Johor, Malaysia Sets Aside Another 38,000ha as Forest Reserve
10/16/99
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Title: Johor Sets Aside Another 38,000ha as Forest Reserve
Source: The New Straits Times
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: October 16, 1999
BATU PAHAT, Fri. - About 19 per cent of Johor's total land mass is
now gazetted as permanent forest reserve.
This follows the State Government's recent decision to set aside
another 38,706 hectares as permanent forest reserve, bringing the
total to 363,450 hectares.
Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the size of the permanent
forest reserve now accounted for 18.9 per cent of Johor's total area.
"All the forest reserves are monitored under a permanent forest
management system to prevent any possible negative impact.
"Of the 363,450ha, two-thirds are for permanent timber production
while the rest will be protected for use as water catchment areas,
for flood control, prevention of erosion, biodiversity conservation
and research purposes."
Ghani was speaking to reporters after launching the Soga Perdana
recreational forest adoption scheme, about three km from here, and
the State-level Forestry Day celebration today. Soga Perdana was
developed by the State Forestry Department and adopted by BCB Berhad,
who contributed RM300,000 towards the project. Also present at the
launch were State Environment and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman
Dr Chua Soi Lek and Johor Forestry Department director Mat Salleh
Tambong. Ghani said logging in the forest reserve was done in an
orderly manner, with re-afforestration launched as soon as the
cutting of trees began.
Re-afforestation, the process of replanting logged over timber land,
normally takes about 10 to 15 years.
He said re-afforestration was being done in stages to ensure the
total acreage under forest reserve remained the same despite logging
activities.
"We have a proper and scientific inventory of Johor's rich flora in
the permanent forest reserve. This would ensure there are no negative
implications owing to continued logging activities," he said.
Ghani said as the timber produced in the forest reserve was
insufficient, the State Government had identified and developed
23,000ha of land in Ulu Sedili in 1986 for the planting of the timber
species acacia mangium, which is used for making pulp and paper.