Sustainable Management of Tropical Rainforests (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)

Case Study: Sustainable Management in Malaysia

Background

• Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia

The location of Malaysia in Southeast Asia

A map showing location of Malaysia in southeast Asia

• Almost 70% of the land is covered by tropical rainforest

• It is estimated that Malaysia has the fastest rate of deforestation in the world

• Since 2000, an average of over 140,000 hectares of forest have been cut and cleared each year

Causes

• Social 

  • With rapidly growing and overcrowded cities in Malaysia, the urban poor were encouraged to migrate to rural areas

  • This led to the deforestation of approximately 15,000 hectares of rainforest

  • Many of the settlers set up plantations

• Economic

  • Logging

    • Malaysia is the largest exporter of tropical hardwoods

    • Selective logging needs roads and settlements, which result in deforestation

    • Illegal logging in areas of Borneo 

  • Energy

    • The construction of dams to provide Hydroelectric power results in the flooding of large areas of forest

    • The Bakun Dam will result in 700 km2 of land being underwater in Sarawak, Malaysia

  • Mining 

    • Tin mines are widespread and lead to deforestation, not only for the mine itself but also for road construction 

    • An iron ore mine planned for the Som Forest Reserve will result in the deforestation of over 60 hectares

    • There is also drilling for oil and gas

  • Commercial plantations

    • Malaysia exports over 30% of the world's palm oil and is the second-largest producer

    • Many palm oil processes now adopting a zero-deforestation policy so that they do not buy palm oil from deforested areas

    • However, clear-felling permits are sometimes issued to clear land and then later, another company will plant palm oil

  • Subsistence farming

    • This usually involves 'slash and burn' techniques

    • Areas are cut and then burned, but the fire can get out of control and destroy large areas of rainforest

Sustainable management in Malaysia

• Sustainable management is the process of maintaining the forest for future use whilst providing for the needs of people

• The implementation of a range of strategies is increasing sustainability in Malaysia

• Since 2001, the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) has certified 349 timber companies 

  • This means they are using sustainable management methods to cut timber

Education

• Education increases public awareness of the value of tropical rainforests

• Several education strategies have been implemented, including:

  • The Ministry of Education has developed resources for integrating Environmental Education into the school curriculum

  • They also have partnerships with NGOs such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and IGOs such as UNESCO

Community involvement 

• Local communities have been included and involved in forest conservation projects

• Recognition of indigenous community's land rights

• Support of small-scale economic activities among indigenous communities such as the Rungus:

  • Gombizau village and their bees and honey 

  • Bavanggazo village increases ecotourism

Selective logging and management system

• The Malaysian government is encouraging the use of alternative timber sources, such as rubber trees

• Heli-logging (using helicopters) to target individual trees and reduce the impact of logging

• Selective logging of mature and commercial trees over a 40-year cycle

• This allows trees time to re-establish themselves

• The process involves:

  • Identifying the trees to be cut and the direction of fall to avoid damaging other trees

  • Only trees of a certain size are selected 

  • Logging is carried out

  • A survey follows and plans are put in place to restore any damage

Ecotourism

• Ecotourism provides income for local communities and educates visitors

• The Sungai Yu Forest Reserve is one example where visitors can:

  • Camp with the Batek indigenous community, who are semi-nomadic

  • Collect data about wildlife to help reduce poaching

• Ecotourism involves:

  • Members of the local community serve as guides, which provides them with an income

  • Local materials are used for building

  • Water, energy and waste are sustainable managed

  • Small groups only to reduce damage to the environment

Biosphere Reserves and National Parks

• Reserves and national parks are areas where no development or deforestation is allowed

• Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve attracts over 1.6 million visitors annually

• It includes one of the last coastal rainforests in Malaysia

• It consists of:

  • Core area: 6,304 ha

  • Buffer zone: 2,213 ha

  • Transition zone: 3,964 ha

International agreements

• Agreements to protect tropical rainforests have been made between different countries through debt-for-nature swaps

• This is when one country cancels part of a debt that is owed to them

• The agreement is that the other country will protect its tropical rainforests in return