valley through a geospatial approach. GIS data was collected from government official departments such as the Sabah Forest Department and Urban and Regional Planning Sabah Department. Land-use changes analysis, namely Relative land use percentages and matrix analysis used to understand the changing pattern and current scenario of land use activity at Danum Valley. Preliminary findings indicate a change of forest land use from Class 2 Commercial Forest Reserve into Class 1 Protected Forest Reserve during the three times series within an area of influence near Danum Valley.

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In Indonesia, deforestation is intensifying disasters from severe weather and climate change

Indonesia deforestation disasters.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Roads turned to murky brown rivers, homes were swept away by strong currents and bodies were pulled from mud during deadly flash floods and landslides after torrential rains hit West Sumatra in early March, marking one of the latest deadly natural disasters in Indonesia.

Government officials blamed the floods on heavy rainfall, but environmental groups have cited the disaster as the latest example of deforestation and environmental degradation intensifying the effects of severe weather across Indonesia.

“This disaster occurred not only because of extreme weather factors, but because of the ecological crisis,” Indonesian environmental rights group Indonesian Forum for the Environment wrote in a statement. “If the environment continues to be ignored, then we will continue to reap ecological disasters.”

A vast tropical archipelago stretching across the equator, Indonesia is home to the world's third-largest rainforest, with a variety of endangered wildlife and plants, including orangutans, elephants, giant and blooming forest flowers. Some live nowhere else.

For generations the forests have also provided livelihoods, food, and medicine while playing a central role in cultural practices for millions of Indigenous residents in Indonesia.

Since 1950, more than 74 million hectares (285,715 square miles) of Indonesian rainforest — an area twice the size of Germany — have been logged, burned or degraded for development of palm oil, paper and rubber plantations, mining and other commodities according to Global Forest Watch.

Indonesia is the biggest producer of palm oil, one of the largest exporters of coal and a top producer of pulp for paper. It also exports oil and gas, rubber, tin and other resources. And it also has the world’s largest reserves of nickel — a critical material for electric vehicles, solar panels and other goods needed for the green energy transition.

Indonesia has consistently ranked as one of the largest global emitters of plant-warming greenhouse gases, with its emissions stemming from the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation and peatland fires, according to the Global Carbon Project.

It’s also highly vulnerable to climate change impacts, including extreme events such as floods and droughts, long-term changes from sea level rise, shifts in rainfall patterns and increasing temperatures, according to the World Bank. In recent decades the country has already seen the effects of climate change: More intense rains, landslides and floods during rainy season, and more fires during a longer dry season.

But forests can help play a vital role in reducing the impact of some extreme weather events, said Aida Greenbury, a sustainability expert focusing on Indonesia.

Flooding can be slowed by trees and vegetation soaking up rainwater and reducing erosion. In dry season, forests release moisture that helps mitigate the effects of droughts, including fires.

But when forests diminish, those benefits do as well.

A 2017 study reported that forest conversion and deforestation expose bare soil to rainfall, causing soil erosion. Frequent harvesting activities — such as done on palm oil plantations — and the removal of ground vegetation leads to further soil compaction, causing rain to run off the surface instead of entering groundwater reservoirs. Downstream erosion also increases sediment in rivers, making rivers shallower and increasing flood risks, according to the research.

After the deadly floods in Sumatra in early March, West Sumatra Gov. Mahyeldi Ansharullah said there were strong indications of illegal logging around locations affected by floods and landslides. That, coupled with extreme rainfall, inadequate drainage systems and improper housing development contributed to the disaster, he said.

Experts and environmental activists have pointed to deforestation worsening disasters in other regions of Indonesia as well: In 2021 environmental activists partially blamed deadly floods in Kalimantan on environmental degradation caused by large-scale mining and palm oil operations. In Papua, deforestation was partially blamed for floods and landslides that killed over a hundred people in 2019.

There have been some signs of progress: In 2018 Indonesian President Joko Widodo put a three-year freeze on new permits for palm oil plantations. And the rate of deforestation slowed between 2021-2022, according to government data.

But experts warn that it’s unlikely deforestation in Indonesia will stop anytime soon as the government continues to move forward with new mining and infrastructure projects such as new nickel smelters and cement factories.

“A lot of land use and land-based investment permits have already been given to businesses, and a lot of these areas are already prone to disasters,” said Arie Rompas, an Indonesia-based forestry expert at Greenpeace.

President-elect Prabowo Subianto , who is scheduled to take office in October, has promised to continue Widodo’s policy of development, include large-scale food estates, mining and other infrastructure development that are all linked to deforestation.

Environmental watchdogs also warn that environmental protections in Indonesia are weakening, including the passing of the controversial Omnibus Law, which eliminated an article of the Forestry Law regarding the minimum area of forest that must be maintained at development projects.

“The removal of that article makes us very worried (about deforestation) for the years to come,” said Rompas.

While experts and activists recognize that development is essential for Indonesia’s economy to continue to go, they argue that it should be done in a way that considers the environment and incorporates better land planning.

“We can’t continue down the same path we’ve been on,” said sustainability expert Greenbury. “We need to make sure that the soil, the land in the forest doesn’t become extinct.”

Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here . The AP is solely responsible for all content.

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