Malaysia to log Borneo biodiversity gift to world

KUALA LUMPUR: Two Sabah forest reserves, to be bequeathed as Malaysia’s biodiversity gift to the world by the end of 2007, are set to be logged in a month or two – endangering countless species of plants and wildlife.

A race against time is underway to log the Malua and Ulu Segama forest reserves, covering a total of 236,825ha, which is three times the size of Singapore, before the deadline.

KOTA KINABALU: Don’t worry – that is Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Musa Aman’s message to all those concerned about logging of two forest reserves bequeathed as Malaysia’s biodiversity gift to the world.

“As far as I am concerned, and as my Forestry director has stated, we guarantee that it won’t damage the environment,” said he said when asked if the state intended to re-negotiate the permits given to log Malua and Ulu Semaga reserves.

Brushing aside fears that the two forest reserves could be destroyed before logging came to a halt end of next year, Musa said reduced impact logging (RIL) techniques would be enforced.

RIL, he noted, was done at the Deramakot forest reserve, which proved that logging and wildlife like the orang utan could co-exist.

“I think it (logging in Malua and Ulu Segama) poses no problem,” he told reporters after opening the Palm Oil Industry Cluster (Sabah) Sdn Bhd office here.

Both Malua and Ulu Segama reserves encircle the Danum Valley conservation area, which – together with Kinabalu Park and the Maliu Basin – will eventually become part of a one million hectare conservation zone in Sabah.