FOR the longest time, I wasn't a person who had a lot of time for nature. I wished it well in all its dealings and was glad to take its side in any quarrel with the forces against it. But my regard for it was essentially abstract and I would have just as soon left it to its own devices.
Like any urbanite, nature was something I encountered as scenery; an experience to be consumed before getting back to my city comforts. But when I joined as staff of a nature organisation and following the endlessly unfurling horrors of the coming years — beginning with the severe drought in 1998 that affected 1.8 million residents in southern Kuala Lumpur city, Bangi and Kajang as well as Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak — I became increasingly preoccupied with how this darkening reality seemed to foreshadow a near future defined by a permanent state of climate emergency.
It was then I discovered how nature was connected to us in many ways that defied any easy definition. I started thinking all the time about climate change, about the future my young nieces and nephew would be forced to live in, about what we'd done and were continuing to do to our natural resources.
Droughts, landslides, floods are no longer isolated incidents we can shrug off when they have started hitting so close to home. As our forest depletes at an alarming rate, the repercussions of losing forest cover and becoming vulnerable to climate change are inevitable.
Water supply that used to be found in abundance in Malaysia, with more than 900 million cubic litres of rainfall and lush water-catchment areas, is now no longer a resource we can take for granted. Erratic hot spells and rainfall, for instance, have caused water shortages at water catchment areas and dams.
History has already shown and proven to us that the drying up of our dams, rivers and water catchment areas have led to unmitigated disasters to residents and businesses. Given such realities, I'm puzzled that water rarely enters the debate as federal, local governments and agencies argue about the clearing of forests and logging concessions. For water is perhaps the most important forest product.
Enter the Ulu Muda forest debate. The last great patch of rainforest in the state of Kedah has been at the centre of much controversy, as the Kedah State government contemplates offering replacement forests within the Greater Ulu Muda forest complex to loggers in lieu of the loss of harvest caused by gazetting a part of the area as a water catchment area.
"The repercussions can be damaging," insists Prof Dr Chan Ngai Weng, president of Water Watch Penang.
"All rivers are connected in some ways to the main Sungai Muda. As such, there are just a few areas that are 'outside' the water catchment area."
He continues to explain that most areas have been logged over already and doubts that they can find unlogged areas outside of the water catchment area.
"Even if they do, I still think that logging near or next to a major water catchment is too risky as the side effects are too serious."
WATER RESOURCE
Covering a total land area of more than 163, 000 hectares (ha), the Greater Ulu Muda forest complex comprising Ulu Muda, Pedu, Chebar Besar, Chebar Kecil and Padang Terap forest reserves is one of the largest natural heritage areas in the northern region. This forest complex is twice the size of Singapore or 1.5 times the size of the state of Penang.
Three dams — Pedu, Muda and Ahning — are situated within the forest complex, forming large freshwater lakes. Sungai Muda which drains into the Muda dam, supplies water to the Muda rice-fields irrigation project, covering about 100,000 ha of fertile coastal plains within the Kedah and Perlis states — more than 50 kilometres downstream. Sungai Muda flows through to mainland Penang, namely Seberang Perai.
Ulu Muda is regarded as one of the most important water catchment areas in the country as it supplies water to three states as well as the critical rice-growing areas in Malaysia. Rainwater collected in the natural environment of the Greater Ulu Muda forest complex fills the three major dams.
Raw water that originates from the forest complex is treated daily to meet 70 per cent of Perlis' daily water needs, 96 per cent of Kedah's (and Langkawi's) daily water needs and more than 80 per cent of Penang's daily water needs. In short, water sourced from the Muda river meets the water supply needs of millions of Malaysians in three states.
Since water is an essential element for all sectors, ranging from agriculture to businesses, the economies of Perlis, Kedah and Penang are very much dependent on this last remaining forest complex in Kedah.
The problem, says Surin Suksuwan, conservationist and member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, is when people have differing views of how large an area should be protected as a water catchment area.
If you understand hydrology, he explains, the entire forest complex should be designated as a water catchment area. "Even if you log further upstream, the sedimentation and siltation will still affect the water quality as all rivers and streams within the forest complex are connected and ultimately lead to the reservoir."
PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS
While reports suggest that the state government is considering allocating certain areas outside the water catchment area for concessions, the question remains: What exactly is the state government's definition of water catchment areas?
"The key issue is how much of the Greater Ulu Muda forest is a protected area," says Surin. Some parts of the forest have been gazetted as protection forest reserves under various categories, including water catchment forest and state parks, but it's not clear if these areas overlap.
"Only detailed mapping using the geographical information system (GIS) will determine where and how much of the Greater Ulu Muda forest complex is already protected," he adds.
With unclear demarcation of protected areas, the danger is that indiscriminate logging can hurt the efficacy of water catchments and jeopardise the economies of areas served by Ulu Muda.
The 2015 landslides at Karak Highway near Lentang-Bukit Tinggi — a result of logging at the water catchment area — is one of many examples.
Logging upstream in the recent past have left its mark at Ulu Muda. Sedimentation and murky waters have marked the forest landscape considerably.
"I've been to Sungai Labua, a tributary leading to the start of Sungai Muda, where areas around it have shown signs of logging," says Irshad Mobarak, noted naturalist and conservationist.
"I've found that the quality of the water has deteriorated and there's increased sedimentation as compared to when I last visited the area more than 15 years ago."
That sedimentation, points out Irshad, will build up in Sungai Muda and already there are consequences seen at the dam area.
"There's a lot of sedimentation downstream leading right up to the dam," recalls Irshad.
"You can't just protect a small part of the water catchment area. You've got to think about larger areas which are core ecological zones."
National-forest planning regulations should now specify that the remaining old-growth forests shouldn't be harvested, since this patch of rainforest provides essential water services in the country.
Rather than wasting energy on the rancorous, tired debates about logging concessions, the focus should be on how to let our forests do their job of producing high-quality water. Given our water supply problems, this should be the highest priority of forest management.
The state government, agree both Chan and Irshad, should explore alternative sources of revenue apart from logging. The wealth of biodiversity of the Ulu Muda forests points to its great potential in being developed as a nature tourism site.
The presence of saltlicks in the area makes it an ideal place for wildlife watching while the pristine rivers and large lakes have great aesthetic value and are suitable for water-based activities.
This tourism potential was acknowledged by the state government in its Kedah Maju Action Plan 2010, which identified the Ulu Muda area as the main tourism attraction for mainland Kedah.
Incentives should be created for state governments to conserve areas of high biodiversity value. For example, studies could be conducted to explore mechanisms by which the Federal government can compensate state governments on a yearly basis for loss of logging revenue from areas set aside for protection.
"Affected states should also consider compensating the Kedah state government for the water supply they're receiving. This would help ensure long-term protection of water supply and possibly avoid the need to resort to more expensive alternatives," adds Chan.
Water is one of those great paradoxes: an essential resource at the heart of all economic, social and environmental development, lacking the global attention it requires.
It's still overused, with inadequate understanding that its sustainability is fragile, and may not return in certain regions. Efforts to protect and regard Ulu Muda as a precious natural heritage are ours collectively as Malaysians.
ABOUT ULU MUDA
APART from its critical role as a water catchment, the Greater Ulu Muda forest complex has long been recognised for its importance for biodiversity conservation. It was first proposed as a wildlife reserve by an ecologist, W.E. Stevens in a 1968 Colombo Plan study and subsequently proposed as a national park in the 3rd Malaysian Plan (1976-1980).
The National Physical Plan (NPP) designated it as an Environmentally Sensitive Area Rank 1, which means that protection of its ecological integrity is of highest priority. The NPP also identifies Ulu Muda as part of the Central Forest Spine, a continuous network of forests in Peninsular Malaysia and recommends the forest to be protected as a state park. The area's high ecotourism potential was also acknowledged as early as in 1995 via the National Ecotourism Plan.
The forest complex is home to many rare and endemic species, sheltering thousands of species, including large mammals such as the Asian elephants, tigers, clouded leopards, serows, Malayan tapirs, Malayan sun bears and 10 species of hornbills. This is attributed to the abundance of saltlicks in the area. Ulu Muda is known to support 17 species of large mammals.
Due to its size and nature, the Ulu Muda serves as a huge carbon sink that traps carbon dioxide and produces oxygen daily. In this context, Ulu Muda helps mitigate the effects of climate change and global warming.
WHAT IS A WATER CATCHMENT?
Imagine cupping your hands during a downpour and collecting water in them. Your hands have become a catchment! In that same light, a catchment is an area where water is collected by the natural landscape.
The outer edge of a catchment is always the highest point. Gravity causes rain and run-off in the catchment to run downhill where they naturally collect in creeks, rivers, lakes or oceans.
Rain falling outside the edge of one catchment will fall on a different catchment, and flow into other creeks and rivers. Some water also seeps below ground where it's stored in the soil or in the space between rocks. This is called groundwater.
We use the water collected by the natural landscape to help supply water for our needs, by building dams or tapping into groundwater.
HOW DO WATER CATCHMENT FORM?
The complex array of trees, shrubs, ground covers and roots slow runoff from rain, and water is purified as it percolates through the soil and into aquifers. By slowing runoff, forests also reduce floods and erosion, minimising the sediment entering streams and rivers.
Mature forests do this work best. They have the best soil, and their mixed canopy — a mosaic of open and closed spots among the treetops — allows for rainfall accumulation and eventual runoff. Old trees also use less water for growth than young trees. As intact forests better regulate water chemistry and temperatures, they enhance habitats for aquatic species.
WHY ARE WATER CATCHMENT AREAS IMPORTANT?
The concept of a catchment is useful because it is the scale on which many parts of the landscape work. The soil, plants, animals and water all function together in a catchment — anything that affects one of these will also have an impact on the others.
The health of our catchments is vital for human existence because they are where all food is grown. The water you drink comes from a catchment near you. The oxygen you breathe comes ultimately from a growing green plant or algae. So catchments form part of our life support systems, and support the lives of all plants and animals.