The climate is changing and the earth is warming up. There
is now overwhelming consensus that it is happening, and human-induced. With global warming on the increase and species and their habitats on the decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing.
Deforestation is also a driver for climate change. Global
warming is a foreseeable reality when the rainforest and other forests are
destroyed. Forest soils are moist, but without protection from sun-blocking tree
cover they quickly dry out.Trees also help perpetuate the water cycle by returning water vapor back into the atmosphere. Without trees to fill these roles, many former forest lands can quickly become barren deserts. The decrease, chances for ecosystems to adapt naturally are diminishing.
This is already taking place in Malaysia. The floods in Kelantan.
Terengganu. Kedah Johor and Perlis for example, are supposed to take place once
in 100 years. The global warming creates a very severe problem for Malaysians
and the people around the worldThe US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has detected a surge in deforestation in Malaysia over the first quarter of 2014.
The agency's satellite-based Quarterly Indicator of Cover
Change (QUICC) recorded an alarming increase of 150% in the number of
deforestation signals in Malaysia relative to a five-year baseline. The
increase is second only to that occuring in Bolivia (162%) and is significantly
higher than that of Panama (123%), Ecuador (115%), Cambodia (89%) and Nigeria
(63%).
This reflects, Malaysia had the world's highest rate of
forest loss between 2000 and 2012, according to a new global forest map
developed in partnership with Google.Malaysia's forest loss was partly offset by a 25,978 sq km gain in vegetation cover resulting from natural recovery, reforestation, and establishment of industrial timber and oil palm plantations. During the period, Malaysia's oil palm estate grew by roughly 50 percent or 17,000 sq km.
But tree plantations don't stack up well to natural forests
into terms of biodiversity, carbon storage, or maintenance of ecosystem
services, indicating that Malaysia suffered very extensive decline of its
natural capital base.Most of Malaysia's forest loss occurred in its densest forests, those with tree cover exceeding 50 percent, which generally store the most carbon and are richest with wildlife, including endangered orangutans, pygmy
elephants, Sumatran rhinos, and clouded leopards.Dan Zarin, program director of the Climate and Land Use Alliance, an association of philanthropic foundations, says trading natural forests for planted forests represents a net loss for the planet.
Malaysia's rate of forest loss during the period was nearly 50 percent higher than the next runner up, Paraguay (9.6 percent).
Its area of forest loss ranked ninth after Russia, Brazil, the United States, Canada, Indonesia, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Australia. Malaysia's net forest loss — 21,480 sq km — ranked 12th globally.
Source: Agency
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