2,000-plus wildlife killed on the roads due to deforestation
Some 2,055 wildlife ended up dead as roadkill from 2015 to 2019, driven partly by deforestation, according to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan).
This is due to forest fragmentation, where forest complexes are deforested, severing ecological linkages which these wildlife use to move from one complex to the other.
Perhilitan estimates that in Perak, only 130 elephants and 50 tigers are left in the wild, partially due to forest fragmentation.
The information was shared as part of a tree-planting event, as part of the Communication, Education and Public Awareness programme for the Improving Connectivity in the Central Forest Spine (IC-CFS) project, in Gerik, Perak, yesterday.
The programme, a collaboration between Perhilitan, the Forestry Department and Forest Research Institute Malaysia (Frim), aims to raise awareness on linkages between forest complexes, which are part of the Central Forest Spine.
The programme took place in the Amanjaya Forest Reserve, a corridor linking the Royal Belum State Park and Temengor Forest Reserve, and aims to have 650 trees planted within 10 days.
It is also part of the 100 Million Tree Planting Campaign by the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry.
"In increasing our efforts under the IC-CFS Project to support the implementation of the Central Forest Spine Master Plan, we hope to increase the awareness and knowledge of the public on the founding of the Central Forest Spine and the IC-CFS project, essentially how it is beneficial to improving forest habitats, our environment as well as local community livelihoods," IC-CFS project director Zahari Ibrahim said.
Central Forest Spine no guarantee for conservation
The Central Forest Spine, established under the 2005 National Physical Plan, is a network of environmentally sensitive areas in Peninsular Malaysia, spanning 5.5 million square hectares and supplying 90 percent of the population's water needs.
It is made up of four forest complexes - Banjaran Titiwangsa – Banjaran Bintang – Banjaran Nakawan; Taman Negara – Banjaran Timur; South-East Pahang, Chini and Bera Wetlands; and Endau Rompin National Park – Kluang Wildlife Reserves.
The IC-CFS was launched in 2014, with support from the United Nations Development Programme, to conserve biodiversity within the Central Forest Spine network.
Although the Central Forest Spine has been identified as crucial habitat for endangered wildlife, it does not automatically mean these areas will be conserved.
For example, in June, Malaysiakini reported an iron ore mining project in Som Forest Reserve, Pahang, was awaiting approval, despite it being part of the Central Forest Spine.
The project site, located in the middle of the Som Forest Reserve, is a known roaming habitat for several protected wildlife, such as the Asian Tapir, Asian Elephant, Malayan Sun Bear and the critically endangered Malayan Tiger.
According to the Environmental Impact Assessment report, the project will "significantly, permanently and irreversibly impact" wildlife habitats. This is despite reclamation and rehabilitation of the area after mining activities are completed.
Malaysia missing from the anti-deforestation pledge
Earlier this week at the United Nations Climate Change Conference 2021 (COP26), some 100 countries pledged to stop deforestation by 2030 in an effort to slow down climate change.
Malaysia was not part of the pledge, while Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man has received criticism for skipping the crucial conference.
It is understood that the director-general of the Environment and Water Ministry is attending the event, which is taking place now in Glasgow, Scotland.
Forest conservation, however, does not fall under the Environment and Water Ministry and is under the purview of the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry, which oversees the Forestry Department. - Mkini
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