Interview with Malaysian Nature Society President

Doing our bit
The Star 7 Apr 09;

Having helmed the Malaysian Nature Society for almost 30 years, Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Mohd Nor is well-positioned to discuss the state of conservation in the country.

MANY corporate green events, such as tree planting, turning off lights for an hour or one-day beach clean ups have no follow-throughs and appear to be PR stunts. Wouldn’t it be better if these corporations had taken measures within their company operations to reduce their ecological footprint? – Grace Wong, Petaling Jaya.

Such events are important to create awareness amongst the participating companies and the public. They provide opportunities for the organisers to highlight their activities and raise issues. However, I agree with you that good corporate responsibility must not stop there. Many large corporations have embodied eco-friendliness within their corporate mission and while they may not address the issue of ecological footprint directly, many do have strategies to reduce their impacts on the environment.

2. The Government keeps saying that over 70% of Malaysia is forested. Is it really? – Lim Pei Yin, Penang

The correct statistics can only be obtained from the Forestry Department. I believe 58% of the country’s total land area is covered by tropical rainforest, and this includes mangrove swamp, peat swamp and all inland forests. However, the Government often uses “tree cover” to mean “forested”. So if we include all “tree cover” (natural forests, plantation forests, rubber and oil palm) the figure exceeds 70%. There is justification in this in that rubber plantations are also trees and rubberwood is an important source of timber.

While oil palm is not a “tree” per se as it is a monocot (a palm), they nevertheless sequester carbon and “green” the landscape. Moreover, oil palm trunk is used for various reconstituted boards. Therefore, it is valid to say that Malaysia is 70% “forested” as far as “tree cover” is concerned, but not all by natural forest.

3. Some NGOs, the MNS included, have tied up with companies whereby a portion of profits from the sale of products will go to the NGO. I find this ironical as it goes against the principle of reducing consumption and appears to be a way for companies to boost sales. What are your thoughts on this? – K.K. Wong, Seremban.

Consumption will go on, with or without MNS. However, what MNS promotes is “sustainable and eco-friendly consumption”, which means that consumption must not destroy the environment. MNS has ties with companies that promote and believe in “sustainable consumption” only and we work together to promote that concept. We must remember that the world is not “ideal” and we must not allow idealism to mar our own vision and objectives. We must be practical, pragmatic and realistic.

4. Has environment protection in Malaysia made much progress since lofty promises were made at the 1992 Earth Summit? We still have all kinds of problems: pollution of air, rivers and seas, climate change, deforestation and so on. – Hajah Kalsom, Bangi

MNS is the first to admit that we have not achieved all the promises of the Earth Summit. However, we must remember that environmental protection is a journey that will never end as long as the human race exists, and new issues and challenges will arise that will need our attention. What is needed is for people to speak up. Most Malaysians, unfortunately, are apathetic and show little interest or concern in such issues as environmental degradation, loss of biodiversity and climate change.

It is only when catastrophes occur, such as landslides that cause loss of life, that there is concern but that soon dies out. Malaysians are only willing to observe on the sideline but not to voice out. As an example, The MNS was formed in 1940 but it only has 5,000 members – less than 0.02% of the Malaysian population. MNS annual membership fee is less than RM100, which is less than what a family spends at a trip to the supermarket! If MNS has several million members, when it speaks out, it will be a strong voice of the people. MNS is non-political and multi-racial and solely concerned with the sustainable management of our natural heritage and environment. I do hope that you are a member of MNS.

5. Do you think protests and demonstrations in the style of Greenpeace are effective? – Avinash Walia, Kuala Lumpur

The practices of Greenpeace can have an impact as they tend to attract public attention and that of the decision maker. Nevertheless, MNS has made a policy not to use this mechanism. If and when MNS disagrees with anything, especially with Government actions or policy, it writes to the Government through the relevant departments and ministries, or expresses its concerns through the media.

6. Many Malaysians say they are concerned about global warming and pollution, yet they still continue to drive their cars and shop till they drop. What would you say to such people? – Betty Ooi, Kuala Lumpur

Let us face it, driving a car, in the big cities of Malaysia is a necessity as the state of public transport is extremely poor. I pity the public who have to depend solely upon public transport for travel within Kuala Lumpur. The Government must invest more in public transport but I am not sure whether the recent economic stimulus packages give priority to this issue. One has to look at The Netherlands, for example, where the public transport is fully co-ordinated. One can travel by taxi, bus and train using one ticket, whereas in KL, the systems are not connected and when it rains, the poor traveller gets soaked moving from one system to another.

As for shopping, sustainable consumption must be encouraged. Buy only what one needs. We must also discourage the excessive use of plastic bags. Stores can give discounts to patrons who bring their own containers and paper bags should be encouraged. Disposal of plastic bags must also be done properly.

7. You stepped down as MNS president three years ago to give way to new blood. Why did you seek re-election last year and what improvements have you achieved for MNS since? – OCH, Kuala Lumpur

I was first elected president of MNS in 1978 after returning from my doctorate course in the United States and has been re-elected every term since until 2006, when I opted not to stand for election. Last year, at the behest of Mr Jeffrey Phang and Datuk Dr Hashim Wahab (both are MNS vice-presidents), we decided that we needed a good and committed team to lead MNS and this team stood at the AGM and was elected.

As for my achievements, MNS was recognised as the inaugural winner of the Merdeka Award for our work in the Belum forest. This is a major achievement on the part of the society and a recognition of our conservation work.

Mr Jeffrey Phang is working with the staff to put in place various plans for the efficient management of the society and Datuk Hashim has been active in various conservation initiatives. We are now working closely with OPTIMAL and the Terengganu Government to establish a nature education centre in the state. We are revisiting the MNS Strategic Plan and are also planning to celebrate our 70th anniversary next year.

8. How can we get emotionally reserved Malaysians to voice their concerns about the current lack of political action on climate change to their local political representatives? – Michael Chow, Petaling Jaya

You have raised a very good point in that we should all write to our elected representatives to make them more aware of the environment and the need for action on conservation. However, this is not very easy as most Malaysians are not willing to do so. This is where the role of MNS lies. If all of you become members of MNS and express your concerns to the council, then MNS can speak out as the “voice” of its members.

9. When I tell my college mates about wildlife extinction, some of them would say “It’s only a plant or an animal. Why worry?” How can I change their attitudes? – Adeline Tan, Kuala Lumpur

Please tell your friends that every living thing on Earth has a right to live. Man has caused the extinction of many species of animals and plants. We have reached a time in history that with technology, we can live a “sustainable” lifestyle without destroying our natural ecosystems. This must stem firstly from having respect for all forms of life. Unfortunately, there is yet so much to be known. Thus, there needs to be more research, scientific expeditions and funds allocated for such activities.

Furthermore, there must be more Malaysians interested to have a career in these areas and commit themselves to research into the wealth of the Malaysian biodiversity. Parents must play a role in educating their children on the wonders of nature and promote and practise conservation of energy and water at home. Finally, the mass media must publish or show programmes that encourage and promote conservation of our natural resources. Only with such a concerted effort by all can we change the attitude that you mentioned.

10. What is the single most important thing that we should do right now if we want to stop further destruction of our planet? – Mohd Ikmal Hassan, Ipoh

There is no one single solution to the many problems faced by the global environment. The problems are inter-related, as are the solutions. Furthermore, stopping further destruction of the planet will take a long time and the concerted effort of individuals, organisations and Governments. The United Nations must address these issues as a matter of urgency. International conventions must be translated into realistic and practical actions that countries can implement.

The single most important thing that we should do right now is to practise energy conservation. Our dependence on fossil fuel is not sustainable. While the problem is global, the solution is local, meaning that we must all start by practising energy conservation.