deforestation case study in malaysia

• 0 Shopping Cart

The impacts of rainforest deforestation in Malaysia

What are the impacts of rainforest deforestation in Malaysia?

The graph below shows the impact of deforestation on natural forest cover in Malaysia.

The map below shows the location of deforestation in Malaysia. The areas shaded green are primary forests, whereas the pink areas show deforestation.

Deforestation

In Borneo, orangutang numbers have fallen by 60 per cent since 1950

in Malaysia has had a range of local and global impacts.

What are the global impacts of rainforest deforestation in Malaysia?

Global Warming

The Malaysian rainforest is significant at a global level. The tree canopy absorbs carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As soon as trees are felled, this stops, and more carbon dioxide remains in the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is also released when fire is used to clear the rainforest. In these ways, deforestation is a major contributor to climate change.

Loss of Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the variety of plant and animal life in the world or a particular habitat. Rainforests are the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet. Clearing the rainforest means reduced biodiversity, and individual species can become endangered or extinct.

Species richness surveys in Malaysia show a 34.9% reduction in species richness in oil palm compared to forest habitats, and 79.6% of the species found in forest habitats were not found in oil palm habitats.

Species at risk in the Malaysian rainforest include Pygmy Elephants, Orangutans, Sumatran Rhinos and Malayan Tigers, all endangered.

As species are lost, so are many possible cures for life-threatening diseases.

What are the local impacts of rainforest deforestation in Malaysia?

Local Climate Change

Forests have been termed the “air conditioners” of the landscape because they keep things cool by evaporating water. The evaporated water forms clouds, which also contribute to cooling. If evaporation is not happening, then much of the sun’s energy goes into raising temperatures instead.

The clouds reflect a lot of the sun’s radiation back into space and are a source of rainfall. So when tropical forests are felled, local temperatures tend to rise, and rainfall patterns change, becoming less reliable and more extreme.

Therefore, deforestation reduces evapotranspiration, making the local area drier and increasing local temperatures.

The Decline of Indigenous Tribes

Malaysia’s Orang Asli have been stripped of historic lands and are more susceptible to deadly illness.

Loss of forest due to illegal logging has significantly reduced the bat population. Bats are a natural means by which fruit crops are pollinated, so there is an enormous impact on indigenous people and their food security when the forest is illegally cleared (a) because the food source has directly been removed through illegal logging and (b) because the bat population is no longer available to pollinate the wider forest area. Malaysia now has a situation where some communities have to pollinate fruit trees by hand. The problem is exacerbated by the increased use of pesticides, which further cause problems in maintaining wildlife and rainforest. Pesticides are being used more because the bat population no longer provides the natural means by which insect populations are managed.

Soil Erosion

Soil takes thousands of years to form. However, it can be stripped away very quickly. The removal of soil by rain and wind is known as soil erosion. The roots of vegetation, such as trees, bind the soil together. Once vegetation is removed, it becomes loose and can be easily eroded.

Additionally, when soil is exposed, nutrients are leached away by heavy rain, making the soil infertile.

A significant amount of carbon is stored in rainforest soils. Soil erosion releases the stored carbon into the atmosphere, enhancing the natural greenhouse effect and contributing to climate change.

Disputes between the state companies and indigenous people end in conflict.

Pollution of water sources through activities such as mining results in water shortages.

Economic Gains/Losses

It is estimated that illegal logging denies revenues to the people of Malaysia in the order of USD 500m per annum. It is also clear that indigenous people are having their land and, therefore, sources of food and livelihood denied to them at a cost exceeding USD 800 million per annum in compensation and welfare payments.

Illegal logging leads to the loss of forest biodiversity and ecosystem services deprives local communities of their rights and livelihoods and generates approximately US$10–15 billion annually in criminal proceeds. In national revenue terms, the World Bank estimates that Governments lose around USD 5 Billion per annum in direct taxation. Illegal logging can refer to timber from restricted forests, harvesting protected species or over allowable yields, harvesting in violation of land or tenure rights, and failing to pay taxes and royalties.

As areas become less biodiverse, the tourism industry may be negatively impacted.

As climate change is exacerbated by deforestation, produce yields may decrease due to the drier, hotter climate, which will influence trade and the economy.

Mining, logging, agriculture , hydroelectric power, and road building provide local people with jobs and increased incomes.

Products from tropical rainforest lands can be traded with other countries for profit. The palm oil industry has been the fourth-largest sector contributing to the economy for 15 to 18 years. In 2020, palm oil accounted for thirty-eight per cent of the value of Malaysia’s agricultural output and three per cent of its gross domestic product. The palm oil industry employs 441,000 people, half of whom are small landowners.

Companies that exploit rainforests pay taxes, supporting economic development and providing public services, such as healthcare and education.

Improved accessibility to rainforests through the construction of roads supports the tourist industry and connects rural to urban areas, further supporting economic development.

Premium Resources

Please support internet geography.

If you've found the resources on this page useful please consider making a secure donation via PayPal to support the development of the site. The site is self-funded and your support is really appreciated.

Related Topics

Use the images below to explore related GeoTopics.

Causes of rainforest deforestation in Malaysia

Topic home, share this:.

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to print (Opens in new window)

If you've found the resources on this site useful please consider making a secure donation via PayPal to support the development of the site. The site is self-funded and your support is really appreciated.

Search Internet Geography

Latest Blog Entries

Pin It on Pinterest

• Click to share
• Print Friendly

Information

• Author Services

Initiatives

You are accessing a machine-readable page. In order to be human-readable, please install an RSS reader.

All articles published by MDPI are made immediately available worldwide under an open access license. No special permission is required to reuse all or part of the article published by MDPI, including figures and tables. For articles published under an open access Creative Common CC BY license, any part of the article may be reused without permission provided that the original article is clearly cited. For more information, please refer to https://www.mdpi.com/openaccess .

Feature papers represent the most advanced research with significant potential for high impact in the field. A Feature Paper should be a substantial original Article that involves several techniques or approaches, provides an outlook for future research directions and describes possible research applications.

Feature papers are submitted upon individual invitation or recommendation by the scientific editors and must receive positive feedback from the reviewers.

Editor’s Choice articles are based on recommendations by the scientific editors of MDPI journals from around the world. Editors select a small number of articles recently published in the journal that they believe will be particularly interesting to readers, or important in the respective research area. The aim is to provide a snapshot of some of the most exciting work published in the various research areas of the journal.

Original Submission Date Received: .

• Active Journals
• Find a Journal
• Proceedings Series
• For Authors
• For Reviewers
• For Editors
• For Librarians
• For Publishers
• For Societies
• For Conference Organizers
• Open Access Policy
• Institutional Open Access Program
• Special Issues Guidelines
• Editorial Process
• Research and Publication Ethics
• Article Processing Charges
• Testimonials
• Preprints.org
• SciProfiles
• Encyclopedia

Article Menu

• Subscribe SciFeed
• Recommended Articles
• Google Scholar
• on Google Scholar
• Table of Contents

Find support for a specific problem in the support section of our website.

Please let us know what you think of our products and services.

Visit our dedicated information section to learn more about MDPI.

JSmol Viewer

The influence of deforestation on land surface temperature—a case study of perak and kedah, malaysia.

1. Introduction

2. materials and methods, 2.1. study area, 2.2. satellite data, 2.3. meteorological data, 2.4. forest cover change extraction, 2.5. seamless image mosaicking, 2.6. normalized difference vegetation index (ndvi), 2.7. land surface temperature (lst) extraction from landsat imagery, 2.7.1. conversion of digital number (dn) to spectral radiance, 2.7.2. spectral radiance to brightness temperature.

• K1 = 607.76 W·m −2 ·sr −1 ·μm −1 , K2 = 1260.56 (Landsat-5 TM);
• K1 = 666.09 W· −2 ·sr −1 ·μm −1 , K2 = 1282.71 (Landsat-8 ETM+).

2.7.3. Generating LST for Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 (OLI)

2.7.4. lst kelvin (k) to degree celsius (°c) conversion, 3.1. forest cover change in perak, 3.2. forest cover change in kedah, 3.3. ndvi for perak forest cover, 3.4. ndvi for kedah forest cover, 3.5. relationship between ndvi and meteorological factors, 3.6. spatial distribution of lst and ndvi, 4. discussion, 4.1. forest cover changes and analysis, 4.2. deforestation in perak and kedah, 4.3. relationship between lst and ndvi, 5. conclusions, author contributions, acknowledgments, conflicts of interest.

• Deng, Y.; Wang, S.; Bai, X.; Tian, Y.; Wu, L.; Xiao, J.; Chen, F.; Qian, Q. Relationship among land surface temperature and LUCC, NDVI in typical karst area. Sci. Rep. 2018 , 8 , 641. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Culf, A.D.; Esteves, J.L.; Filho, A.O.M.; Da Rocha, H.R. Radiation, temperature and humidity over forest and pasture in Amazonia. Amazonian Deforestation and Climate. Amazon. Deforestation Clim. 1996 , 175–192. [ Google Scholar ]
• Cusack, D.F.; Karpman, J.; Ashdown, D.; Cao, Q.; Ciochina, M.; Halterman, S.; Lydon, S.; Neupane, A. Global change effects on humid tropical forests: Evidence for biogeochemical and biodiversity shifts at an ecosystem scale. Rev. Geophys. 2016 , 54 , 523–610. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Ngwira, S.; Watanabe, T. An Analysis of the Causes of Deforestation in Malawi: A Case of Mwazisi. Land 2019 , 8 , 48. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Cresswell, M.P.; Morse, A.P.; Thomson, M.; Connor, S.J. Estimating surface air temperatures, from Meteosat land surface temperatures, using an empirical solar zenith angle model. Int. J. Remote. Sens. 1999 , 20 , 1125–1132. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Prata, F.; Caselles, V.; Coll, C.; Sobrino, J.A.; Ottlé, C. Thermal remote sensing of land surface temperature from satellites: Current status and future prospects. Remote. Sens. Rev. 1995 , 12 , 175–224. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Mahmood, R.; Pielke, R.A.; Hubbard, K.G.; Niyogi, D.; Dirmeyer, P.A.; McAlpine, C.; Carleton, A.M.; Hale, R.; Gameda, S.; Beltrán-Przekurat, A.; et al. Land cover changes and their bio geophysical effects on climate. Int. J. Climatol. 2014 , 34 , 929–953. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Malik, M.S.; Shukla, J.P.; Mishra, S. Relationship of LST, NDBI and NDVI using Landsat-8 data in Kandaihimmat Watershed, Hoshangabad, India. Indian J. Geo Mar. Sci. 2019 , 48 , 25–31. [ Google Scholar ]
• Converting Landsat, T.M. ETM+ thermal bands to temperature. Yale Cent. Earth Obs. 2010 , 1–4. Available online: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download;jsessionid=60571AD20E7D15AEB7A013077666A36D?doi=10.1.1.187.6113&rep=rep1&type=pdf (accessed on 15 September 2019).
• Sabajo, C.R.; Le Maire, G.; June, T.; Meijide, A.; Roupsard, O.; Knohl, A. Expansion of oil palm and other cash crops causes an increase of the land surface temperature in the Jambi province in Indonesia. Biogeosciences 2017 , 14 , 4619–4635. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Kong, F.; Yin, H.; James, P.; Hutyra, L.R.; He, H.S. Effects of spatial pattern of greenspace on urban cooling in a large metropolitan area of eastern China. Landsc. Urban Plan. 2014 , 128 , 35–47. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Connors, J.P.; Galletti, C.; Chow, W.T.L. Landscape configuration and urban heat island effects: Assessing the relationship between landscape characteristics and land surface temperature in Phoenix, Arizona. Landsc. Ecol. 2012 , 28 , 271–283. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Jenerette, G.D.; Harlan, S.L.; Brazel, A.; Jones, N.; Larsen, L.; Stefanov, W.L. Regional relationships between surface temperature, vegetation, and human settlement in a rapidly urbanizing ecosystem. Landsc. Ecol. 2006 , 22 , 353–365. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Guha, S.; Govil, H.; Dey, A.; Gill, N. Analytical study of land surface temperature with NDVI and NDBI using Landsat 8 OLI and TIRS data in Florence and Naples city, Italy. Eur. J. Remote. Sens. 2018 , 51 , 667–678. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Anbazhagan, S.; Paramasivam, C.R. Statistical Correlation between Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Vegetation Index (NDVI) using Multi-Temporal Landsat TM Data. Int. J. Adv. Earth Sci. Eng. 2016 , 5 , 333–346. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Peng, S.; Piao, S.; Zeng, Z.; Ciais, P.; Zhou, L.; Li, L.; Myneni, R.; Yin, Y.; Zeng, H. Afforestation in China cools local land surface temperature. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2014 , 111 , 2915–2919. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Bala, G.; Caldeira, K.; Wickett, M.; Phillips, T.J.; Lobell, D.B.; Delire, C.; Mirin, A. Combined climate and carbon-cycle effects of large-scale deforestation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 2007 , 104 , 6550–6555. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Yuan, X.; Wang, W.; Cui, J.; Meng, F.; Kurban, A.; De Maeyer, P. Vegetation changes and land surface feedbacks drive shifts in local temperatures over Central Asia. Sci. Rep. 2017 , 7 , 3287. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Huete, A.; Justice, C.; van Leeuwen, W. Modis Vegetation Index Algorithm Theoretical Basis. Environ. Sci. 1999 , 3 , 129. [ Google Scholar ]
• Department of Statistics Malaysia. Available online: https://www.dosm.gov.my (accessed on 1 April 2020).
• Malaysian Meteorological Department. Meteorological Observations Annual Summary Observation Report from 1988 to 2008 ; Malaysian Meteorological Department: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2010.
• Haniff, N.B.M.; National Physical Planning Division, PLANMalaysia, Federal Deparment of Town and Country Planning Peninsular Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Personal communication, 2018.
• Omar, H.; Misman, M.A.; Musa, S. GIS and Remote Sensing for Mangroves Mapping and Monitoring. In Geographic Information Systems and Science ; IntechOpen Limited: London, UK, 2019. [ Google Scholar ]
• Escuin, S.; Navarro, R.; Fernandez, P. Fire severity assessment by using NBR (Normalized Burn Ratio) and NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) derived from LANDSAT TM/ETM images. Int. J. Remote. Sens. 2007 , 29 , 1053–1073. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• NASA. Landsat 7 Science Data Users Handbook. Available online: http://landsathandbook. gsfc. nasa. gov/inst_cal/prog_sect8_2. html (accessed on 24 April 2020).
• Qin, Z.; Karnieli, A.; Berliner, P. A mono-window algorithm for retrieving land surface temperature from Landsat TM data and its application to the Israel-Egypt border region. Int. J. Remote. Sens. 2001 , 22 , 3719–3746. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Jiménez-Muñoz, J.C.; Sobrino, J.A. A generalized single-channel method for retrieving land surface temperature from remote sensing data. J. Geophys. Res. Space Phys. 2003 , 108 , 22. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Hua, A.K.; Ping, O.W. The influence of land-use/land-cover changes on land surface temperature: A case study of Kuala Lumpur metropolitan city. Eur. J. Remote. Sens. 2018 , 51 , 1049–1069. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Carlson, T.N.; Ripley, D.A. On the relation between NDVI, fractional vegetation cover, and leaf area index. Remote. Sens. Environ. 1997 , 62 , 241–252. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Sobrino, J.A.; Jiménez-Muñoz, J.C.; Paolini, L. Land surface temperature retrieval from LANDSAT TM 5. Remote. Sens. Environ. 2004 , 90 , 434–440. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Statistics, V. Forestry statistics Peninsular Malaysia 2001, 2006, 2010 and 2011 ; Malaysian Department of Statistics: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2012.
• Butler, R.A. Mongabay. Malaysia has the World’s Highest Deforestation Rate, Reveals Google Forest Map. Available online: http://news.mongabay.com/2013/1115-worlds-highest-deforestationrate.html2013 (accessed on 24 April 2020).
• Kanniah, K.D.; Siong, H.C. Urban forest cover change and sustainability of Malaysian cities. Chem. Eng. Trans. 2017 , 56 , 673–678. [ Google Scholar ]
• Kanniah, K.D.; Sheikhi, A.; Cracknell, A.P.; Goh, H.C.; Tan, K.P.; Ho, C.S.; Rasli, F.N. Satellite Images for Monitoring Mangrove Cover Changes in a Fast Growing Economic Region in Southern Peninsular Malaysia. Remote. Sens. 2015 , 7 , 14360–14385. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Miyamoto, M.; Parid, M.M.; Aini, Z.N.; Michinaka, T. Proximate and underlying causes of forest cover change in Peninsular Malaysia. For. Policy Econ. 2014 , 44 , 18–25. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Henson, I. An assessment of changes in biomass carbon stocks in tree crops and forests in Malaysia. J. Trop. For. Sci. 2005 , 7 , 279–296. [ Google Scholar ]
• Aisyah, A.; Shahrul, A.B.; Zulfahmie, M.Z.M.; Mastura, S.S.; Mokhtar, J. Deforestation analysis in Selangor, Malaysia between 1989 and 2011. J. Trop. For. Sci. 2015 , 1 , 3–12. [ Google Scholar ]
• Kroll, F.; Haase, D. Does demographic change affect land use patterns? Land Use Policy 2010 , 27 , 726–737. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Department of Statistics Malaysia. General report of the population and housing census 1991. In Population Growth and Urbanization in Peninsular Malaysia from 1911 to 2000 ; Jabatan Perangkaan Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1995. [ Google Scholar ]
• Department of Statistics Malaysia. General Report of the Population and Housing Census 2000 ; Department of Statistics Malaysia: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 2005.
• Kanianska, R. Agriculture and its impact on land-use, environment, and ecosystem services. In Landscape Ecology—The Influences of Land Use and Anthropogenic Impacts of Landscape Creation ; IntechOpen Limited: London, UK, 2016; pp. 1–26. [ Google Scholar ]
• Meyfroidt, P.; Lambin, E.F.; Erb, K.-H.; Hertel, B.T.W. Globalization of land use: Distant drivers of land change and geographic displacement of land use. Curr. Opin. Environ. Sustain. 2013 , 5 , 438–444. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Vu, T.D.; Takeuchi, W.; Van, N.A. Carbon Stock Calculating and Forest Change Assessment Toward REDD+ Activities for The Mangrove Forest in Vietnam. Trans. Jpn. Soc. Aeronaut. Space Sci. Aerosp. Technol. Jpn. 2014 , 12 , 23. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Wan-Mohd-Jaafar, W.S.; Woodhouse, I.H.; Silva, C.A.; Omar, H.; Hudak, A.T. Modelling individual tree aboveground biomass using discrete return lidar in lowland dipterocarp forest of Malaysia. J. Tropical For. Sci. 2017 , 4 , 465–484. [ Google Scholar ]
• Wan Mohd Jaafar, W.S.; Woodhouse, I.H.; Silva, C.A.; Omar, H.; Maulud, A.; Mohan, M. Improving Individual Tree Crown Delineation and Attributes Estimation of Tropical Forests Using Airborne LiDAR Data. Forests 2018 , 9 , 759. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Wen, Z.; Wu, S.; Chen, J.; Lü, M. NDVI indicated long-term interannual changes in vegetation activities and their responses to climatic and anthropogenic factors in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region, China. Sci. Total Environ. 2017 , 574 , 947–959. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ PubMed ]
• Hou, G.; Xu, C.; Dong, K.; Zhao, J.; Liu, Z. Spatial-temporal difference of time lag for response of NDVI to climatic factors in Changbai mountains. Fresen. Environ. Bull 2016 , 25 , 3348–3362. [ Google Scholar ]
• Fang, S.; Cammarano, D.; Zhou, G.; Tan, K.; Ren, S. Effects of increased day and night temperature with supplemental infrared heating on winter wheat growth in North China. Eur. J. Agron. 2015 , 64 , 67–77. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Wahidah, M.N.L.; Ahmad, W.J.W.; Said, M.N.M.; Zain, C.R.C.M. Effects of Elevated Atmospheric CO2 on Photosynthesis, Growth and Biomass in Shorea platycarpa F. Heim (Meranti Paya). Sains Malays. 2017 , 46 , 1421–1428. [ Google Scholar ]
• Zhang, M.; Gong, Z.N.; Zhao, W.J.; Duo, A. Landscape pattern change and the driving forces in Baiyangdian wetland from 1984 to 2014. Acta Ecol. Sin. 2016 , 36 , 4780–4791. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ]
• Li, Y.; Chang, J.; Wang, Y.; Jin, W.; Guo, A. Spatiotemporal Impacts of Climate, Land Cover Change and Direct Human Activities on Runoff Variations in the Wei River Basin, China. Water 2016 , 8 , 220. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• Lakshmi Kumar, T.V.; Koteswara Rao, K.; Barbosa, H.; Prabha Jothi, E. Studies on spatial pattern of NDVI over Indiaand its relationship with rainfall, air temperature, soil moisture adequacy and ENSO. Geofizika 2013 , 30 , 1–18. [ Google Scholar ]
• Manandhar, R.; Odeh, I.O.A.; Ancev, T. Improving the Accuracy of Land Use and Land Cover Classification of Landsat Data Using Post-Classification Enhancement. Remote Sens. 2009 , 1 , 330–344. [ Google Scholar ] [ CrossRef ] [ Green Version ]
• The Star. Water for Penang and Kedah Comes from the Forests of Ulu Muda. Available online: https://www.thestar.com.my/lifestyle/living/2017/08/16/water-ulu-muda-forests (accessed on 10 December 2019).
• Ismail, N.A.; Zin, W.Z.W.; Ibrahim, W.; Yeun, L.C. Eight-Day Daytime Land Surface Temperature Pattern Over Peninsular Malaysia. Int. J. Technol. Eng. 2019 , 8 , 11949–11955. [ Google Scholar ]
• The Yale Centre for Earth Observation. Converting Landsat TM and ETM+ thermal Bands to Temperature ; The Yale Centre for Earth Observation: New Haven, CT, USA, 2010; pp. 1–4. [ Google Scholar ]

Click here to enlarge figure

Share and Cite

Wan Mohd Jaafar, W.S.; Abdul Maulud, K.N.; Muhmad Kamarulzaman, A.M.; Raihan, A.; Md Sah, S.; Ahmad, A.; Saad, S.N.M.; Mohd Azmi, A.T.; Jusoh Syukri, N.K.A.; Razzaq Khan, W. The Influence of Deforestation on Land Surface Temperature—A Case Study of Perak and Kedah, Malaysia. Forests 2020 , 11 , 670. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11060670

Wan Mohd Jaafar WS, Abdul Maulud KN, Muhmad Kamarulzaman AM, Raihan A, Md Sah S, Ahmad A, Saad SNM, Mohd Azmi AT, Jusoh Syukri NKA, Razzaq Khan W. The Influence of Deforestation on Land Surface Temperature—A Case Study of Perak and Kedah, Malaysia. Forests . 2020; 11(6):670. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11060670

Wan Mohd Jaafar, Wan Shafrina, Khairul Nizam Abdul Maulud, Aisyah Marliza Muhmad Kamarulzaman, Asif Raihan, Syarina Md Sah, Azizah Ahmad, Siti Nor Maizah Saad, Ahmad Tarmizi Mohd Azmi, Nur Khairun Ayuni Jusoh Syukri, and Waseem Razzaq Khan. 2020. "The Influence of Deforestation on Land Surface Temperature—A Case Study of Perak and Kedah, Malaysia" Forests 11, no. 6: 670. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11060670

Article Metrics

Article access statistics, further information, mdpi initiatives, follow mdpi.

Subscribe to receive issue release notifications and newsletters from MDPI journals

Deforestation in Malaysia: The Current Practice and the Way Forward

• First Online: 06 August 2019

Cite this chapter

• Abdelnaser Omran 3 &
• Odile Schwarz-Herion 4  

1724 Accesses

5 Citations

Among global climate concerns, deforestation is one of the most critical, particularly in developing countries but also in industrial countries where forests are equally rhoded to make place for windmills and 5G masts in an attempt to satisfy the energy need and the requirements for fast data transfer in highly digitalized Smart Cities. Deforestation is an activity of permanent destruction—the clearing of earth’s forests on a massive scale, damaging huge land areas by removing indispensable sinks for CO 2 , destroying complex eco-systems, and causing a significant loss of biodiversity. In recent years, several efforts have been introduced and implemented to reduce deforestation, but appears such efforts are on the decline in some countries, including Malaysia. This chapter examines the factors that contribute to deforestation as based on the perception and understanding of residents from across Malaysia. A survey questionnaire of 59 respondents, randomly distributed among Malaysians in different parts of the country, indicate a majority of the participants believe urbanization is the main contributor to deforestation, with 56% of east Malaysia respondents and 40% of west Malaysia saying so. However, those conducting the survey concluded that palm oil plantation is, in fact, perceived as the principal cause of deforestation, since its weighted average was highest. —In fact, Malaysia is one of the biggest exporters for palm oil. The study also concluded that deforestation can be successfully reduced by numerous methods, including vertical housing—the building of structures on narrower plots of land than conventional houses.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save.

• Get 10 units per month
• Download Article/Chapter or eBook
• 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
• Cancel anytime
• Available as PDF
• Read on any device
• Instant download
• Own it forever
• Available as EPUB and PDF
• Compact, lightweight edition
• Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
• Free shipping worldwide - see info
• Durable hardcover edition

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Drivers of Deforestation and Land-Use Change in Southwest Nigeria

The Role of Local Governments in Encouraging Participation in Reforestation Activities

Abidin, N. Z. (2016). Environmental concerns in Malaysian construction industry . Pulau Pinang: Penerbit Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Google Scholar  

Aguilar, L. O. R. E. N. A., Araujo, A. R. I. A. N. A., & Quesada-Aguilar, A. N. D. R. E. A. (2007). Reforestation, afforestation, deforestation, climate change and gender. Fact Sheet . Costa Rica: IUCN.

Ahmad, J., Lateh, H., & Saleh, S. (2014). Landslide hazards: Household vulnerability, resilience and coping in Malaysia. Journal of Education and Human Development, 3 (3), 149–155.

Aksoy, H., & Kavvas, M. L. (2005). A review of hillslope and watershed scale erosion and sediment transport models. Catena, 64 (2), 247–271.

Article   Google Scholar  

Aliyu, A., Modibbo, M. A., Medugu, N. I., & Ayo, O. (2014). Impact of deforestation on socio- economic development of Akwanga Nassarawa state. International Journals of Science, Environment and Technology, 3 (2), 403–416.

Allen, J. C., & Barnes, D. F. (1985). The causes of deforestation in developing countries. Annals of the Association of American Geographers , 75(2), 163–184.

Aratrakorn, S., Thunhikorn, S., & Donald, P. F. (2006). Changes in bird communities following conversion of lowland forest to oil palm and rubber plantations in southern Thailand. Bird Conservation International, 16 (01), 71–82.

Barnes, D. (1985). Understanding fuel wood prices in technical paper 61 . Washington, D.C. Developing Nations. World Bank Agriculture and Rural Development Department. Washington. D.C. Processed.

Barnes, D. F., & Allen, J. C. (1985). The causes of deforestation in developing countries. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 75 (2), 163–184.

Barraclough, S., & Ghimire, K. B. (2000). Agricultural expansion and tropical deforestation . London: Earthscan.

Basiron, Y. A. C. K. W. (2004). The oil palm and its sustainability. Journal of Oil Palm Research, 16 , 1–10.

BBC (2018). Palm oil: What are the issues? https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/39492207 (1/4/2018).

Becek, K., & Odihi, J. O. (2008). Identification and assessment of factors affecting forest depletion in Brunei Darussalam. The International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, xxxvii (B2), 209–214.

Bouchard, P. (2018). Trees and carbon dioxide: What is the true connection? Retrieved from https://medium.com/the-philipendium/trees-and-carbon-dioxide-what-is-the-truth-c7f8c9d12602 on 23 September, 2018.

Bouriaud, L., & Niskanen, A. (2003a). Illegal removals in the context of the sound use of wood . Paper presented to the international symposium on strategies for the sound use of wood, UNECE Timber Committee, 24–27th March, Poiana Brasov, Romania. http://www.unece.org/trade/timber/docs/sem-1/papers/r30Niskanen.doc

Bouriaud, L., & Niskanen, A. (2003b). Illegal logging in the context of the sound use of wood . TIM/SEM.1/2003/R.30, FAO and the economic Commission for Europe, seminar on strategies for the sound use of wood, Poiana Brasov, Romania.

Bradford, A. (2018). Deforestation: Facts, Causes & Effects . Retrieved from https://www.livescience.com/27692-deforestation.html on September 25, 2018.

Brown T., Fitch M., Owens D., Saunders S., Sutton A., & Temple S. (2015). Meeting the challenge of “Universal” coverage, reach and reliability in the coming 5G era . In: Institute for Communication Systems −5 G Innovation Centre (ed.) 5 G White Paper. University of Surrey, Guildford.

Bundeswaldinventur. (2015). Selected results of the third National Forest Inventory . Retrieved from https://www.bundeswaldinventur.de/en/third-national-forest-inventory/the-forests-as-climate-protectors-still-a-carbon-sink/ on 16 September, 2018.

Butler, R. (2013). Malaysia has the world’s highest deforestation rate, reveals Google forest map . http://news.mongabay.com/2013/1115-worlds-highest-deforestation-rate.html#hYUdzXG5ImXd66Wl.99

Calder, I. R. (2005). Blue revolution: Integrated land and water resource management: Integrated land and water resources management (2nd ed.). London/Sterling: Earthscan.

Carlson, K. M., Curran, L. M., Ratnasari, D., Pittman, A. M., Soares-Filho, B. S., Asner, G. P., Trigg, S. N., Gaveau, D. A., Lawrence, D., & Rodrigues, H. O. (2012). Committed carbon emissions, deforestation, and community land conversion from oil palm plantation expansion in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 109 (19), 7559–7564.

Article   CAS   Google Scholar  

CFC. (2005). Overview of the situation of commodities in developing countries . Office of the Chairman of the group of 77. New York.

Chakravarty, S., Ghosh, S. K., Suresh, C. P., Dey, A. N., & Shukla, G. (2012). Deforestation: Causes, effect and control strategies . Plandu Ranchi: InTech.

Chazdon, R. L. (2014). Second growth: The promise of tropical forest regeneration in an age of deforestation . Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Book   Google Scholar  

Clay, J. W. (2004). World agriculture and the environment – A commodity-by-commodity guide to impacts and practices. WWF . Washington: Island Press.

Connectiv.Events. (2019). Achtung! Sollen in Städten, Dörfern und Straßen alle Bäume gefällt werden, um G5 nicht zu behindern?? Retrieved from https://connectiv.events/achtung-sollen-in-den-staedten-und-an-autobahnen-allebaeume-gefaellt-werden-um-g5-nicht-zu-behindern/ on March 15, 2019.

Department of Environmental Conservation. (2018). Trees: The carbon storage experts.. Retrieved from https://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/47481.htmlReceive Email Updates from DEC on August 16, 2018.

Der Spiegel. (2016). Energie: Vom Winde verwöhnt; 2 July, 2016 . Retrieved from http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-145638273.html on 21 September, 2018.

Dumke H. (2018). Auch für Windräder wird Wald gerodet: Was daran anders ist . Retrieved from https://www.nrz.de/region/auch-fuer-windraeder-wird-wald-gerodet-was-daran-anders-ist-id215370885.html on 19 September 2018.

Ellison, D. N., Futter, M., & Bishop, K. (2012). On the forest cover–water yield debate: From demand- to supply-side thinking. Global Change Biology, 18 , 806–820.

Ellison, D., Morris, C. E., Locatelli, B., Sheil, D., Cohen, J., Murdiyarso, D., Gutierrez, V., et al. (2017). Trees, forests and water: Cool insights for a hot world. Global Environmental Change, 43 , 51–61.

Ellis-Petersen H. (2018). How palm oil ban has made the EU a dirty word in Malaysia. Angry farmers despair at what will happen to their livelihoods when the Brussels biofuels ban takes effect in 2020. In: The Guardian Online , 25 April, 2018. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/apr/26/how-palm-oil-ban-has-made-the-eu-a-dirty-word-in-malaysia on September 26, 2018.

FAO. (2001). Deforestation , http://www.fao.org/3/j9345e/j9345e07.htm

FAO. (2010). Global forest resources assessment 2010 . http://www.fao.org/docrep/013/i1757e/i1757e.pdf

FAO. (2019). Land use . Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/faostat/en/#country/131 on May 1, 2019.

FAOSTAT database [Internet]. (2015). Food and Agriculture organization of the United Nations . Rome (Italy). c2015. Available from: http://faostat3.fao.org/home/E

FDMASIA. (2018). Tropical timber market report IV , https://www.fdmasia.com/index.php/focus/item/531-tropical-timber-market-report . [17 October 2018].

Felsinger, A. (2009). Deadly Malaysian landslide blamed on rainforest logging . Retrieved from http://planetsave.com/2009/01/27/deadly-malaysian-landslide-blamed-on-rainforest-logging/

Fitzherbert, E. B., Struebig, M. J., Morel, A., Danielsen, F., Brühl, C. A., Donald, P. F., & Phalan, B. (2008). How will oil palm expansion affect biodiversity? Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 23 (10), 538–545.

Forest Legality Initiative. (2013). Risk tool, Malaysia , https://forestlegality.org/risk-tool/country/malaysia

Gani, I. Q. L. M. (2013). Current situation of illegal logging in Peninsular Malaysia. International Journal of Sciences Research Article, 2 , (Issue June 2013). ISSN 2305-3925 http://www.ijsciences.com/pub/pdf/V2-201306-04.pdf

Global Forest Watch (2017). Tree cover loss in Malaysia . Retrieved November 2, 2017 from https://www.globalforestwatch.org/dashboards/country/MYS

Greenpeace. (2004). Environmental investigation agency (EIA)/Telapak; profiting from plunder: How Malaysia smuggles endangered wood . Telapak: Greenpeace/WWF.

Harwood, C. E., & Nambiar, E. K. S. (2014). Sustainable plantation forestry in South-East Asia . (Canberra CSIRO Client Report EP14685, 95p) Australia: CSIRO.

Hesslerová, P., Pokorný, J., Brom, J., & Rejšková–Procházková, A. (2013). Daily dynamics of radiation surface temperature of different land cover types in a temperate cultural landscape: Consequences for the local climate. Ecological Engineering, 54 , 145–154.

Hua, S. L. (2004). Introducing the cultivation of medicinal plants and wild fruits in Forest rehabilitation operations on former shifting cultivation sites in Sarawak Malaysia: Issues and challenges. Southeast Asian Studies, 42 (1), 15–25. (199).

Indarto, J., & Mutaqin, D. J. (2016). An overview of theoretical and empirical studies on deforestation. Journal of International Development and Cooperation, 22 (1 & 2), 107–120.

John, B. (2017). Deforestation likely behind deadly Sabah mudslide, says expert . Retrieved from https://www.nst.com.my/news/2017/04/227539/deforestation-likely-behind-deadly-sabah-mudslide-says-expert

Jones, T. (2010). Urbanization, deforestation, reforestation . Retrieved from http://blogs.ei.columbia.edu/2010/02/11/urbanization-deforestation-reforestation/

Klara, A. (2011) Environmental consequences of the palm oil industry in Malaysia (Seminar series nr). Department of Earth and Ecosystem Sciences and Physical Geography and Ecosystem Analysis, Lund University, Solvegatan, Lund, Sweden. Retrieved from http://lup.lub.lu.se/luur/download?func=downloadFile&recordOId=2155833&fileOId=2155834

Lawson, S., & MacFaul, L. (2010). Illegal logging and related trade: Indicators of the global response (pp. 50–64). London: Chatham House.

Lime, R. P., & Lee, S. W. (1992). Hill development, proceedings of the seminar . Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian Nature Society.

Locatelli, B., Catterall, C. P., Imbach, P., Kumar, C., Lasco, R., Marín-Spiotta, E., Mercer, B., Powers, J. S., Schwartz, N., & Uriarte, M. (2015). Tropical reforestation and climate change: Beyond carbon. Restoration Ecology, 23 (4), 337–343.

Mather, A. S., & Needle, C. L. (1998). The forest transition: A theoretical basis. Area, 30 (2), 117–124.

Min, S. (2015). Deforestation causes landslide . Retrieved from https://blog.nus.edu.sg/a0115786/2015/03/31/article-deforestation-causes-landslide/ . Accessed from 23 Apr 2018.

Myers, N. (1994). Tropical deforestation: Rates and patterns. In K. Brown & D. W. Pearce (Eds.), The causes of tropical deforestation (pp. 27–40). London: UCLP.

Nasa. (2007). Causes of deforestation: Direct cause . https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/Deforestation/deforestation_update3.php [5 October March 2018].

Neary, D. G., Ice, G. G., & Jackson, C. R. (2009). Linkages between forest soils and water quality and quantity. Forest Ecology and Management, 258 , 2269–2281.

Nina, C. (2019). Deforestation and 5G – it’s closer to home than we might think! . Retrieved from https://ninanco.com/food/sustainable-local/deforestation-5g-closer-home-might-think/ on March 14, 2019.

Nikoloyuk, J., Burns, T. R., & de Man, R. (2010). The promise and limitations of partnered governance: The case of sustainable palm oil. Corporate Governance, 10 (1), 59–72.

NRE. (2016). Kawasan Berhutan di Malaysia (1990–2014) . Retrieved from http://www.nre.gov.my/ms-my/Hutan/Pages/Statistik_Hutan.aspx

Patrick, T. (2017). Malaysia bracing for EU ban on palm oil . Retrieved from http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/nation/2017/10/30/malaysia-bracing-for-eu-ban-on-palm-oil/

Pellicani, R., Van Westen, C. J., & Spilotro, G. (2013). Assessing landslide exposure in areas with limited landslide information. Landslides, 11 (3), 463–480.

Pongratz, J., Reick, C. H., Raddatz, T., & Claussen, M. (2010). Biogeophysical versus biogeochemical climate response to historical anthropogenic land. Geophysical Research Letters, 37 , L08702. https://doi.org/10.1029/2010gl043010 .

Pokorný, J., Brom, J., Cermák, J., & Hesslerová, P. (2010). Solar energy dissipation and temperature control by water and plants. International Journal of Water, 5 , 311–336.

Radachowsky, J. (2018). Honduras leads central American response to climate change. In The National Geographic , November 13, 2018. Retrieved from https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2018/11/13/honduras-leads-central-american-response-to-climate-change/ on November 15, 2018.

Reboredo, F. (2013). Socio-economic, environmental, and governance impacts of illegal logging. Environment Systems and Decisions, 33 (2), 295–304.

Sankar, C., Anil, P. C., & Amruth, M. (2000). Criteria and indicators for sustainable plantation forestry in India (72 p). Bogor: Center for International Forestry Research.

Sheil, D., Casson, A., Meijaard, E., Van Nordwijk, M., Gaskell, J., Sunderland-Groves, J., Wertz, K., & Kanninen, M. (2009). The impacts and opportunities of oil palm in Southeast Asia: What do we know and what do we need to know? (Occasional paper no. 51). Bogor: CIFOR.

Shoumatoff, A. (2017). The wasting of Borneo: Dispatches from a vanishing world . Boston: Beacon Press.

Sinha, S. K., & Swaminathan, M. S. (1991). Deforestation, climate change and sustainable nutrition security: A case study of India. In Tropical forests and climate (pp. 201–209). Dordrecht: Springer.

Chapter   Google Scholar  

SMART (Malaysia). (2017). Retrieved November 04, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_(Malaysia )

Sonter, L. J., Ali, H. S., & Watson, J. E. M. (2018). Mining and biodiversity: Key issues and research needs in conservation science. The Royal Society, 285 (1892), 20181926. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.1926 . PMC 6283941. PMID 30518573.

Stanturf, J. A. (2005). What is forest restoration? “Restoration of boreal and temperate forests.” (pp. 3–11). Boca Raton: CRC Press. http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/ja/ja_stanturf022.pdf .

Sundram, K. (2017). Malaysian palm oil industry: Our stand on the Nutella Ferrero report and misinformation about palm oil and cancer . Retrieved from http://mpoc.org.my/Malaysian_Palm_Oil_Industry;_Our_Stand_On_The__Nutella_Ferrero_Report_and__Misinformation_about_Palm_Oil_and_Cancer.aspx

Syktus, J. I., & McAlpine, C. A. (2016). More than carbon sequestration: Biophysical climate benefits of restored savanna woodlands. Scientific Reports, 6 , 29194.

Tegnäs, B., & Svedén, E. (2002). Palm oil: Where does it come from and where does it go? WWF Sweden.

Tan, P. Y., Wang, J., & Sia, A. (2013). Perspectives on five decades of the urban greening of Singapore. Cities, 32 , 24–32.

Tangang, F. T., Juneng, L., Salimun, E., Sei, K. M., Le, L. J., & Muhamad, H. (2012). Climate change and variability over Malaysia. SainsMalaysiana, 41 (11), 1355–1366.

Transportenvironment.org (2019) EU classifies palm oil diesel as unsustainable but fails to cut its subsidised use and associated deforestation. Retrieved from https://www.transportenvironment.org/press/eu-classifies-palm-oil-dieselunsustainable-fails-cut-its-subsidised-use-and-associated on February 16, 2019.

Tse, P. K. (2011). The mineral industry of Malaysia , vol. 17 (pp. 1–8). U.S. geological survey minerals yearbook. https://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/country/2011/myb3-2011-my.pdf (12/6/2018).

Turner, I. M. (1996). Species loss in fragments of tropical rain forest: A review of the evidence. Journal of Applied Ecology, 33 (2), 200–209.

UNFCC. (2001). Decision 11/CP.7. Land use, land-use change and forestry . Retrieved November 04, 2017, from https://unfccc.int/sites/default/files/11cp7.pdf

UNFCCC. (2010). Glossary of climate change acronyms .

Van Kooten, G.C., & Bulte, E.H. (2000). The economics of nature: Managing biological assets, Blackwells.

Vasantha, K. S., & Bhagavanulu, D. V. S. (2008). Effect of deforestation on landslides in Nilgiris district—A case study. Journal of the Indian Society of Remote Sensing, 36 (1), 105–108.

Victor, P. (2017, September 23). Deforestation – A modern-day plague in Southeast Asia . https://theaseanpost.com/article/deforestation-modern-day-plague-southeast-asia

Vijay, V., Pimm, S. L., Jenkins, C. N., & Smith, S. J. (2016). The impacts of oil palm on recent deforestation and biodiversity loss. PLoS One, 11 (7), e0159668. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0159668 .

Whitmore, T. C., & Sayer, J. A. (1992). Tropical deforestation and species extinction . London: Chapman & Hall.

Wicke, B., Sikkema, R., Dornburg, V., & Faaij, A. (2011). Exploring land use changes and the role of palm oil production in Indonesia and Malaysia. Land Use Policy, 28 (1), 193–206.

Wikipedia. (2018). Definition of reforestation . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reforestation

Wilcove, D. S., & Koh, L. P. (2010). Addressing the threats to biodiversity from oil-palm agriculture. Biodiversity and Conservation, 19 , 999–1007.

WWF. (2017). Forests . Retrieved November 2, from http://www.wwf.org.my/about_wwf/what_we_do/forests_main/

Yong, C., Saccess, N., & Jkoasm, N. (2014). Deforestation drivers and human rights in Malaysia. A national overview and two sub-regional case studies. International Workshop on Deforestation Drivers and the Rights of Forest Peoples, held in Palangka Raya, Indonesia, March 9–14, 2014.

Download references

Author information

Authors and affiliations.

Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Bright Star University, El-brega, Libya

Abdelnaser Omran

Dres. Schwarz-Herion KG Detective Agency, Ettlingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Odile Schwarz-Herion

You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abdelnaser Omran .

Editor information

Editors and affiliations, rights and permissions.

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Omran, A., Schwarz-Herion, O. (2020). Deforestation in Malaysia: The Current Practice and the Way Forward. In: Omran, A., Schwarz-Herion, O. (eds) Sustaining our Environment for Better Future. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7158-5_11

Download citation

DOI : https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7158-5_11

Published : 06 August 2019

Publisher Name : Springer, Singapore

Print ISBN : 978-981-13-7157-8

Online ISBN : 978-981-13-7158-5

eBook Packages : Earth and Environmental Science Earth and Environmental Science (R0)

Share this chapter

Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:

Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.

Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative

• Publish with us

Policies and ethics

• Find a journal
• Track your research

• Español (Spanish)
• Français (French)
• Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
• Brasil (Portuguese)
• India (English)
• हिंदी (Hindi)
• Feature Stories
• Explore All
• Subscribe page
• Submissions
• Privacy Policy
• Terms of Use
• Advertising
• Wild Madagascar
• Selva tropicales
• Mongabay.org
• Tropical Forest Network

Blind spot in palm policy raises deforestation risk in Malaysia, report says

Share this article.

If you liked this story, share it with other people.

• A blind spot in the sustainable production policies of major palm oil companies is allowing plantation owners clearing rainforest in Malaysia to continue feeding the former’s “deforestation-free” supply chains.
• In Indonesia, forests can only be cleared if they are explicitly linked to a particular project; in Malaysia, companies can obtain permits for the sole purpose of clear-felling, making it more difficult to link oil palm growers and plantation owners to deforestation activities.
• Researchers have called on palm oil traders and refiners to trace deforestation beyond the mills in their supply chains, to the plantations the mills are buying from.

A “blind spot” in the sustainability policies of major palm oil conglomerates is allowing plantation companies clearing rainforest in Malaysia to continue feeding ostensibly “deforestation-free” supply chains, according to a new report by eco-watchdog Chain Reaction Research (CRR).

Over the past decade, most of the world’s largest processors, traders and users of palm oil have adopted “zero-deforestation” policies, pledging to sever the link between their sprawling supply chains and the destruction of rainforests, especially in Indonesia and Malaysia, which together account for most of the world’s production of palm oil, used in consumer goods ranging from chocolate to laundry detergent.

In Indonesia, the government long ago banned standalone logging concessions. A forest there can only be cleared if it is explicitly linked to another type of development — like an oil palm plantation. This makes it easy to establish when a rainforest has been cleared for the purpose of setting up a plantation, and to label the operator of that plantation ineligible to supply buyers with “zero-deforestation” pledges.

In Malaysia, however, state governments can issue forest clearance permits that have the clear-felling of forests as their sole purpose. Because such permits do not then require companies to disclose what the cleared area will be used for, be it an oil palm plantation, mining project, or some other undertaking, they have led to situations where one company clears an area only to have a different one start an oil palm project there later, the report said.

“This results in a confusing situation as to whether the [oil palm] grower can still be held responsible for the deforestation,” the report said. This creates a loophole for growers to exploit, and a “blind spot” in the sustainable production policies of traders and refiners, one of the researchers involved in the study, Albert ten Kate, told Mongabay.

“[In Indonesia] you can address the palm oil, industrial tree or mining company, as the clearing is on behalf of them,” ten Kate said. “[In Malaysia] you simply do not know the ultimate purpose of the clearing. The forests are cleared … some years later you see small oil palm trees … and the oil palm grower will say that it was cleared by somebody else.”

CRR’s report, released May 7, analyzed five deforestation case studies in degazetted forest reserves in Pahang, Johor and Terengganu states, cumulatively responsible for some 40,000 hectares (99,000 acres) of forest cleared since 2015.

It found that, in addition to the clear-felling permits, another factor has been limiting buyers from enforcing their “no-deforestation” policies: a lack of public information identifying the companies clearing forests within concession boundaries.

With only a fraction of environmental impact assessments conducted for forest conversion projects released on government websites, “deforestation can be detected in near real-time, yet … refiners cannot determine who to engage to stop deforestation,” the researchers wrote, a phenomenon they termed “ghost deforestation.”

Eight of Peninsular Malaysia’s largest palm oil refiners, which together cover 70% of the region’s refining capacity, have “no-deforestation” policies in place. These policies cover not only their own plantations but also those of third-party suppliers — though enforcement usually comes too little, too late due in part to ghost deforestation.

In one of the case studies in the state of Pahang, the researchers detailed how trading and refining giants Wilmar International and Mewah International, both of which have “no-deforestation” policies in place, met with a plantation company in their supply chains linked to deforestation activities in 2020; most of the forest had already been cleared between 2015 and 2019.

Malaysia is the world’s second-largest palm oil producer, accounting for more than a quarter of total global output in 2020. Within the country, Peninsular Malaysia makes up 47% of a total planted area of 5.9 million hectares (14.6 million acres) of oil palm plantations. That is to say, nearly half of an area more than 17% the size of the entire country.

Today, the vast and orderly rows of oil palm plantations continue to encroach on forested land. Some 84% of Peninsular Malaysia’s remaining forest is classified as permanent forest reserves, and of these, more than three-quarters are concentrated within the four states of Perak, Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu. Yet Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu, as well as Johor, are also the states where plantations have been expanding the most rapidly between 2018 and 2020 .

The expanding plantations in these states could derail the central government’s ambitions to keep oil palm planted area at a ceiling of 6.5 million hectares (16.1 million acres) by 2023. They also highlight possible governance gaps and conflicts of interest between the central government’s direction and state authorities’ enforcement, where the latter have full control over the use of their permanent forest reserves and can degazette them at will — in contrast to countries like Indonesia, where the central government largely controls forest policy.

In Peninsular Malaysia, most large oil palm growers are also majority-owned by government institutions. The four biggest growers, which together run 31% of the planted area, are majority-owned by the central government, according to CRR data. Many of the other large growers are owned by state governments, with ownership corresponding to the jurisdiction state authorities have over their land. Some growers are also owned by the sultans of states or their relatives, including in Johor, Terengganu and Pahang.

In one of the case studies, the researchers recorded a 2,190-hectare (5,410-acre) oil palm plantation that appeared in a degazetted forest reserve in Johor after the area was cleared. The plantation was developed by AA Sawit, a company 51% owned by the sultan of Johor, the researchers said. In another case study, 1,800 hectares (4,400 acres) of forest in Terengganu were cleared to make way for an oil palm plantation owned by the sultan of Terengganu and his relatives, the researchers wrote. For both cases, main refiners took little action, they said.

Ten Kate said that since the study was published, the researchers have linked another 8,500-hectare (21,000-acre) oil palm and industrial tree plantation project within the degazetted Bukit Ibam reserve in Pahang to a company 50% owned by a nephew of the sultan of Pahang.

“The sultans … officially have a ceremonial role that is separate from the government that decides [on forest policy],” ten Kate said.  “But in reality, they have a lot of influence.

“Palm oil refiners are tracing deforestation to the mills in their supply chains. But we say they should also pay attention to the plantations that the mills buy from.”

Banner image of oil palm fruit by Dave Barce via Wikicommons.

FEEDBACK: Use  this form  to send a message to the author of this post. If you want to post a public comment, you can do that at the bottom of the page.

To wipe or to wash? That is the question

Toilet paper: Environmentally impactful, but alternatives are rolling out

Rolling towards circularity? Tracking the trace of tires

Getting the bread: What’s the environmental impact of wheat?

Consumed traces the life cycle of a variety of common consumer products from their origins, across supply chains, and waste streams. The circular economy is an attempt to lessen the pace and impact of consumption through efforts to reduce demand for raw materials by recycling wastes, improve the reusability/durability of products to limit pollution, and […]

Free and open access to credible information

Latest articles.

A national park and its rangers in Bolivia endure persisting road construction, illegal mining

Acre’s communities face drinking water shortage amid Amazon drought

Sri Lanka’s blue carbon ecosystems at risk as government seeks way out of economic crisis

Deal ends environmental agents’ strike in Brazil, but grievances fester

Petroperú’s financial troubles could mean no oil spill remediation, communities fear

The Andes are a key supplier of gold for the Amazon Basin

Climate change threatens public health, raising the spread of food-borne diseases

In the Sundarbans, women are embracing mangrove restoration as an alternative livelihood

you're currently offline

Our Environment

Collected thoughts from Victoria University of Wellington's Environmental Science students

• Follow VUW on Facebook
• Follow VUW on Twitter
• Follow VUW on Instagram

Deforestation in Malaysia: Killing the lungs of our planet

Written by: Katlin Donnelly

Photo credit

As a home to such species rich and diverse environments Malaysia is also responsible for some of the fastest rates of deforestation in the world. Clearing of vegetated and forested land in Malaysia is predominately driven by the demand for palm oil cultivation and other agricultural developments, permanently changing the land use [1] and leading to a long list of implications on the local and global environment.

Deforestation is a key contributor to our world’s current environmental threats; the tropical regions of Malaysia and Indonesia occupy over 80% of Southeast Asia’s primary forests [2]. Malaysian forests are logged for commercial gain and most companies and government agendas have corrupt goals to maximise economic profits alone [3]. Tropical forests are hugely responsible for storing carbon dioxide which is released into the atmosphere when trees no longer photosynthesis and die. Therefore, without them CO 2 cannot be absorbed in exchange for oxygen and on a global scale this increases the CO 2 levels in the atmosphere [4]. The process of converting forested land exposes the world to exacerbated effects of greenhouse gas emissions along with other issues such as pollution and disruption to peat soils [2].

Malaysia is one of the biggest cultivators for palm oil, and the crop itself is increasingly becoming the most predominant equatorial crop [5]. The production of palm oil thrives in a climate such as the tropical conditions of Malaysia, so the land is exploited for plantations [2]. It requires intensive clearing of land and new plantations disrupt and remove habitats for native plant and animal species that cannot sustain life in environments that have been stripped of their rich species diversity. Figure 1 outlines the distribution of palm oil also highlighting the intensity of oil palm plantations as well as the density of endemic species in Malaysia which are both occurring in the same areas.

Figure 1: Global distributions of palm oil plantations, suitability environments and endemic species. Credit.

Malaysian forests hold some of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems and species. At the equator terrestrial species richness is at its peak due to the prime conditions for complex ecosystems [6]. Simultaneously projections for the loss of biodiversity in Southeast Asia are showing extreme declines and extinctions due to loss of habitat. As a country that dominants in the palm oil industry in return its biodiversity suffers, and everyday more and more forested landscape is cleared to satisfy our population.

People are gradually starting to wake up to the realities of this destruction but solutions to the issue are seemingly difficult to implement. Increasing global demand that requires the unsustainable practice of deforestation leaves no room for our natural environment to persist. Malaysia is both guilty and a victim of this detrimental process, whilst it brings economic support for the country its impact on biodiversity loss and contribution to global warming begin to outweigh the positives of this industry. Efforts into conserving natural habitats alongside an industry that is so harmful to species is an urgent challenge to be overcome in saving our planets lungs.

References:

• Chakravarty, S., Ghosh, S.K., Suresh, C.P., Dey, A.N., Shukla, G. (2012). Deforestation: causes, effects and control strategies. Global perspectives on sustainable forest management. Retrieved from: http://www.intechopen.com/books/global- perspectives-on-sustainable-forest-management/deforestation-causes-effects-and-control-strategies
• Fitzherbert, E.B., Struebig, M.J., Morel, A., Danielsen, F., Bruhl, C.A., Donald, P.F., Phalan, B. (2008). How will palm oil expansion affect biodiversity? Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 23(10), 538-545. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2008.06.012
• Kummer, D.M., Turner, B.L. (1994). The human causes of deforestation in Southeast Asia. BioScience, 44(5), 323-328. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1312382
• Zhang, H., Henderson-Sellers, A. (1996). Impacts of tropical deforestation. Part I: Process analysis of local climate change. Journal of climate, 9(7), 1497-1517
• Koh, L.P., Wilcove, D.S. (2008). Is oil palm agriculture really destroying tropical biodiversity? Society for conservation biology, 1(2), 60-64. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1755-263X.2008.00011.x
• Manokaran, N. An overview of biodiversity in Malaysia. Journal or tropical forest science , 5(2), 271-290. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43581030

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About This Site

Welcome to the Environmental Science blog for the students of Victoria University of Wellington (VUW). The blogs posted here have been created by students doing an environmental science major, on a topic of their interest.

Header photo: Lake Rotoiti, South Island, New Zealand. The area is one of our undergraduate week-long field trip sites. Credit: Dez Tessler.

Environmental Science at VUW

Environmental science is an undergraduate major in the Bachelor of Science at VUW. We also offer postgraduate degrees: Master of Environmental Science (180 points, completed in 1 calendar year), Master of Science (Environmental Science) (240 points, completed in 2 years, including a thesis), and PhD.

https://www.victoria.ac.nz/sgees

Address School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences,

Victoria University of Wellington,

Wellington 6012,

New Zealand.

Search by category

Recent posts.

• Kakī (New Zealand Black Stilt) May 22, 2021
• What should cities of the future look like? May 22, 2021
• Wildfires in California: Our wake up call May 22, 2021
• Medical applications of cyanobacteria toxins May 22, 2021
• Application of the “One Health Approach” May 22, 2021

• Biodiversity Conservation
• Land Rights in Sarawak
• Conserving Our Climate
• Latest Updates
• In the media
• #StopTheChop
• #StopTheSLAPP
• About Mega-dams
• SCORE Sarawak
• Mega-Dam Film Series
• Baram Heritage Survey
• Upper Baram Forest Area
• Renewable Energy

State of the Malaysian Rainforest: report

RimbaWatch (formerly known as the Rimba Disclosure Project), as part of its efforts to monitor activities related to deforestation in Malaysia, has published a study entitled “State of the Malaysian Rainforest 2023” which collates and analyses all its data on past and potential future deforestation. This is the first time a study has been attempted to identify the economic drivers of past and future deforestation, estimate statistics for future deforestation, and provide an overall assessment of forestry governance – all on a national scale.

RimbaWatch first analysed deforestation based on an interpretation of Global Forest Watch (GFW)’s tree cover loss data to estimate that, between 2017 and 2021, Malaysia deforested 349,244 hectares, with Sarawak and Pahang experiencing the highest rates of deforestation. The biggest driver of past deforestation that could be identified for this period was timber plantations, accounting for 41.6% of deforestation, followed by palm oil which was responsible for only 15.5%.

Secondly, using data collected from desktop research which includes official forestry maps, project descriptions, etc., RimbaWatch has analysed 438 alerts concerning areas at risk of deforestation in the future through 5 categories: (a) zoning of forested land for non-forest usage, (b) real estate listings of forested land, (c) forest reserve degazettement, (d) approved forest-risk environmental impact assessments and (e) miscellaneous data. From our analysis we estimate that a further 2,346,601 hectares of forests in Malaysia have been earmarked for deforestation.

The Ministry of Natural Resources, Environment & Climate Change lists Malaysia’s 2017 forest cover at 18,332,583 hectares, which is 55.52% of our total land area. In the final analysis, through combining data for deforestation which occurred between 2017-2021 and potential future deforestation alerts, benchmarked against the 2017 forest cover as reported by the Ministry, RimbaWatch estimates that Malaysia’s forest cover could decrease to 15,636,737 hectares, or 47.35% of total land area, in the future. This is below Malaysia’s commitment to maintain 50% of its land as forest cover.

About RimbaWatch: RimbaWatch is an environmental watchdog building an independent, timely and open inventory of data and analytics on deforestation, climate change and human rights issues in Malaysia.

For media enquiries, please contact: RimbaWatch (Kuala Lumpur) [email protected] +44 7721 647013 (whatsapp) web.rimbadisclosureproject.com

Notes: The full study “State of the Malaysian Rainforest 2023” can be read here.

General: [email protected] Press: [email protected]

Mailing Address: The Borneo Project c/o Earth Island Institute 2150 Allston Way, Suite 460 Berkeley, CA 94704

The Borneo Project is fiscally sponsored by Earth Island Institute, a 501(c)(3) organization

• DOI: 10.1007/978-981-13-7158-5_11
• Corpus ID: 201435009

Deforestation in Malaysia: The Current Practice and the Way Forward

• A. Omran , Odile Schwarz-Herion
• Published in Sustaining our Environment… 2019
• Environmental Science
• Sustaining our Environment for Better Future

9 Citations

Utilization of remote sensing technology for carbon offset identification in malaysian forests, does trade openness cause deforestation a case study from indonesia, assessing the suitability of globeland30 for land cover mapping and sustainable development in malaysia using error matrix and unbiased area estimation, palm oil industries in malaysia and possible treatment technologies for palm oil mill effluent: a review, occupancy of wild southern pig-tailed macaques in intact and degraded forests in peninsular malaysia, the predicament of macaque conservation in malaysia, application of a hybrid cellular automaton-markov model in land use change detection and prediction in flood-prone area, johor, malaysia, agricultural habitat use affects infant survivorship in an endangered macaque species, adult literacy education and reduction of poverty in tanzania: a review of policies and their implementation, 39 references, exploring land use changes and the role of palm oil production in indonesia and malaysia, the causes of deforestation in developing countries, landslide hazards: household vulnerability, resilience and coping in malaysia, perspectives on five decades of the urban greening of singapore, addressing the threats to biodiversity from oil-palm agriculture, climate change and variability over malaysia: gaps in science and research information, fiu digital commons fiu digital commons the impacts of oil palm on recent deforestation and biodiversity the impacts of oil palm on recent deforestation and biodiversity loss loss, an overview of theoretical and empirical studies on deforestation, socio-economic, environmental, and governance impacts of illegal logging, illegal logging and related trade: indicators of the global response, related papers.

Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers

Causes & Impacts of Deforestation ( AQA GCSE Geography )

Revision note.

Geography Lead

Causes & Impacts of Deforestation

• There are six main human causes of deforestation
• The frequency and severity of wildfires have increased this is linked to human induced climate change

Human causes of deforestation

It is important to remember that deforestation is often the result of a combination of factors which are linked together rather than any one cause. For example, the growth of settlements also leads to more land being cleared for agriculture to support the people in the settlements.

Impacts of deforestation

• Areas that have been deforested are planted with monoculture which reduces biodiversity
• Interception and infiltration decrease which reduces evapotranspiration and as a result precipitation decreases
• This also increases overland flow which leads to soil erosion and sedimentation of the rivers
• Sediment builds up on riverbeds reducing their capacity and increasing the flood risk
• Lack of interception increases the leaching of nutrients
• Fewer trees increase the amount of CO 2 in the atmosphere adding to the enhanced greenhouse effect
• Soils become less fertile and drier
• They may turn reddish brown due to increased iron oxide

Environmental impacts of deforestation

Impact on the nutrient cycle

• The majority of nutrients in the tropical rainforest are held in the biomass 
• When trees and vegetation are cleared by deforestation the main store of nutrients is removed 

Effect of deforestation on the nutrient cycle

Social impacts of deforestation

• Indigenous communities have less land to sustain their traditional way of life this means:
• Land does not get the opportunity to recover
• Less food available 
• Improved quality of life for some people due to increased income and jobs
• Indigenous communities may give up their way of life leading to a loss of culture and traditions
• Increased risk of landslides which can destroy homes and block roads
• Loss of potential medicines 
• Increased risk of flooding settlements

Economic impacts of deforestation

• More jobs available in mining, forestry, agriculture and HEP
• Increased income for the country through the export of goods from the forest - minerals, timber, crops
• Almost a quarter of Brazil's GDP comes from activities in the deforested areas of the Amazon

Worked example

Give one effect of deforestation on the soils of the rainforest..

• They become less fertile [1]
• They become drier as they more exposed to the wind [1]
• They are eroded/washed away (as tree roots no longer hold the soil in place)  [1]
• They lose their nutrients/ heavy rain leads to leaching  [1]
• They turn red/may have a reddish colour due to the presence of iron oxide [1]

Case Study: Malaysia

• Malaysia is located in Southeast Asia

Map showing location of Malaysia in southeast Asia

• Almost 70% of the land is covered by tropical rainforest

Deforestation in Malaysia

• It is estimated that Malaysia has the fastest rate of deforestation in the world
• Since 2000 an average of over 140,000 hectares of forest has been felled and cleared each year
• Malaysia is the largest exporter of tropical hardwoods
• Although Malaysia has environmental protection policies there is still evidence of illegal logging in areas of Borneo
• Selective logging is the dominant type of logging but this requires road construction and settlements which result in deforestation
• The construction of dams to provide Hydroelectric power results in the flooding of large areas of forest
• The Bakun Dam will result in 700 km 2  of land being underwater in Sarawak, Malaysia
• Tin mines are widespread and require deforestation for the mine itself but also for road construction 
• An iron ore mine planned for the Som Forest Reserve will result in the deforestation of over 60 hectares
• There is also drilling for oil and gas
• Malaysia exports over 30% of the world's palm oil and is the second largest producer
• Many palm oil processes now adopting a zero-deforestation policy so that they do not buy palm oil from deforested areas. However,  Clear felling permits  are sometimes used in Malaysia to clear land and then sometime later another company will plant palm oil
• This led to the deforestation of approximately 15,000 hectares of rainforest
• This can sometimes involve slash and burn where areas are cleared using fires - these can sometimes get out of control and destroy large areas of rainforest

Effects of deforestation

• Without the tree roots to bind the soil, the soil is more easily eroded by wind and rain
• Exposed soil is more vulnerable to the leaching of nutrients and the soil becomes less fertile
• Habitats are destroyed and the ecosystem is affected by deforestation so the variety of plants and animals decreases
• Oil Palm plantations lead to a 35% reduction in species
• Orangutans, pygmy elephants, Sumatran Rhino and Malayan tigers are all endangered
• Reduced transpiration and evaporation lead to a decrease in precipitation and an increase in temperatures
• Rainfall patterns become less reliable and more extreme
• Felling of the trees leads to a decrease in the absorption of carbon dioxide 
• Increases carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and as this is a greenhouse gas this increases human induced climate change
• Use of fire for clearance also increases carbon dioxide emissions
• Indigenous communities such as the Orang Asli and Temiar have been forced off the land 
• This has reduced the available food sources
• In Kuala Koh village in 2019 at least 15 indigenous Batek died after an outbreak of disease possibly transmitted by loggers working near the village

You've read 0 of your 10 free revision notes

Get unlimited access.

to absolutely everything:

• Downloadable PDFs
• Unlimited Revision Notes
• Topic Questions
• Past Papers
• Model Answers
• Videos (Maths and Science)

Join the 100,000 + Students that ❤️ Save My Exams

the (exam) results speak for themselves:

Did this page help you?

Author: Bridgette

After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 25 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.

Deforestation: Case study in Malaysia

• What Can You Do

Agriculture

Illegal Logging

                                        Oil Palm Plantation

No comments:

Post a comment.

• 2023 Predicted Papers
• A-Level Biology
• A-Level Chemistry
• A-Level Maths
• A-Level Psychology
• GCSE Science
• GCSE Further Maths (Level 2, Level 3, FSMQ)
• GCSE History
• GCSE Citizenship
• GCSE Geography
• Group Code Registration Form
• Biology Reading List
• Chemistry Reading List
• The Ultimate guide to the EPQ
• UCAS and University
• How to help your child succeed in exams
• How to succeed in homeschooling
• Teacher Shop
• Group Registration
• Group Registration FAQs
• Your Profile

GCSE Geography – Case Study – Deforestation, Malaysia

Quiz summary.

0 of 24 Questions completed

Information

You have already completed the quiz before. Hence you can not start it again.

Quiz is loading…

You must sign in or sign up to start the quiz.

You must first complete the following:

Quiz complete. Results are being recorded.

0 of 24 Questions answered correctly

Time has elapsed

You have reached 0 of 0 point(s), ( 0 )

Earned Point(s): 0 of 0 , ( 0 ) 0 Essay(s) Pending (Possible Point(s): 0 )

• Not categorized 0%

1 . Question

Where is Malaysia?

2 . Question

What is the natural vegetation of Malaysia?

• Tropical rainforest.
• Deciduous forests.

3 . Question

What does Orang-utan mean?

• Person of the forest.
• Large monkey.
• Orange monkey.
• Orange man.

4 . Question

What is deforestation?

• Cutting down of forest trees.
• Replanting a forest.
• Re-wilding a forest.
• Cutting down all shrubs.

5 . Question

In the 1980’s, what did Malaysia become the world’s largest exporter of?

• Tropical wood.

6 . Question

What is clear felling?

• All trees are chopped down.
• Opening up vista for tourists.
• National sport.
• Local dance.

7 . Question

What is selective logging?

• Only fully grown trees are felled.
• A tourist attraction.
• Only young trees are felled.
• Shrubland is cleared.

8 . Question

What ore is mined in Malaysia?

9 . Question

What have companies recently started drilling in Borneo for?

• Oil & gas.

10 . Question

The Government encouraged people to move from cities to the countryside. What is this policy called?

• Transmigration.
• Transference.
• Environmental moving.
• Transformation.

11 . Question

What type of oil is Malaysia the largest exporter of?

• Peanut oil.

12 . Question

What type of farming do indigenous people practise?

• Subsistence farming.
• Agricultural farming.
• Industrial farming.
• Invasive farming.

13 . Question

Tribal people use slash and burn methods to clear land. What negative consequences can this have?

• Out of control fires destroy large areas of forest.
• Sales of farm machinery are reduced.
• Tourists are kept away.
• Smoke makes driving dangerous.

14 . Question

Tribal people use slash and burn methods to clear land. What positive consequences can this have?

• Valuable nutrients are created.
• Tourists are encouraged.
• Farm machinery sales increase.
• New roads are built.

15 . Question

What is the removal of soil by wind and rain called?

• Soil erosion.
• Transportation.
• Soil decomposition.

16 . Question

What is the measure of the variety of plants and animals in a ecosystem called?

• Biodiversity.
• Wildlife register.

17 . Question

Which biome has the most diverse ecosystem in the world?

• Deciduous forest.

18 . Question

What is the 500km long upland region in Peninsular Malaysia called?

19 . Question

During photosynthesis trees absorb Carbon Dioxide CO^2 . What do they emit?

20 . Question

What is carbon dioxide CO^2 ?

• A greenhouse gas.
• A midnight gas.
• A daylight gas.
• A building gas.

21 . Question

Trees give off moisture through transpiration. How does deforestation affect climate change?

• Climate becomes drier.
• It becomes windier.
• Earthquakes more likely.
• Rivers flow faster.

22 . Question

Main Ridge, Peninsular Malaysia, is home to how much all of Malaysia’s plant species?

23 . Question

Between 2000 and 2013, Malaysia’s forest loss was equivalent to an area the size of which country?

24 . Question

How much of Malaysia is covered by Tropical rainforest?

• Terms and Conditions
• Privacy Policy

Privacy Overview

Username or Email Address

Remember Me

Registration confirmation will be emailed to you.