More than 40,000ha of mangrove forests lost in Malaysia since 2017, says ministry
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Malaysia's mangrove forests currently span 586,548ha, accounting for 3.26 per cent of the country's total forested area.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: UNSPLASH
KUALA LUMPUR – More than 40,000ha of Malaysia’s mangrove forests, one of the country’s key ecosystems, has been lost since 2017, says the Malaysian Natural Resources and Environment Sustainability Ministry.
The ministry said the country’s mangrove forests currently span 586,548ha, accounting for 3.26 per cent of Malaysia’s total forested area, a notable decline from its 629,038ha coverage recorded in 2017.
It said this notable reduction of about 42,500ha over eight years was caused by a combination of natural and human-induced factors.
In a parliamentary written reply dated Jan 26, the ministry said: “Natural factors include coastal erosion, while human-induced factors include land-use conversion for coastal infrastructure development, aquaculture activities and agriculture.
“However, the percentage of destruction by sector varies by state and requires detailed land-use data from the respective state authorities.”
To counter this, the ministry revealed that it has implemented a national mangrove and coastal tree planting programme as part of its reforestation efforts of the mangrove ecosystem.
It said: “To date, more than 3,800ha of coastal areas have been successfully restored with the planting of over nine million trees.
“The ministry, through the Forestry Department, has also implemented and enforced strict controls on mangrove areas gazetted as permanent reserved forests to prohibit any development.”
It added: “The only development allowed would be for urgent public interest purposes and after an environmental impact assessment is conducted.”
The ministry was responding to a question from Merbok MP Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan about the main causes of mangrove forest destruction nationwide. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
