What are the 7 causes of deforestation in Malaysia
Substinence farming, commercial farming, logging, road building, mineral extraction, energy developement, population
What is substinence farming and how does it impact deforestation
Small scale agriculture for farmers to farm food for themselves sustainably. Uses “slash and burn” which provides nutrients but can grow into large fires
What is commercial farming and how does it impact deforestation
Large scale farming, eg palm oil in Malaysia (2nd largest exporter). Increasing amounts of land are being converted into plantations as land owners get 10 years of tax incentives
What is logging and how does it impact deforestation
Cutting down trees to make profit, eg Malaysia was the largest exporter of tropical hardwood in the 1980s. Now mostly replaced by selective logging so only fully grown trees are felled
How does Road building effect deforestation
Roads are built through the forests in order to access places like mines causing logging
Impact indigenous communities creating tension
How does mineral extraction effect deforestation
Large areas need to be cleared for mineral extraction, eg mining for bauxite in peninsular Malaysia
The environment is unlikely to recover from this damage leaving these areas bare for hundreds of years
How does energy developement effect deforestation
The bakun dams reservoir in Malaysia flooded 700km2 of rainforest and farmland
Hydroelectric power is growing rapidly
What percent of primary forest reduced between 2001 and 2023
18%
How does population increase effect deforestation
Transmigration schemes in Malaysia led to 15000 hectares of deforestation in order to make space for the settlers
Impacts on climate
Lead to global warming and climate change due to less trees converting CO2 into O2
Impact on soil erosion
No trees to bind the soil, so eroded by the rain, also releasing the CO2 stored in the soil
Positive Impacts on the economy
More jobs, goods and services, boosting economy
More trade opportunities and enticing for companies
Better trasnport links for tourism
