Albert Miri The Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak are hot spots for logging. While it is relatively straightforward to assess logging rates via satellite imagery, it is considerably more difficult to identify areas of forest degradation – for instance, areas where logging is underway but has not yet transitioned to palm oil production. A 2009 study estimated that 22 percent of the region was covered in forest. Now, using a combination of methods to factor in forest degradation, researchers have now found that conditions in Malaysia are considerably worse than previously reported. The researchers combined satellite imagery analysis with a manual inventory of roads through the forest (an indicator of forest health). They defined “degraded” as trees growing within 350 meters of a road. That analysis showed that the percentage of intact forest in Sabah and Sarawak is less than 10 percent. Strikingly, however, the analysis also revealed that neighboring Brunei, which has limited logging, has retained more than half its forest cover. The key to its success, though, may be hard to replicate. Brunei is rich in oil and gas. Reference: Extreme Differences in Forest Degradation in Borneo: Comparing Practices in Sarawak, Sabah, and Brunei. 2013. bit.ly/15IhBO1 Photo Credit: Codrington, Stephen. Planet Geography 3rd Edition. 2005. Wikimedia Commons.
Posted on: Sat, 20 Jul 2013 16:24:58 +0000
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