Activities Report 1999 Nov Newsletter
Of Forest Segmentation, The Third East-West Link,
And Conservation
As a development tool, the third East-West
Link from Simpang Pulai, Perak to Kuala Berang, Terengganu, may be beneficial
in terms of stimulating progress and raising the socio-economic status
of the less developed interior areas, providing better and faster distribution
of goods, decreased travelling time, and better security for the country.
However, apart from the obvious benefits, there
are costs of development that are no less tangible, but difficult, to quantify,
and which in the long term have adverse effects on the nation's rich biological
diversity. The East-West Link is no exception. For example,
in the construction of highways, large forested blocks in their path are
dissected into smaller segments that are separated from each other, and
this will have profound effects on the forest and their inhabitants.
Generally, there will be three effects. Firstly,
as the forests become segmented into smaller pieces, the carrying capacity
of each becomes reduced, and larger wildlife that has wider ranging areas
tends to be flushed out into the surrounding villages and plantations,
disturbing farms and endangering human lives. (This process is happening
rapidly: in recent years, we have increased incidences of contact between
man and tigers, panthers, elephants, and pythons.)
The second effect is less obvious, but nevertheless,
no less important. The highway acts as an effective physical and psychological
barrier against migration or mixing of populations that remain in forests
along both sides. Dispersal and migration is impaired, and intermixing
is prevented, resulting in a reduced gene pool which will later lead to
inbreeding, a decline in viability, and possible species extirpation.
The third effect is more insidious. Smaller forest
fragments are susceptible to what is called the 'edge effect'. Forest
edges are usually warmer than the deep forest, and the plant composition
reflects this: edge communities compose of more light demanding (shade-intolerant)
pioneer and secondary forest species, while the cooler, deeper forest core
comprises shade tolerant, primary forest species. The size of the
forest determines the microclimate (humidity and temperature), and hence
the proportion of periphery and core species. As such, due to insolation
and warm wind
effects, a small forest (even at the core) will be warmer, and this
will be reflected in the different wildlife communities compared to the
original, natural forests. In this respect, forests permanently segmented
into smaller patches are expected to have less biological diversity, and
in the long-term, will not recover.
Malaysia is fast developing; and our land-use patterns
are changing rapidly. Where there used to be mighty dipterocarp forests,
there are now endless rows of rubber, oil palm, and housing estates, and
our once great rainforests are now mostly reduced to isolated patches surrounded
by plantations and other land use.
The Malaysian Nature Society recognizes the need
for developing the country. However, it needs to be better planned,
and lessons drawn from mistakes and experiences of the more developed nations.
For example, to minimize the costs of development to the environment and
our biological diversity, in planning, there should be considerations for
the routes of migratory animals, buffer zones of EXISTING national parks,
and sensitive areas like steep hills and high-risk erosion areas.
There should be provisions for forested animal corridors.
For road or highway construction that demarcates a forested area, perhaps
passages under the road can be constructed to allow for animal migrations.
In developed nations, this is a standard feature. Also, roads provide
greater accessibility, and as such, the increased threat of illegal logging,
poaching, and encroachment of protected areas should be taken into account.
It may be difficult, but the relevant departments
should be vigilant and act speedily against such infringements.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR, Kuala Lumpur, 13 September, 1999.
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Created on 11th Nov 1999