PERAK FORESTRY DEPARTMENT AWARE OF ILLEGAL LOGGING, BUT CAN’T DO MUCH
One forestry officer has to monitor five hectares of forest, says director
THE Perak Forestry Department has been fighting an uphill battle in tackling cases of foreign syndicates being involved in illegal logging as it was short of manpower.
Its director Datuk Mohamed Zin Yusop said the state’s forested areas were huge and were easily accessible as there were no boundary fences to keep encroachers out.
He said having just one forestry officer to monitor about five hectares of forest was inadequate.
“We are equipped with only one drone for forest monitoring, while our headquarters in Kuala Lumpur uses the satellite-based Forest Monitoring Remote Sensing to monitor whether there are changes in forest areas,” he told the New Straits Times.
He said another method used to deal with the problem was road blocks mounted during the early hours by police and Road Transport Department personnel.
He said agarwood (kayu gaharu) was one of the species that was most sought-after by foreign syndicates.
He said there was a case where a Cambodian was sentenced to 12 months’ jail after he pleaded guilty to committing illegal deforestation and stealing agarwood worth RM2,260 in Hulu Perak last year.
“Syndicates usually recruit illegal immigrants to conduct these activities individually on a small scale to avoid detection by the Forestry Department’s enforcement unit.
“For instance, when they steal agarwood, they will dice it into pieces like herbs. They sell it to local buyers who will then export it to the Middle East,as agarwood is most sought-after there.”
He said agarwood of grades A+ to C were found in Malaysia.
He said the wood could be used to produce items such as essential oils, perfumes and accessories.
He said one kilogramme of agarwood could fetch up to RM50,000.
“Since agarwood is precious, more and more are looking for ways to obtain this wood and sell it at exorbitant prices.”
On Wednesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Shahidan Kassim had said that the names of those responsible for carrying out illegal logging, including in forest reserves where logging is banned, would be listed in a report that was being prepared for the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry.