Malaysia: Save Dipterocap tree found in Bikam forest reserve from oil palm plantation

'Save keruing paya trees'
Roshidi Abu Samah New Straits Times 22 Jul 13;

ENDANGERED: Species found in Bikam forest reserve which is being cleared for oil palm plantation

BIDOR: THE keruing paya tree (Dipterocarpus coriaceus), an endangered species which only can be found in the peninsula at the Bikam permanent forest reserve near here, is facing the threat of extinction.

This was after the remaining 401.4ha of the forest reserve where it grows had been degazetted to make way for an oil palm plantation.

Besides the Bikam permanent forest reserve, the keruing paya species is found only in Sarawak.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman said 175ha of the forest had been cleared by a timber contractor for an oil palm plantation, while another 175ha was being cleared by a different timber contractor for the same purpose.

He said the remaining 51.4ha of the forest was expected to be cleared by another timber contractor after October.

"Other than the keruing paya, there are two other endangered species -- the merawan kelabu (Hopea glaucescens) and mata kucing beludu tree (Hopea myrtifolia) -- which are also affected by the activities.

"We hope the state authorities will put a stop to the forest clearing activities and spare the remaining area," he said during a visit to area yesterday.

Meor Razak added the forest clearingactivities had also affected the wildlife there, such as monkeys, panthers and gibbons.

He said SAM hoped and appealed to the state authority to regazette the Bikam forest reserve as a permanent forest and to classify it as either an education forest or a research forest for academics, researchers and the public.

He said SAM was prepared to conduct replanting of trees at the Bikam forest reserve for free if the state government would agree to regazette the entire area, including the harvested area.

"The decision to convert the Bikam forest reserve to oil palm plantation is also against the 2008 ruling by the Federal Government which stated that forest reserves are not to be converted for oil palm plantations," he added.