Will there be anything left? World Environment Day 5 June 2006
04 Jun 2006
IT is a sobering thought for us in Malaysia as we celebrate World Environment Day 2006. The message to the world on World Environment Day tomorrow is “Don’t desert drylands”. This message may not hold much meaning to us as we are said to be a land of plenty, where nature has blessed us with rainforests and rivers, flora and fauna, birds and beasts...
But for how long are we going to enjoy our riches. Will our children and their children also be able to enjoy this bountiful land that is called Malaysia.
Or are we already on the path to make a desert of our beautiful land. ELIZABETH JOHN and SARAH SABARATNAM ask environmentalists what nature’s top five challenges are today.
WORLD Environment Day is observed each year on June 5.It was established 34 years ago by the United Nations General Assembly to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment.
That same day, the United Nations Environment Programme was created.
This year’s theme, ‘Deserts and Desertification’, focuses on drylands — lands with low rainfall and high rates of evaporation.
This harsh but beautiful landscape is found in every region and covers 43 per cent of the earth’s surface.
It’s also home to a third of the world’s population — most of them among its poorest.
Poverty, poor land management and climate change are threatening to worsen the already many serious problems they face.
Worst hit are sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, says the UNEP.
This is why the world is working to protect drylands and halt the spread of deserts which threaten to create more economic and environmental strife.
World Environment Day gives people and their leaders the chance to think about the role the environment plays in their lives and plans for the future.
Celebrations this year will be hosted by Algeria, a country closely tied with the famous Sahara desert.
Forest destructionMeena Raman
Honorary Secretary
Sahabat Alam MalaysiaForest destruction and degradationThis is a major problem in both the peninsula as well as Sabah and Sarawak.
Exactly how much is left and is protected, isn’t clear. Available data is conflicting and what actually constitutes a forest is confusing.
What is clear, however, is that very little is totally protected. The Ninth Malaysia Plan says only 3.21 million hectares of the 19.52 million hectares are totally protected — 16 per cent of the total.
Authorities haven’t been able to do much about logging or land conversion in sensitive areas. We’ve seen quarrying in the Jerai water catchment forest and logging close to the Taman Negara National Park in Pahang and in the Belum-Temenggor forest reserve.
Forest destruction and degradation promise dire consequences — loss of biodiversity and water resources, siltation, river pollution and climatic changes.
We in SAM feel there is much talk about sustainable forest management but in reality, we are rapidly losing our pristine forests.
Little will be left in years to come if we do not designate the remaining forests as totally protected.
Biodiversity loss Habitat degradation, conversion, pollution and loss are pushing our species to the brink. The former Ministry of Environment’s biodiversity assessement in 1997 revealed that at least 510 species were threatened.
A mammal is added to the threatened list every five months and one bird species every three months according to one Wildlife Department estimate based on a 10-year period.
We’re close to losing our leatherback turtles and Sumatran rhino.
Government efforts appears more to do with commercialising biodiversity rather than conserving it.
As habitats are fragmented, many remaining species in Malaysia like tigers, elephants and orangutan are coming into conflict with humans and losing the fight for precious space. Many are already considered "living dead".
Freshwater resourcesThe quality of freshwater resources has deteriorated over the years. The percentage of clean rivers fell to 40 per cent in 2002 from 53 per cent in 1990. The number of "hard core" toxic waterways has been on the rise from 12 in 2000 to 14 in 2002.
Penang has its infamous Sungai Juru and Selangor, its Kelang.
Marine and coastal ecosystemsMalaysia’s long coastlines readily expose the rapid rate of coastal erosion.
Part of this problem can be attributed to the lack of action to conserve mangrove forests such as those in Merbok, Kedah and the destruction of others, like those in Perak, for aquaculture.
Pollution, habitat loss, over fishing and bottom trawling have ravished the sea of most of its inhabitants.
Our fishery resources are in crisis as are our coastlines.
Air quality and urban living Life in the cities are indeed unbearable — from rising noise, air pollution and traffic congestion.
The recent spate of flash floods such as those that affected Taman TTDI Jaya in Shah Alam, has only worsened the quality of life.
Our own air pollution levels are exacerbated by the recurrent haze problem from burning of forests both at home and from Indonesia.
The problem of mounting wastes both from homes and industries seem unending.
Loss of Habitat/SpeciesGurmit Singh,
Executive director
Centre for Environment, Technology and Development Malaysia (Cetdem)Natural resource mismanagementIndiscriminate land clearing and development, including those on slopes; continued legal and illegal logging; undermining of watersheds and catchments; and pollution of rivers, waterways and seas, have been extensive, pervasive and persistent since the early 70s.
Much of this is due to the indifference of state and local authorities who seem to prefer revenue generation rather than environmental quality.
Air pollutionAir pollution, inclusive of greenhouse gas generation from both stationary and mobile sources, is everywhere.
Excessive ownership and usage of private motor vehicles and the poor condition of public transport throughout the country are the main culprits.
We do not care to stop open burning even when the haze blows in from our neighbour.
The per capita greenhouse gas emissions of Malaysia is rising.
Waste generationWaste generation is on the rise from households and industries, and much of it is not adequately treated and disposed of in an environmentally sound manner.
The current outcry about landfills is just a glimpse of the problem that has been festering and worsening since the 70s. Recycling has neither been successful nor will it solve the problem, especially where toxic waste is concerned.
Water quality and availabilityThIS has been on the decline. Pollution loads even at water intake points have been allowed to increase through a failure to protect catchments against clearing and location of factories, farms, very often through corruption, political patronage and bureaucratic inefficiency.
Capital-intensive dams continue to be built without serious end use of water being optimised.
Pollution at source has still to be curbed effectively.
Energy wastageWastage in all sectors has been encouraged by low prices as well as the non-implementation of a comprehensive energy policy that matches optimally energy sources to final end-uses while minimising adverse environmental effects.
The country’s energy intensity per GDP continues to worsen as we also keep moving into highly energy intensive industries like steel and aluminium.
Air pollutionWorld Wide Fund For Nature
Ineffective land use planning and implementation
These include problems such as landslides, pollution of rivers, inappropriate development in environmentally sensitive areas such as mangroves and hill slopes.
Malaysia’s land use planning approaches are hampered by the lack of consultation between planning and management bodies at national and local levels.
An integrated approach to land use would improve planning as well as management of land and its resources.
In Peninsular Malaysia, the National Physical Plan should form the basis of all land use planning strategies at every level.
Excessive consumerismHigher purchasing power and the lack of awareness of the impacts our un-green lifestyles may have lead people into buying frenzies.
We buy more, use more than we need and create far greater waste than we are able to deal with.
Private vehicles and pollutionOur unnecessary use of vehicles over short distances, failure to car-pool or use public transport contribute to air pollution and leads to global warming Inefficient public transport worsens the problem.
Little awareness is raised among the public on air pollution and global warming issues.
Water wastageWasteful use of water leads to increased demand for water. When demand exceeds supply, water shortages become a common feature.
In Malaysia, the rate of water wastage in domestic, industrial and agricultural sectors is very high.
This is unsustainable in the long run
On average, each Malaysian uses over 300 litres of water per day which far exceeds the United Nations-recommended 100 litres per person per day.
The ever growing demand for water from consumers is always met by increasing supply .
In many river basins in the country, the existing supply of water is no longer sufficient to meet the demand.
National resource mismanagement
Datuk Rosnani IbarahimDirector generalDepartment of EnvironmentWater pollutionOne of our main concerns, I would say, is water pollution. Discharge from sewage is one of the biggest problems. Two-thirds of our rivers are polluted by partially-treated or untreated sewage.
Rapid siltation is another cause. Many rivers are becoming shallower, leading to flooding.
We also have a problem with small and medium scale industries that discharge their waste without adequately treating them first.
Solid wasteThis can be divided into two categories: household waste and industrial hazardous waste.
We don’t have a good system to collect, transfer and dispose of household garbage.
Many disposal sites are just dumpsites.
They are a source of air, odour and water pollution.
Under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, there is provision for a special focus to deal with this problem.
For industrial hazardous waste, we have rules and regulations, and facilities for treatment and disposal.
But the problem lies with certain industries, especially small and medium industries that don’t want to dispose of waste properly. They prefer to hire unlicensed contractors.
However, I am happy that the public is now more aware about illegal dumping and are coming forward with information. This will help us manage the problems better.
Air pollutionThis is not a major problem but something needs to be done now to ensure it does not get out of hand.
Emissions from motor vehicles would be our biggest concern. We have prescribed allowable standards of emission and are now pushing for improvements in the quality of the fuel that we use.
Our fuel quality is lower than that of Thailand and Singapore.
Haze is another problem under this category. Seventy to 80 per cent of the haze we experience is from transboundary sources, namely Indonesia.
It is not easy for them to solve the problem as much of Indonesia, especially Sumatra and Kalimantan are not accessible, and they are without proper infrastructure and fire fighting teams.
What they can do is initiate preventive measures as once a fire breaks out it is very hard to put it out. We will continue to communicate with Indonesia to find solutions.
Climate changeBy Dr C. Loh,
Executive Director
Malaysian Nature SocietyWater problemsThis may be the problem that will have the most obvious, immediate impact on the majority of Malaysians.
Problems include lack of potable water and more flooding, erosion and runoff.
Degradation of forested catchment areas, land clearing, pollution, solid waste and improper land use near rivers and lakes contribute to the problem.
Our increased rate of consumption coupled with reduced available water will have great effect on our health, environment and industry.
A living example of the problem is Cameron Highlands. The community there faced a great water shortage even though the live in one of Malaysia's greatest water catchment zones.
Habitat and species lossThough rich in habitats and species, much of Malaysia’s natural habitats have been and continue to be lost through land conversion and urbanisation.
Remaining forests, wetlands and coral reefs have all suffered degradation and fragmentation.
The leatherback turtle is close to disappearing from Malaysia and many species of plants and animals are threatened. The loss of habitats will lead to environmental degradation as seen in coastal erosion due to loss of mangroves.
It will also cause loss of species, reduction in food resources such as drops in fish stocks and more animal-human conflicts.
The loss of species will have current and future impact on environmental health, agriculture, food production and medical prospecting.
Climate changeIN Malaysia, it is projected that there will be more rainfall but falling during shorter more severe storms will lead to more flooding and yet less available water for consumption.
Climate change can rapidly cause massive habitat loss and species extinction by interfering with pollination and fruiting cycles, by creating hostile environmental conditions, coastal flooding and salt water intrusions.
The freak storm in Subang and Petaling Jaya, for instance, that caused much infrastructure and property damage is one example.
PollutionOur already fragile environment is assaulted by chemical pollution, air pollution, water pollution and solid waste.
These pollution reduce available resources and have both short term and long term impacts on the environment and on our health.
To address this, we will have to reduce our resource utilisation by reducing, reusing and recycling products.
Leachate leaks into the Semenyih dam have polluted water supply to consumers from Semenyih to Petaling Jaya.
Large scale burning by plantations brings on the haze, often seen as the first welcome sign as one flies into KLIA.
Natural resource management WE must manage national resources so that they are not depleted or wasted and this includes our remaining water, forest and natural habitats.
This will require public participation, consultation, planning, implementation, monitoring, and enforcement, as well as capacity building and public awareness.
Belum-Temengor, which is the last remaining major block of virgin tropical rainforest in Malaysia, is under threat from logging.
It is listed as a Rank I forest under the National Physical Plan yet old growth trees are being cut down right now as you read this.
Degradation of MangrovesFaizal Parish
Director
Global Environment CentrePollution of riversPollution from domestic waste, landfills and silt from land clearing are clogging up rivers.
The levels seem to be increasing especially in rivers which are important for drinking water supply.
Continuing degradation of mangrove and peat swamp forests
Despite all the post-Tsunami fuss over the importance of mangroves and peat swamps, they continue to disappear.
Projects which involve the clearing of mangroves are still being approved, most recently in Negri Sembilan for a coal fired power plant.
Over the past year, we have found large tracts cleared in Perak and given out on temporary occupation for aquaculture projects.
Mangroves are being cleared, drained and abandoned in just a year or two. At the same time, funds are allocated for replanting mangroves in other areas.
Degradation and fires continue to eat at peat swamp forests. Selangor alone saw peat fires in six or seven areas last year.
There’s no point complaining about haze from Indonesian peat fires when we do so little to conserve our own forests.
Though the National Forest Council has said that all remaining peat swamp forests should be designated permanent forest reserves, they are still imperilled.
Many are still being cleared for agriculture.
Mismanagement of water resourcesThere is too much emphasis on supply and too little on managing demand.
There’s close to nothing said about reducing the amount of water we use or recycling it.
The focus continues to be on building dams with no alternatives on offer like tapping rain water for watering the garden or washing the car.
Other countries are 10 to 20 years ahead in offering not only alternatives but incentives for using them.
Poor planning and lack of co-ordination between agenciesOne agency protects a catchment area while another gives approvals to clear forests in the same area.
Actions of agencies are contradictory and when things go wrong each one blames the other.
No one wants to take responsibility, especially when many agencies are in charge of one resource like water.
While government policy on many matters is becoming clearer, we still need a common vision to end duplication of duties and wastage.
Lack of community empowermentThe Eighth Malaysia Plan was clear on the need for people to be involved in solving environmental problems but five years on, in the Ninth Malaysia Plan, there is no allocation to make this a reality.
There is no mechanism in place to get people on the ground involved in decision making. It’s easy for Government to spend millions on advertising campaigns but giving RM50 or RM100 to a community group to implement a recycling programme is a rarity.
Also NGOs are still treated as evil, anti-development proponents and not as partners in the environmental development process.
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