A look at Malaysia's culpability

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Earth Matters

A look at Malaysia's culpability

 

11/19/2002

The New Straits Times

The City Advertiser; 2*

08

(Copyright 2002)

 

ACCORDING to statistics by the World Conservation Union's Red

List of Threatened Species, which is the world's most authoritative

source of information on the status of plants and animals, Malaysia

has the highest number of threatened species in Southeast Asia.

 

Based on the list, 50 mammals, 37 birds, 21 reptiles, 20 fishes,

and 681 plants are threatened. (see http://www.redlist.org/info/

tables/table5.htm, for list)

Of the animals, 17 species are critically endangered; 36,

endangered; and 78, vulnerable.

 

Animals critically endangered in Malaysia include the horseshoe

bat species, the Malayan round leaf bat, and the Sumatran

rhinoceros.

 

The Asian elephant, banteng, false serotine bat (endemic to

Malaysia), otter civet, proboscis monkey, orang utan, tiger and

certain rat species are endangered.

 

(A species is considered critically endangered when it is facing

an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the immediate

future. A reduction of at least 80 per cent is projected in the next

10 years or over three generations. A species is endangered if it is

suspect that a reduction of at least 50 per cent will occur over the

next 10 years or three generations).

 

Over-hunting and poaching pose a threat to big mammals. Tigers

and leopards suffer when their diet of wild pigs and deer are over-

hunted.

 

Deforestation cause elephants and tigers to venture into nearby

villagers and when this happens, these animals are trapped and

removed from their place in the wild.

 

Poaching is a major threat too. Recently 10,000 pangolins were

seized in the south of Thailand. Some of them were thought to come

from Malaysia. Pangolins are totally protected under our Wildlife

Act.

 

Khairiah Md Shariff, Department of Wildlife and National Parks'

director of enforcement and director of CITES, was unavailable for

comment.

 

Live freshwater turtles are known to leave the country either

legally or illegally. How the customs let these pass by them is

another long story.

 

Tourists to the highlands ignorantly pinch pitcher plants and

rare orchids - observes the Cameron Highlands Forestry office -

which end up dying in the attempt to re-plant them in the lowlands.

 

Transforming coastal mangrove areas for aqua-culture purposes are

also forcing many tiny but vital creatures into non-existence.

 

Those who feed on exotic meat, shark fins soup, eggs from

endangered turtles, and animal parts for traditional medicine do so

out of ignorance or apathy.

 

Either way, Malaysians are just as guilty for driving wild flora

and fauna into extinction.

 

 

 

Folder Name: Asia Conservation Tiger

Relevance Score on Scale of 100: 83

 

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