ILLEGAL LOGGING is fundamentally an environmental crime which, when perpetrated, must involve a large measure of corruption, for it’s not hidden in the shadows, but conducted in broad daylight and plain to see. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has brought the enormity of the problem to the surface. Thus far, the estimate of leakages bleeding the economy at RM100 million annually merely scratches the surface. From MACC’s crackdown in Sarawak alone, the suggested losses nationally could run into billions of ringgit every year. This, in turn, demonstrates the severity of the problem. So lucrative is the business of destroying the environment illegally that the current penalties are deemed useless. MACC argues that even when slapped with a fine of RM1 million, the crime persists because of the large margins of profit. It urges, therefore, heavier punishments, where real damage to the pocket is done, like disqualifying those involved and their companies from future lumber harvesting contracts.
If only illegal logging is just about the money. Unfortunately, the damage to the environment is the larger concern. The harm to catchment areas is already a fact in many parts of the country. In Cameron Highlands, meanwhile, where unlicensed land clearing for agriculture is rampant, the depreciation of forest cover has caused warming in this the country’s premier highland resort. Dangerous landslides during heavy rain are now commonplace. Elsewhere in the country, between the two activities of licensed and illegal logging, sedimentation has caused harm to major waterways, causing flooding where land is most fertile. Examples abroad speak of endless problems that threaten the livelihood and lives of downstream communities. The island of Madagascar is a deforestation catastrophe. There, agricultural land has been made infertile because of the erosion of the mineral-rich highlands. In short, illegal logging is a crime against humanity because it changes the natural ecosystem. And so, too, is the forest mismanagement by state governments that have witnessed bald hilltops everywhere. Take Kelantan, for example, where concerns of rapid deforestation have long been raised.
The Federal Government has announced stepping up policing to eliminate illegal logging; properly mapping out forests, as promised, thus, making illegal incursions clearly visible, is a welcome effort. Asking local residents to be the eyes and ears of the authorities is a little strange given the isolated locations. More feasible would be the enabling of forest rangers to better perform their duties. Surely in the modern era, where satellites are capable of capturing topography to the minutest detail, policing methods can be upgraded. Investment in modern techniques of surveillance must be regarded as necessary in order that the future may be secured. There is a need, too, for Malaysia to toughen environmental laws, generally, and formulate transformation plans that will promote green economic growth in line with the efforts of the United Nations Environment Assembly.