Isabelle Lai The Star 15 Aug 12;
PETALING JAYA: The Kedah government should not have stripped a section of the Pedu forest reserve of its High Conservation Value Forest (HCVF) status, said the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS).
Its honorary-secretary Lim Teck Wyn said the entire expanse of the Ulu Muda forest, which encompasses the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve and the Pedu Forest Reserve, should be considered HCVF due to its rich biodiversity.
“My position is that the whole of the forest is HCVF. It is completely wrong for the state government to say that it only applies to a small area,” he said, pointing out that the area was also home to a vital water catchment area.
Lim, who is also a forestry consultant, said the state government’s decision to remove the HCVF sta-tus from the area was “short-sighted”.
“In the long run, the small and medium-sized trees will grow. Different sorts of trees which
are important will also still be there.
“From a national and international biodiversity perspective, this forest is still of very high value,” he said, adding that it was MNS’ view that all of Malaysia’s natural forest cover must be protected.
Lim urged the state government to consult all stakeholders when determining HCVF status, adding that it seemed to be looking at the meaning of HCVF from a “narrow perspective”.
“We feel this perspective is not following the procedures spelled out in the Malaysian Criteria and Indicators for Forest Management Certification, which was developed by the Malaysian Timber Certification Council,” he said.
According to a Kedah Forestry Department source, the Pedu forest reserve was initially identified as HCVF due to the concentration of Tualang trees.
Forest Research Institute of Malaysia director-general Datuk Dr Abd Latif Mohmod said the Tualang tree was a very important one for wildlife in the forest.
He said bees often built their hives there, while the honey they produced, madu tualang, was one of the best quality.
“Tualang is also considered one of the tallest trees in the region. It currently fetches an average of RM3,000 to RM4,000 per cubic metre,” he said when asked about its market value.
Logging intensifies in Pedu
Elan Perumal and Embun Majid The Star 16 Aug 12;
PETALING JAYA: Logging has intensified at what used to be a High Conservation Value Forest in Pedu, Kedah, amid protests from non-governmental organisations.
The signboard indicating the conservation status of the trees had been removed, but Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak maintained that the logging was being carried out after discussions with the state Forestry Department.
“The department is part of the committee that approves logging in the state, including at the Pedu forest reserve.
“All logging activities were approved on the advice of the department,” he said yesterday.
The Department of Environment, meanwhile, said no EIA had been obtained for the logging which would be necessary if the area exceeded 500ha.
Although a signboard indicated that only 81ha had been approved for logging, Azizan declined to confirm or deny this while Pedu assemblyman Datuk Seri Mahadzir Khalid alleged that a much bigger area had been earmarked.
“I have learnt that the state government had approved logging on 500ha for a start. They are cutting down trees without regard to the environment and wildlife because they are desperate for revenue,” Mahadzir said.
“They have refused to heed the pleas of the nearby villagers, NGOs and Mada.”
The Pedu forest reserve is known to be home to elephants and tigers, among other animals.
The Star found that the logging area had been expanded since last month, and a huge number of logs had been piled according to size.
The state government was recently forced to halt logging on 5,000ha in Gunung Hinas near Baling because it did not have an EIA.
