Himanshu Bhatt
Sun2Surf
GEORGE TOWN (June 25, 2008): A water resource expert has warned that Kedah would suffer if its government went ahead with logging plans around its water catchment reserves.
Water Watch Penang president Prof Dr Chan Ngai Weng said logging in the earmarked area, reportedly twice the size of Singapore, would drastically impact water supply, irrigation and power, while raising temperatures in the whole region.
"It is certainly one of the most important water catchments in northern Peninsular Malaysia, if not the most important," he said.
"The effects would not only affect Penang but also Kedah itself as Sungai Muda is shared by both states."
Chan, a professor in Universiti Sains Malaysia's geography department, said even if the Kedah government did not care about Perlis and Penang, it should consider the consequences to its own people.
"Is the Kedah government fair to its thousands of farmers?" he asked.
"Kedah also has expanding industries in Kulim and many towns and settlements that depend on the water from Sungai Muda."
Kedah Mentri Besar Azizan Abdul Razak announced on June 18 that the state had approved logging in the Pedu, Muda and Ahning dam catchment areas.
Chan explained that the Kedah forest acts like a sponge, soaking up between 30% and 70% of rain.
Any logging would not only pollute water resources, but also initially increase water quantity due to less forest to retain rain, resulting in more downstream flooding.
"Eventually, total water resources would be drastically reduced because of lack of water catchments to retain and trap the rain," he said.
Chan stressed that the forest acts as a "carbon sink" in that the trees, flora and soil store carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere.
"When these forests are gone, there will be localised warming of temperature which will add to global warming," he said.
He pointed out that the Cabinet had rejected a proposal to log the forest some years ago after studies were carried out when the previous Kedah government made such plans.
"Malaysia is always talking about its commitment to control global warming. Cutting forests is definitely not the way to go," he said.
"The Kedah government should not be short-sighted by merely looking for short-term profits which will dry up once the forest is gone."
--------------
MNS wants reserve to be made national park
NST Online » Local News
2008/08/17
ALOR STAR: The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) will propose to the Kedah government that the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve be converted into a national park.
The proposal will be submitted through Derga state assemblyman Dr Chia Soon Hai during the next state assembly sitting.
"This is an alternative to consider instead of the plan to log for timber at the water catchment area," he said at the "Save the Ulu Muda Forest" forum here yesterday.
There was no representative from the state government at the forum.
"If the forest reserve is converted into a national park, it will be protected and can be a source of income for the state government.
"The forest reserve is a repository of biodiversity and should be gazetted into a national park."
Chia said the Federal Government should support the proposal and assist the state government in turning the forest reserve into a national park.
"We cannot allow logging there. Water from the catchment is not only used in Kedah, but also in Perlis and Penang. Water is also piped to Langkawi."
The Ulu Muda forest is home to elephants and other wildlife. There were also more than 10 salt licks in the reserve.
Kedah Malaysian Nature Society chairman Phang Fatt Kow said the Ulu Muda forest would be the largest national park in the northern region.
According to the Bird Conservation Council of MNS, Ulu Muda is also an important bird area.
"There is evidence of a rare species of hornbill -- the plain-pouched hornbill," he said.
The panel of speakers at the forum included nature lovers and environmentalists from MNS, World Wide Fund Malaysia, Water Watch Penang, Muda Agricultural Development Authority and Sahabat Alam Malaysia.
---------------
Monday August 18, 2008
Plan to gazette Ulu Muda as national park
Staronline
A PROPOSAL will be tabled at the Kedah state assembly sitting on Aug 25 to gazette the Ulu Muda Forests as a national park.
Derga assemblyman Dr Cheah Soon Hai said this was the best way to conserve the precious water catchment areas in the 160,000ha of forest reserves.
“It is important for economic growth as three states (Perlis, Kedah and Penang) are dependent on the catchments areas for water supply for domestic, industrial and agricultural sectors,’’ he said.
He said this after opening a public forum on ‘Save Ulu Muda Forests’ organised by the Malaysia Nature Society Kedah branch in Alor Star recently.
The forum was organised to create public awareness on the need to protect the forest reserves following a recent announcement by Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak that the state was studying the possibility of carrying out heli-logging activities in the area to remove decaying old trees.
Nature lovers, on high alert following the announcement, revived the Friends of Ulu Muda II initiative to save the forests.
Dr Cheah, who is the sole Gerakan assemblyman in the state, said gazetting the forest would allay fears of logging and development activities in environmentally sensitive zones.
Hor Tek Lip of the Muda Agricultural Development Au-thority (Mada), who was one of the six speakers at the forum, said the proposal to gazette Ulu Muda as a National Park and Wildlife Protection Area was included in the Kedah Structural Plan 2002-2014.
“But I am not at liberty to furnish further information,’’ he said.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia research officer Shamsul Ery Samsudin Ulu Muda said gazetting the area as a national park would help protect the area against logging activities.
Water Watch Penang committee member Hong Chern Wern said the Kedah Government should not be shortsighted by compromising long-term benefits for short-term gains.
He said the proposed logging would pollute water re-sources, reduce water supply, increase downstream flooding and contribute to global warming.
WWF Malaysia protected areas conservation manager Surin Suksuwan called on the stakeholders including the Kedah and Penang Governments to develop a framework to source financial revenues to fund conservation efforts.
------------------
Monday August 18, 2008
Forests’ new attraction
By SIRA HABIBU
Staronline
THE discovery of the rare and elusive plain-pouched hornbill in the Ulu Muda forests in Kedah has made the forests even more attractive to bird watchers from around the globe.
Evidence has surfaced that the forest reserve is also a roosting site for the globally threatened species.
Malaysia Nature Society Kedah branch chairman Phang Fatt Khow said: “This is following the finding of a young four-month-old plain-pouched hornbill in Kampung Belantek about two weeks ago.
“A villager found the young bird that was probably displaced because of logging activities in the area.
“The bird is now under the care of the Wildlife Depart- ment,’’ he said at the sidelines of the Save Ulu Muda Forests public forum at Alor Star recently.
Rare bird:The plain-pouched hornbill found at Kampung Belantek.
MNS head of communications Andrew Sebastian said a DNA test was being carried out to positively identify the species that is scientifically known as Aceros subruficolis.
He said the latest findings have made Ulu Muda forests even more prominent on the global map of Important Bird Areas (IBA).
The species has also been spotted in South Myanmar, west and southwest Thailand and in the Belum-Temenggor forests.
“The status of the bird is uncertain in Myanmar where sightings of flocks have not been reported lately.
“The main threat to the species is deforestation activities in lowlands,’’ he said.
Andrew said birdwatching activities could rake in millions of tourism dollars, as avid bird watchers were willing to travel far and wide across to have a glimpse of rare colourful birds.
Other globally threatened birds that can be found in Ulu Muda are the masked finfoot and blue-banded kingfisher.
“Therefore Ulu Muda should be gazetted as a totally protected area.
“Logging activities and plans to log in the future should cease.
“We should protect what we have today before we lose them forever,’’ he said.
