Monday, November 16, 2015

Malaysia Develops Timber Certification - Douglas Unggah

KUALA LUMPUR, (Monday, 16 November 2015) - Malaysia has developed its own National Timber Certification initiatives and Timber Legality Framework to fulfil the market requirements, said Minister of Plantation Industries and Commodities Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

Uggah said the global timber industry continued to thrive in an increasingly competitive environment, with the recently-emerging legality and sustainability requirements such as European Union Timber Regulation, Lacey Act in the US and Australia Illegal Prohibition Act.

He said over the years the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) meetings had proved to be a significant feature of policy development and discussions for the tropical timber community.

"The International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) has realised outstanding progress in policy development and capacity building, predominantly through its consultative forums and projects funded, he said in his welcoming speech at the dinner in conjunction with 51st session of the ITTC and associated sessions of the commitees.

The text of his speech was read by the ministry's Deputy-Secretary General, Datuk M. Nagarajan.

Uggah said ITTO also has been decisive in addressing the issues of harmonising forest conservation and timber trade.

He hoped that ITTO would continue to actively engage its members in pursuing sustainable trade policies and practices for the consumer and producer countries.

The ITTC serves as a forum for consultation and cooperation with producers and consumers of timber, and conservation and environmental non-governmental organisations and timber trade associations.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Federal Govt Allocates RM110 Mln To Develop Kenaf Industry

Farmers in Malaysia involved in kenaf planting are expected to generate higher income following the government's effort to enhance the industry's development.

National Kenaf and Tobacco Board (LTKN) director-general Samsudin Noor said the government had allocated some RM110 million to the agency under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) compared with RM105 million in 10MP.

He said the agency was confident that participants venturing into this industry on a 10-hectare (ha) area would be able to generate income of up to RM4,000 a month in five years compared with RM2,000 currently.

"Kenaf planting will be developed on par with other commodities especially rubber and oil palm which are now in the global market," he said at a LKTN event here Sunday.

Samsudin said to date 2,200ha of land in Kelantan, Terengganu and Pahang have been planted with kenaf since 2010, involving more than 1,000 farmers.

Friday, November 13, 2015

Did Logging Activities, Development Cause Mudslide On KL-Karak Highway?

KARAK (Saturday, 14 November 2015) - The Sultan of Pahang has refuted allegations that the mudslide at KM52.4 of the KL-Karak Highway on Wednesday was caused by illegal logging on the hillslopes.

SultanAhmad Shah said there had been no reports of illegal logging in the area and the authorities had not informed him of any such activity.

"There is no such thing. If there were, those responsible can be arrested, but so far I have not been informed of such activities," he said.

He was speaking after a two-hour visit to the site of the disaster where he was briefed on repair works and safety checks by authorities.

Accompanying Sultan Ahmad Shah was Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, who is also Bentong member of Parliament.

Sultan Ahmad Shah also handed out aid to victims from the Lentang Forestry Department quarters whose homes were affected by the mudslide.

Sultan Ahmad Shah also refuted statements made by Works Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof on Thursday, in which he said investigations by the Fire and Rescue Department and the Public Works Department found land-clearing activities on hill, which could have caused the formation of a waterlogged pool that eventually broke under pressure of constant rainfall, causing the mudslide.

"He should make statements based on facts, not speculation. I can tell you there is no illegal logging in this area," said Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Traffic will be allowed through the affected section of the highway from today and both lanes are affected to be fully operational by tomorrow.

The actual cause of the mudslide at the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway which resulted in thousands of motorists trapped on Wednesday will be investigated even though several parties did not rule out the incident might have been due to uncontrolled logging activities and development.

The Association for the Protection of Natural Heritage of Malaysia (PEKA) is among those which believes the landslip at KM52.4 of Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway near Lentang-Bukit Tinggi area was due to uncontrolled logging activities in the Lentang Forest Reserve area.

PEKA believes that the mudslide at the Kuala Lumpur–Karak Highway was due to excessive logging and land clearing in Hutan Simpan Lentang and the surrounding areas. It said it had warned and pleaded with the authorities last year to stop the environmentally-damaging activities.

In a letter to Tenaga Nasional Bhd chief executive officer Datuk Seri Azman Mohd on Jan 20 last year, it protested against the project near Lentang, Pahang. Peka had detailed why it had to be halted immediately and what would happen if the project was continued. It warned of the ecological effects which would lead to the extinction of flora and fauna and how exposing the land to torrential rain could lead to river pollution, turn it murky brown and cause mud floods.

PEKA said there could be erosion of the riverbed and landslides. Copies of the letter were sent to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and others.

The highway concessionaire, ANIH Berhad also said rubbish, timber logs and boulders which were swept away in the incident near the Lentang Forest Reserve showed certain activities in areas outside of the company's maintenance site caused overflow of water.

However, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said the mudslide incident was due to natural causes but did not deny there were logging activities near the area.

The Pahang Forestry Department concurred with the statement and denied there was logging activities on the fringe of the Lentang Forest Reserve which caused the incident, and said the incident was due to heavy rain and slope failure in the area.

Nonetheless, Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof yesterday stressed that the cause of the incident would be investigated and its results would be announced in two weeks after the related experts completed their studies on the incident.

However, he said it was still too early to link the incident to logging activities as investigations had not been completed.

The mudslide near Lentang-Bukit Tinggi at 6.30pm on Wednesday (11th November 2012) caused a section of the highway impassable in both directions, with three private vehicles and a lorry stranded in the area. Fortunately, vehicle owners managed to run to safety.

The incident also caused 25 occupants of Pahang Forestry Department quarters to evacuate to the Lentang mosque.

Meanwhile, the Fire and Rescue Department has not ruled out the possibility of a second mudslide at the highway, should heavy rain continue.

Its deputy director-general, Datuk Soiman Jahid said the possibility was based on a survey from the air which showed there were pools of water at the hill top near the highway.

Meanwhile, The natural resources and environment ministry (NRE) has directed the Minerals and Geoscience Department to conduct a ground structural stability assessment in the hill area near the mudslide location at KM52.4 of the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway.

Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said this was to determine whether the area could withstand pieces of timber swept away by rain water.

He said the assessment report was expected to take between two and three weeks before it was submitted to the ministry.

"We must be very sure and detailed, and we are cooperating with the state forestry department.

"From our observation, we could see that an embankment built near the area had collapsed, and timber pieces were carried by the mudslide to the highway below," he told reporters after visiting the mudslide incident location in Bentong on Friday.

Wan Junaidi also visited occupants of the Pahang Forestry Department quarters who were temporarily sheltered at the Lentang Mosque after their quarters were inundated with mud water and struck by boulders from the mudslide on Wednesday.

The NewStraits Times today said that those plying routes where they could be exposed to life-threatening mudslides or debris flows can expect a heads up on any impending risks, as efforts are under way for the implementation of a multi-faceted warning system.

Geological experts who have been working closely with the government in establishing the system said the move could be initiated after gathering data on risky zones in the country.

Authorities are, at present, collating data on the hazards and risks of slopes through a mapping process using Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology, a remote sensing technology that measures distance by illuminating a target with a laser and analysing the reflected light to develop the public warning system.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Engineering Geology and Structural Geology associate professor Dr Tajul Anuar Jamaluddin said the slope hazard and risk mapping project, which was proposed to the authorities several years ago, was part of the process in developing the alert warning system.

Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof confirmed the development of the system. He told the New Straits Times last night that the ministry expected the system to be ready in two years.

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BAJET HARAPAN 2019

PAKAR EKOLOGI HARAP PUTRAJAYA
FOKUS ISU ALAM SEKITAR

(FMT/Bernama. November 1, 2018)

PETALING JAYA: Seorang pakar ekologi dan pencinta alam sekitar berharap kerajaan Pakatan Harapan akan menyediakan peruntukan kepada pihak berkuasa terbabit dalam pemuliharaan dan penjagaan alam sekitar.

Andrew Sebastian berkata, Malaysia antara 12 negara di dunia yang kaya dengan sumber alam semula jadi, oleh itu kerajaan perlu menyediakan peruntukan untuk mengelakkan pencemaran dan hakisan berterusan.

Beliau juga berharap kerajaan dapat menaikkan gaji penguatkuasa di Jabatan Perlindungan Hidupan Liar dan Taman Negara Semenanjung Malaysia (Perhilitan) serta Jabatan Alam Sekitar bagi mengelakkan gejala rasuah yang menyebabkan kegiatan pembalakan haram dan penerokaan hutan berleluasa.

“Pemburuan haram masih berleluasa dan memerlukan peruntukan untuk tambah jumlah kakitangan dan peralatan.

“Pekerja lapangan perhilitan perlu diambil kira untuk dinaikkan gaji supaya gejala rasuah dapat dielakkan secara berperingkat,” katanya kepada FMT menjelang pembentangan Bajet 2019 esok.

Beliau berkata, Jabatan Alam Sekitar memerlukan peruntukan besar untuk memantau dan mengawal pencemaran alam, sungai, hakisan tanah, pantai serta lereng bukit.

“Jabatan Perikanan dan Jabatan Taman Laut juga perlu bajet besar bagi pengendalian taman laut, pemantauan dan penambahbaikan, serta lebih fokus kepada perubahan iklim agar dapat menyelamatkan batu karang dan hidupan laut yang terancam.”

Pada 19 Oktober lalu, kejadian tanah runtuh di tapak projek Lebuhraya Berkembar Bukit Kukus, Paya Terubong, Pulau Pinang meragut 9 nyawa, manakala 4 lagi cedera.

Kejadian pada jam 1.56 tengah hari itu turut menimbus 13 kontena dan sebuah rumah kongsi.

Sebuah jawatankuasa khas yang ditubuhkan kerajaan Pulau Pinang untuk menyiasat punca tragedi itu akan memulakan sesi pendengaran Khamis depan.

Hari ini, Timbalan Ketua Menteri I, Datuk Ahmad Zakiyuddin Abdul Rahman dilaporkan berkata, jawatankuasa itu mempunyai tempoh sebulan sehingga akhir bulan ini untuk melengkapkan siasatan.

Sementara itu, Presiden Persatuan Perunding dan Syarikat Alam Sekitar Malaysia, Datuk Dr Nadzri Yahaya berkata, pemuliharaan alam perlu diketengahkan dalam usaha melindungi alam sekitar daripada dimusnahkan manusia sendiri.

Katanya, kerajaan perlu menjalankan kajian menyeluruh bagi mengenal pasti kawasan terhakis dan mencari jalan mengelakkan ia berlarutan.

“Pemuliharaan alam sekitar bukan hanya melihat isu plastik, tetapi penghakisan tanah runtuh juga perlu dilihat dalam Bajet 2019 bagi mendapat jawapan menyeluruh untuk mengenal pasti kawasan yang selalu menghadapi masalah tanah runtuh,” katanya ketika dihubungi FMT.

Beliau juga berharap kerajaan akan memberi insentif kepada rakyat untuk menggalakkan penggunaan tenaga boleh diperbaharui.

“Kerajaan sedang membuat paten untuk teknologi elektrik, jadi kita berharap terdapat insentif untuk menggalakkan penggunaan tenaga boleh diperbaharui.”

EARTH DAY...

The History Of Earth Day

Each year, Earth Day—April 22—marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern environmental movement in 1970.

The height of counterculture in the United States, 1970 brought the death of Jimi Hendrix, the last Beatles album, and Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” War raged in Vietnam and students nationwide overwhelmingly opposed it.

At the time, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution was commonly accepted as the smell of prosperity. “Environment” was a word that appeared more often in spelling bees than on the evening news.

Although mainstream America largely remained oblivious to environmental concerns, the stage had been set for change by the publication of Rachel Carson’s New York Times bestseller Silent Spring in 1962. The book represented a watershed moment, selling more than 500,000 copies in 24 countries, and beginning to raise public awareness and concern for living organisms, the environment and links between pollution and public health.

Earth Day 1970 gave voice to that emerging consciousness, channeling the energy of the anti-war protest movement and putting environmental concerns on the front page.

The Idea

The idea for a national day to focus on the environment came to Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, then a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, after witnessing the ravages of the 1969 massive oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. Inspired by the student anti-war movement, he realized that if he could infuse that energy with an emerging public consciousness about air and water pollution, it would force environmental protection onto the national political agenda.

Senator Nelson announced the idea for a “national teach-in on the environment” to the national media; persuaded Pete McCloskey, a conservation-minded Republican Congressman, to serve as his co-chair; and recruited Denis Hayes from Harvard as national coordinator.

Hayes built a national staff of 85 to promote events across the land. April 22, falling between Spring Break and Final Exams, was selected as the date.

On April 22,1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies.

Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values.

Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. By the end of that year, the first Earth Day had led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and EndangeredSpecies Acts. “It was a gamble,” Gaylord recalled, “but it worked.”

As 1990 approached, a group of environmental leaders asked Denis Hayes to organize another big campaign. This time, Earth Day went global, mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting environmental issues onto the world stage.

Earth Day 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. It also prompted President Bill Clinton to award Senator Nelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom (1995)—the highest honor given to civilians in the United States—for his role as Earth Day founder.

Earth Day Today

As the millennium approached, Hayes agreed to spearhead another campaign, this time focused on global warming and a push for clean energy. With 5,000 environmental groups in a record 184 countries reaching out to hundreds of millions of people, Earth Day 2000 combined the big-picture feistiness of the first Earth Day with the international grassroots activism of Earth Day 1990.

Earth Day 2000 used the power of the Internet to organize activists, but also featured a drum chain that traveled from village to village in Gabon, Africa. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, DC for a First Amendment Rally. Earth Day 2000 sent world leaders the loud and clear message that citizens around the world wanted quick and decisive action on global warming and clean energy.

Much like 1970, Earth Day 2010 came at a time of great challenge for the environmental community. Climate change deniers, well-funded oil lobbyists, reticent politicians, a disinterested public, and a divided environmental community all contributed to the narrative—cynicism versus activism. Despite these challenges,

Earth Day prevailed and Earth Day Network reestablished Earth Day as a relevant, powerful focal point. Earth Day Network brought 250,000 people to the National Mall for a Climate Rally, launched the world’s largest environmental service project—A Billion Acts of Green®–introduced a global tree planting initiative that has since grown into The Canopy Project, and engaged 22,000 partners in 192 countries in observing Earth Day.

Earth Day had reached into its current status as the largest secular observance in the world, celebrated by more than a billion people every year, and a day of action that changes human behavior and provokes policy changes.

Today, the fight for a clean environment continues with increasing urgency, as the ravages of climate change become more manifest every day. We invite you to be a part of Earth Day and help write many more chapters—struggles and victories—into the Earth Day book.

Stay tuned! 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. In honor of this milestone, Earth Day Network is preparing to announce an ambitious set of goals to shape the future we need.

- See more at: http://www.earthday.org/about/the-history-of-earth-day/#sthash.ITTv4c1o.dpuf

FEATURES - TOILETS

LACK OF ACCESS TO TOILETS ENDANGERS MILLIONS OF CHILDREN, SAYS UNICEF

BANGKOK (Thursday, 19 November 2015): Lack of access to toilets is endangering millions of the world's poorest children, the United Nations Children's Fund said today, pointing to emerging evidence of links between inadequate sanitation and malnutrition.

UNICEF said some 2.4 billion people globally do not have toilets and 946 million - roughly one in eight of the world's population - defecate in the open.

In the East Asia and Pacific region, 519 million people are still without access to improved sanitation, and progress in the Pacific sub-region has been stagnant in recent years, it said in a statement.

"Good sanitation and hygiene is critical to keep children healthy," said Chander Badloe, UNICEF East Asia and the Pacific regional advisor on water, sanitation and hygiene.

"In East Asia and the Pacific, 770 million more people are accessing better sanitation facilities than 25 years ago - remarkable progress. However, there is still much to be done: 83 million people are still without any toilet facilities and are defecating in the open. This leads to sickness and disease, and is linked to the 15 million children affected by stunting in the region."

A report - Improving Nutrition Outcomes with Better Water, Sanitation and Hygiene - released today by UNICEF, USAID and the World Health Organisation, for the first time, brings together years of research and case studies which demonstrate the link between sanitation and malnutrition.

"We need to bring concrete and innovative solutions to the problem of where people go to the toilet, otherwise we are failing millions of our poorest and most vulnerable children," said Sanjay Wijesekera, head of UNICEF's global water, sanitation and hygiene programmes.

"The proven link with malnutrition is one more thread that reinforces how interconnected our responses to sanitation have to be if we are to succeed."

Globally, diarrhoea accounts for nine per cent of the deaths of children under five years old each year and is essentially a faecal-oral disease where germs are ingested due to contact with infected faeces. Where rates of toilet use are low, rates of diarrhoea tend to be high.

Children under five years old suffer 1.7 billion cases of diarrhoea per year, UNICEF said.

Those in low-income countries are hit hardest, with an average of three episodes per year. The highest frequency is in children under two years of age, who are weakest and most vulnerable. Multiple episodes of diarrhoea permanently alter their gut, and prevent the absorption of essential nutrients, putting them at risk of stunting and even death.

Some 300,000 children under five years old die per year - over 800 every day - from diarrhoeal diseases linked to inadequate water, sanitation and hygiene. The poorest children in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are particularly at risk.

Intestinal parasites such as roundworm, whipworm and hookworm are transmitted through contaminated soil in areas where open defecation is practiced. Hookworm is a major cause of anaemia in pregnant women, leading to malnourished, underweight babies.

FEATURES - MARINE PARK

PROTECTING MARINE PARKS EASIER SAID THAN DONE

By Sakini Mohd Said (Bernama)

PUTRAJAYA: A recent news report highlighted the concerns of an NGO of the impending decline of the country's fishing industry.

The World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia) said that this was due to several pressing factors. Among them are the non-environmentally friendly methods of fishing, sea pollution and unsustainable coastal development, which all contribute to the marked degradation of coral reefs.

Coral reefs support more species than any other marine environment, making them of significant ecological importance to the survival of marine life.

WWF-Malaysia CEO Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma in a news report said that the RM8.79 billion fishing industry might see the extinction of popular seafood like groupers and snappers, unless sustainable ocean management practices were implemented.

"Just 10 percent of commercially valuable fish remain available for consumption after being largely fished out in the last fifty years," he said.

Quoting the "Living Blue Planet" report, Sharma said the destruction of the world's coral reefs have resulted in the global reduction of marine populations by half. Some fish species have declined by close to 75 percent, all of which have impacted the fishing industry.

MARINE PARK

Perhaps some would question how the statistics would impact them, as it did not specifically relate to Malaysia. However, the findings are more relevant than they think.

"Malaysia, with its expanse of open seas, is highly dependent on sea resources," said Robecca Jumin, the Marine Division Head of the Marine Programme of WWF-Malaysia.

In fact, in 2014, Malaysia surpassed Japan as one of the biggest consumer of fish and seafood in the region.

"On the average, every person in Malaysia consumes at least 56.5kg of fish every year," she said.

The government has tried to address the problem using various measures such as continual monitoring and enforcement operations.

However, a more pragmatic approach would be the gazetting of marine parks.

Robecca said that the waters around 42 islands in the country have been gazetted as marine parks. The move is for the protection and conservation of marine biodiversity, particularly coral reefs, which are essential to the propagation of aquatic life.

Thirteen islands have been gazetted as marine parks in Terengganu, nine in Pahang, four in Kedah, three in Labuan and 13 in Johor.

LIMIT TOURISM

Marine parks were first established to address the decline of fishing resources around coral reefs.

Healthy coral reefs provide habitat, spawning and nursery grounds for most of young marine life until they are mature enough to go out into the open sea.

The Marine Parks Department Director General Dr Sukarno Wagiman said marine parks were a treasure trove of marine diversity with high socio-economic value.

This inevitably tempts many a rogue parties to trespass into the area and violate the regulations for economic gains.

This presents a challenge to the department as some of the breaches happen during permitted activities such as swimming, scuba diving and kayaking.

Unrestricted water recreational activities such as diving and snorkelling also have adverse effects on the ecosystem of coral reefs due to the collecting and trampling of corals.

STUDY

To address the problem, the department is running a study with Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) on the "carrying capacity" of marine parks.

"The study lets us find out how many people can an area accommodate at a time (without ecologically disturbing it). For example, how many people should be permitted to go snorkelling at a time?

"The study has so far only been carried out on Pulau Perhentian and Pulau Redang. Perhaps next year, we can get a comprehensive report and from there a policy can be formed," said Sukarno.

However, the findings would still be subjected to the joint decision of the tourism industry, state government, local authorities and Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

This is because the business and tourism operator licensing authority lies outside the jurisdiction of the department.

ZONES

The department has also split marine parks into four zones in the bid to protect the diminishing marine resources, namely for tourism/recreation, conservation, preservation and protection of habitats.

This is to ensure the survivability of coral reefs, which are a crucial part of the ecosystem of over 3,000 marine species.

"For example, the El Nino in 2010 caused severe bleaching of the corals in Malaysian waters.

"The department had to close down several areas and classify them as a conservation zone to let the diseased or dying corals recover naturally," he explained.

Twelve of the 83 diving sites at marine parks were closed in 2010 following the repercussions from the El Nino. However, 48.33 percent of the corals recovered by 2013.

ARRESTS

In the bid to protect the biodiversity in marine parks, the department is teaming up with several marine authorities to curb illegal fishing activities in the area.

Among the agencies involved are the Fisheries Department, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency and the Royal Malaysia Police. The joint effort has resulted in 2,634 patrols in 2014.

"It is the Department of Marine Park's main duties to ensure the survivability and sustainability of marine biodiversity for the sake of the future generations," Sukarno said.

Besides patrols, the department also monitors the bottom of the sea for activities that can damage coral reefs such as fish shooting, collecting corals or stepping on them.

"We previously only monitored the ocean surface, but today we also monitor down to the bottom. This is to ensure that divers or snorkellers don't disturb marine life or drop their boat anchors onto corals," he explained.

There have been 566 of bottom sea patrols in 2014, resulting in a decrease of activities violating the Fisheries Act 1985.

As at September 2015, there have been 32 arrests in marine parks for the violation of the Act, involving RM29,850 in fines.

Marine parks are prohibited zones for any fishing activity under the Fisheries Act (Amendment)(1994) and anyone caught fishing in the prohibited area can be fined not more than RM20,000 or sentenced to two years in prison or both.