Malaysia should preserve our 130 million year old rainforest by stopping the wanton destruction of 544,011 hectares of our permanent forest reserves over the last 10 years(2006-2015) in Peninsular Malaysia. As we celebrate World Environment Day on 5th June, the destruction of rainforests has been one of the main contributory causes of climate change leading to global warming. Further, cutting down permanent forest reserves, removes a green lung to clean the air from carbon dioxide and gives a fresh oxygen in return.
There is an urgent need to stop cutting down permanent forest reserves that had already been gazetted for protection, but then was degazetted to allow timber loggers or crony developers to earn huge profits at the expense of the environment. In Peninsular Malaysia(see graph) Pahang was the biggest culprit cutting down 161,379 hectares over a 10 year period, followed by Kelantan 157,919 hectares and Perak 74,032 hectares.
The only state that did not touch a single square inch of permanent forest reserves is Penang. Even the smallest state in Malaysia, Perlis, had cut down 167 hectares of permanent forest reserves. Malaysia can still save our 130 million year old rainforest by increasing and not reducing permanent forest reserves. It is still not too late to do so if there is concerted effort and commitment by all parties, including compensatory payments by the Federal government to dissuade state governments from irresponsibly cutting down their permanent forest reserves.
Then only can we celebrate World Environment Day meaningfully to allow not only the Earth to breathe but all humanity to enjoy clean air. Having clean air and clean water is a natural and God-given right that is a basic duty of all Federal and state governments to provide as a basic human right to its citizens.