FWD: Residents:Forests on three islands being overlogged

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This article is from The Star Online

URL:

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/3/22/nation/20050322073756 & sec=n\

ation

 

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Tuesday March 22, 2005

Residents:Forests on three islands being overlogged

 

 

BY DEVID RAJAH AND FLORENCE A. SAMY

 

PORT KLANG: The mangrove forests in Pulau

Ketam, Pulau Tengah and Pulau Klang – all located off here – are fast depleting

due to over-logging.

 

Villagers, who used to fell the trees for firewood,claimed that about 80% of

mature mangrove trees had been felled in the cluster of islands.

 

A check by The Star found some 30 cleared

patches in Pulau Tengah in a short span of a 20-minute boat ride along the river

at the island.

 

There was also a never-ending trail of stumps

of felled mangrove trees, some measuring only

7.6cm in diameter. Loggers are only allowed to cut down mangrove trees with

diameters of

15cm and above.

 

 

 

At one of the cleared spots, illegal loggers had neatly piled up about 30

mangrove logs, each measuring about 8cm in diameter.

 

During a 45-minute boat ride along Pulau

Ketam, some 50 cleared patches were discovered.

 

The Star also found a resting area built inside the mangrove swamp.

 

Villagers from Pulau Ketam claimed even the

young trees were not spared by illegal loggers.

 

They said this was evident from the absence of mature trees away from the

shoreline and the significant drop in the catch of mud crabs, prawns and fish.

 

“We believe there is illegal logging on all

three islands and this is making matters worse.

 

 

 

We suspect foreign illegal workers have been

cutting down the remaining trees to make some

extra money.

 

“They cart away the logs in barges under the

cover of darkness, especially during high tide,” claimed Ah Ming, 45, a

fisherman from

Pulau Ketam.

 

He added that the uncontrolled felling of trees was affecting the fishermen's

livelihood.

 

“In the past five years, I could hardly find ikan sembilang (striped sea

catfish) and yellow grouper.

 

“Ten years ago, I could catch up to 20kg of mud crabs and prawns in a day along

the mangrove swamp but today I consider myself lucky if I get 5kg of crabs,” he

added.

 

Others said only young mangrove trees were left in the forest and this had

apparently created an imbalance in the ecosystem.

 

“The feeding and breeding grounds of many species of marine life are affected by

this

economic activity,” said T.T. Heng, 49, a resident here.

 

He said even the young trees measuring seven to 10cm in diameter were being

felled.

 

“Boats carrying the loggers will drop them off in the mangrove forest areas

during

the day and sometimes they will spend a week cutting down the trees before

moving to other areas,” said another fisherman, who declined to be named.

 

Pulau Ketam village head Chia Mong Chun, 49, urged the state Forestry Department

to stop issuing logging permits to prevent further depletion of the mangrove

forests.

 

“Many will not notice the missing trees from the shoreline as the loggers do not

log

trees close to the shore. But if you go just one to two metres inland, you will

see that the mature trees are all gone.

 

“If you look deeper into the forest, you can only see young trees,” he said,

adding that

the mangrove forest in Pulau Ketam and the neighbouring islands were supposed to

be

protected under the wetlands conservation programme.

 

Chia said the forest was still lush and the rivers and waters were teeming with

fish, crabs and prawns 10 years ago.

 

“Today restaurant owners here are importing fish and crabs,” said Chia, who

hoped the authorities would heed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad

Badawi’s call to protect mangrove swamps along coastal areas.

 

 

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