PETALING JAYA: Millions of hectares of natural forests, including indigenous territories, are at risk of being erased under industrial timber plantation projects presented as “forest restoration”.
RimbaWatch, an environmental watchdog, has warned of the danger and called for an immediate moratorium on such schemes in forest reserves.
An English news portal recently reported that a proposed Industrial Timber Plantation (ITP) project at the Tersang Forest Reserve in Pahang would clear forests equivalent to 1,800 football fields, threaten biodiversity and harm indigenous communities by infringing their rights.
In response to the report, RimbaWatch renewed its calls for an immediate moratorium on all ITP projects in forest reserves nationwide.
In a statement on Tuesday, the watchdog explained that ITPs are programmes supported by the forestry authorities to increase timber production.
“The report, State of the Malaysian Rainforest 2024, found that the planned expansion of ITPs in forest reserves threatens the deforestation of 2.4 million hectares of natural forest across Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. This represents 76% of all total threats to Malaysia’s forests, covering an area roughly equal to the combined size of Johor and Negeri Sembilan.
“As ITPs are exclusively located in areas gazetted as forest reserves, any conversion of natural forest to timber plantations will not be recognised by the Malaysian government as deforestation, which is an exceedingly concerning development,” the statement read.
The group further warned that ITPs pose a significant threat to the traditional territories of the Orang Asli community, the diverse indigenous groups residing in the country.
Its 2024 report estimated that hundreds of thousands of hectares of indigenous territories fall within plantation concessions, including those for ITPs.
“The clearance of 2.4 million hectares of forest reserves for plantations jeopardises Malaysia’s domestic commitment to maintain 50% forest cover and its international pledge under the Glasgow Declaration on Forests to reduce forest degradation by 2030.
“Importantly, these clearances would violate the rights of indigenous communities and undermine the ecological functions of Malaysia’s forests, which are essential for global planetary health and local resilience to worsening climate change,” it added.
RimbaWatch urged federal, Sabah and Sarawak authorities to establish an immediate moratorium on all conversions of forest reserves for timber plantations.
“This can be achieved by upholding the 2021 National Land Council ban on the zoning of new land for ITPs and explicitly prohibiting new forest conversions in reserves.
“Second, the Federal, Sabah and Sarawak departments of environment should issue a directive banning all future approvals of environmental impact assessments for ITPs in forest reserves.
“Third, the National Forestry Act should be amended to prevent monoculture plantations and other non-natural forest uses being permitted in reserves.
“And finally, a legal strategy should be formulated to maintain natural forest cover at its current maximum extent, including by enshrining key measures in federal and state legislation such as the upcoming Climate Change Act,” it said in the statement.
