All the sophistication deployed by the Terengganu Forestry Department has failed to effectively check illegal logging in the state, including the use of drones and the central-based satellite Forest Monitoring Remote Sensing (FMRS).
While the drones and the FMRS can accurately detect activities from the air, the real deal is on the ground where a 10-men elite enforcement unit tracks down illegal logging activities and spends days to mount ambushes at confirmed sites. Since early this year, the unit has achieved mixed success. In most cases, however, the unit succeeded in seizing heavy equipment and lorries, but often failed to arrest the kingpins behind the illegal activity, thus leading to no end to the problem.
After the unit leaves the area with the seized equipment, the felling of trees will resume after a couple of days. And, the sound of chainsaws will again alert informants who are mostly local residents such as orchard owners whose durian trees have also been felled.
The enforcement unit is an independent force, whose members are armed with rifles, general positioning system (GPS), walkie-talkies and scrambler motorcycles to recce sites and cut off escape routes. They are often assisted by the district forestry officers to follow up on cases.
The story is the same in every district in the state. No measure of sophistication or frequency of operations seem to be able to stop illegal logging activities, and if unchecked, it will continue to drain an important source of revenue for the state.
The department is also bogged down by shortage of manpower. But, this issue has been somewhat addressed with the use of the FMRS system which allows men from the enforcement unit to detect illegal logging using satellite before moving into action.
The FMRS saves time and costs for the Forestry Department by nearly 50 per cent, but its effectiveness also depends on the accuracy of information transmitted. What appears to be an illegal logging site may turn out to be an abandoned site.
Following discussions with forestry officials, the enforcement unit has come up with a suggestion that the best and probably the most effective way to curb illegal logging is to ban the sale of chainsaws to the public and to issue chainsaw licences or permits to only concessionaires and relevant agencies.
Without chainsaws, it would be very difficult for illegal loggers to fell trees in forest reserves.
It was suggested that the modus operandi for the issuance of such permits should be similar to the police in the issuance of permits for guns, but for this matter, the permit is controlled by the Forestry Department.
The argument is that chainsaws kill trees, just like guns can kill people. And the worst part of illegal logging is that it destroys the environment, affects water supply and causes flooding that can displace an entire village.
In addition to banning the use of chainsaws, a set of laws should be enacted to include other details, including hefty fines and jail sentences to make it an offence to own a chainsaw without permit.
“We have to go back to the basics. In the past trees were felled using axes and saws and it may take a few days to cut down a tree. However, an experienced chainsaw operator can fell at least 10 trees a day. Just imagine the rate of destruction if a chainsaw is used by an illegal logger.
“The jail sentence should be made mandatory and fines should be hefty to make illegal logging a risky venture for those operating without a valid permit for chainsaw,” says a source from the Forestry Department.
And, the fact that the enforcement unit has seized several chainsaws hidden by illegal loggers during raids in Besut, Setiu, Dungun and Kemaman show how important the tool is to ensure the continuity of their illegal activities.
With such laws, the enforcement unit will be vested with powers to arrest any member of the public keeping chainsaws at home. This will also allow foresters to check logging “kongsi” on the number of chainsaws used within a concession.
Such laws are worth a consideration by the government if it is serious about curbing illegal logging.
The repercussions of illegal logging affect more than just the environment and the state’s coffers, but on a global scale as such activities may trigger a backlash from nations which import tropical timber from Malaysia. The country’s image as an exporter of timber products from a sustainable source may be seriously affected.
Rosli Zakaria is NST's Specialist Writer based in Terengganu. He is an environmentalist and enjoys capturing the beauty of flora and fauna in its fragile environment. He draws his inspiration from cross country drives on and off-road adventures