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Deforestation in Malaysia - Coggle Diagram
Deforestation in Malaysia
60% of Malaysia is rainforest
Orangutans losing habitats (1990-2004, twice size of Wales lost)
Rate of deforestation increasing faster than any other country, 2000-2013, Malaysia's forest loss was an area larger than Denmark
Threats to rainforests
Logging
Largest exporter of tropical wood in 1980s.
Clear felling (all trees in an area being chopped down, was common), total destruction of habitats
(Recently selective logging is being used more).
Mineral extraction
Mainly tin and smelting, common in Malaysia, forest cleared for mining, road construction, drilling for oil and gas had recently started on Borneo
Population pressure
In the past - poor urban people encouraged to move from the rapidly growing cities into the countryside (transmigration.
Between 1956 - 1980s, around 15,000 hectares of forest felled for this, many set up plantations.
Commerical farming
Largest exporter of palm oil. Large areas cleared for palm oil plantations in 1970s. Plantation owners receive tax incentives, so increasing amounts of land have been converted into plantations.
Subsistence farming
Tribal people in the rainforest practice subsistence farming, local people hunted and gathered food, and cleared small pockets of forest, this is sustainable.
One land clearing method is 'slash and burn' - fire to clear land, creates nutrients for plants to grow, but can get out of control and destroy large areas of forest.
Energy development
Bakun Dam
Energy for Malaysia
Reservoir flooded over 700mk^2.
More dams planned to boost electricity
Asia's highest dam outside of China (205m high)
2011 - started generating electricity
Impacts of deforestation
Soil erosion
Roots bind soil, deforestation makes it become loose and erode away
Loss of biodiversity
Main Range, Malaysia
Largest area of continuous forest left in Malaysia
Rich biodiversity, over 600 species
25% of all Malaysias plant species
Many undiscovered plants - medicinal qualities, disease cures
Climate change
Trees give off moisture by transpiration - deforestation reduces air mosture, drier climate
Evaporation uses heat and cools the air, if trees are removed this ceases and temperatures tise.
Economic Development
Loses
Pollution of water, increasingly dry climate - may result in water schortages
Fires - harmful pollution, can burn out of control, destroying forests
Rising temps - could devastate some farming e.g. tea, fruit and flowers.
Plants with medical benefits may become extinct
Climate change - economic costs because people have to adapt to a warmer world
Decrease in tourists
Gains
Mining , farming and energy - jobs, directly (contruction, farming) and indirectrly (supply and support industries)
Companies pay taxes to the government - imrpove public services e.g. education
Improved infrastructure - opens up new areas for development and tourism.
Producs such as palm oul provide raw materials for processing industries
Hydro-electric power - cheap and plentiful energy
Valuable minerals