Best Joke from Penang Forestry Department

The gaharu tree that was chopped in Botanic Gardens. Pix taken on 14 Feb 2012

If you want to catch gaharu thieves then announce it to the world.
I think this is more for publicity than to truly solve the problem.
The teams may as well cart away the felled trees themselves.....
MALAYSIA TRULY BOLEH!



February 25, 2012
Dept forms two teams to hunt gaharu thieves
Star

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang Forestry Department has formed two teams to investigate those responsible for felling gaharu (agarwood) trees in forest reserves.

Its director Abdul Wahab Deraman said his personnel would camp overnight at the hotspots to catch them under Ops Jejak Karas.

“We have also set up a 24-hour operation room on the island (04-8262716) and on the mainland (04-5932431) for the public to tip us off,” he told a press conference here.

He said the 20 trees that were felled at Gambier Hill near Island Park were actually of the Camphor and Garcinia species and were on private land.

He was referring to report in The Star on Thursday that the 20 trees felled at the location include those of gaharu (agarwood) species.

On Feb 12, Sunday Star reported that syndicates were believed to be felling the gaharu trees in the rainforest on the island.

Its all about Corruption when encroachments go undetected

The forestry knows about it but no action taken. Enviction was carried out at another peat swamp called Raja Muda Forest Reserve (north Selangor). How come Kuala Langat South Peat Swamp was the exception? MY PERCEPTION - ITS ALL ABOUT CORRUPTION! IN BOLEHLAND CORRUPTION REIGN AND LAWS ARE ONLY FOR THE POOR!!

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June 14, 2011
2,000ha of swamp forest encroached by illegal farmers
By STUART MICHAEL
Star

MORE than 200 farmers have encroached 2,000ha into the Kuala Langat South Peat Swamp Forest and only a major operation can force out the culprits.

Selangor Forestry Department assistant director (operations and enforcement) Mohd Yussainy Md Yusop said 30% of the 6,908ha of the forest reserve had been encroached.

“Each farmer plant crops at least on 10ha in the forest reserve and employ workers to take care and harvest the crops.

On June 6, the department arrested five Indonesian workers for encroaching into the reserve and planting cash crops.

There are now remanded at the Telok Panglima Garang police station.

Yussainy said the department took statements from three employers and they would be charged with trespassing.

Under the Forestry Act 1984, Yussainy said those found encroaching into forest reserves could be fined up to RM10,000 or jailed up to three years or both if found guilty.

“The profits raked in by the farmers amount to thousands of ringgit and they are willing to take the risk of being jailed or fined.

“The money that they rake from the crops like banana, soursop, papaya, sweet corn, tapioca, sweet potato, turmeric, lengkuas (galangal), ginger, serai (lemongrass) and chilli is just too good. Some of these farmers are millionaires,’’ he claimed.

He said on Oct 25 last year, the department had given notice to the farmers to move out.

“Then, the department had planted 100,000 trees of different species to let the forest regrow but it is having a tough time doing so.

“These illegal farmers sprayed poison on the young trees and planted their crops instead. This shows how bold they are and have no respect for the law.

“Some may think that having cash crops at forest reserves is not as bad as chopping down the trees. But they fail to realise that pesticides can be harmful to the surrounding forest,’’ he said.

Rape of Lenggong forest reserve in Perak

(“We also found a demolished hut. They must have got wind of our arrival and fled the place,” said the officer. He also pointed out that the department had received tip-offs about the illegal operations inside the forest earlier this year and had been conducting investigations at the sites.)

Talking KOK. Receiving tip-offs since earlier this year and what have they done to stop the raping? I have personally tried to enter such forest reserve in Perak and was stopped from going in by the Forestry at the entrance. So it is not easy to enter timber-rich forest reserve unless they want you to. So tell me, do you think it is easy to bring big big trucks into the forest and get away with it? Don't you smell rats and corruptions? And for this case, with the present of the MACC, they have to be seen to do some work.

Thursday July 15, 2010 MYT 5:23:00 PM
By IVAN LOH
Star

GERIK: The Forestry Department is alarmed over the rape of a forest reserve in Lenggong where trees have been illegally felled for their quality timber worth about half a million ringgit.

The activity, deep in the Bintang Hijau Forest Reserve, is believed to have gone on for the past six months.

A National Forestry Department spokesman said it found eight illegally logged spots during a joint operation with the state Forestry Department and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday.

“We found numerous logs sawn from cengal, meranti, merbau and balau trees,” said the forestry officer.

He added that cengal was worth about RM8,000 per tonne, while the merbau and meranti could fetch up to RM4,000 per tonne.

The investigation team also noticed that illegal loggers had started to process timber in the area where the trees were felled.

“It is faster to make wood planks straight away after felling the trees. This also makes for easier transportation of the wood out from the forest using a small truck,” he added.

The officer noted that sawn timber was sometimes left in the forest to be transported out at other times.

On the operation, he said the investigation team did not catch any suspects but seized a bulldozer, a truck, sawn timber and other equipment abandoned in the forest.

“We also found a demolished hut. They must have got wind of our arrival and fled the place,” said the officer.

He also pointed out that the department had received tip-offs about the illegal operations inside the forest earlier this year and had been conducting investigations at the sites.

He said three individuals were believed to be behind the illegal activity.

Those found guilty of illegal logging can be fined a maximum RM500,000, and jailed up to 20 years under Section 15 of the National Forestry Act 1984.

Logging is the reason

Sg Lembing's Rainbow Waterfall is restricted NOW.

Reasons given by the Forestry Department were to absolve it from liability should a tragedy occur and to protect the site from indiscriminate littering and illegal fishing.
If that were the reasons then EVERY parks in Pahang (and in Malaysia) should be banned too. People dies at Taman Negara, rubbishs were found at Taman Negara and illegal fishings were found at Taman Negara - Why don't they ban Taman Negara (Kuala Tahan, Pahang) too?

Well, I can't think of a valid reason but the obvious one is LOGGING or perhaps GOLD mining! This has been one of the modus operandi, the other is to build a highway. Damned corrupt!

Monday March 8, 2010
There are better ways than bans to control entry to tourism spots
By SIMON KHOO
Star

RECENTLY, a Sungai Lembing community leader made the startling revelation of a state agency imposing a blanket ban on visitors entering Rainbow Waterfall along Sungai Jin.

Unaware of the sudden restriction, many first-time visitors who arrived at the site found themselves blocked from entering the pathway leading to the popular tourism spot.

Among the reasons given by the Forestry Department were to absolve it from liability should a tragedy occur and to protect the site from indiscriminate littering and illegal fishing.

Paya Besar MCA division chief Senator Ng Fook Heng said these reasons did not hold water and could have untoward repercussions for the tourism industry.

He said he was concerned that, if no quarters came forward to question the one for the move, other agencies might impose similar restrictions on other tourist destinations.

Pahang thrives because of its lovely beaches and lush forests which are home to flora and fauna unique to this largest state in the Peninsula.

Ng feared that, if one agency was allowed to impose its own guidelines, it might open the floodgates for others to follow.

“What if another agency decides to bar tourists from climbing the scenic Panorama Hill in Sungai Lembing for certain reasons?

“The former mining town will cease to attract visitors and this will affect economic activities such as homestay programmes, chalets, food and other trades of the locals,” he said.

Ng has raised a valid point as it just does not make economic sense to fence up a popular site purportedly for the safety of visitors and to preserve the environment.

If visitors are not allowed to experience the beauty and serenity of nature, how else can they appreciate the environment as a whole?

Most visitors who made their way to the waterfall were nature lovers.

Other ways of protecting visitors and the environment should first be considered and implemented.

The basic step would be to put up a sign warning visitors that they were entering at their own risk.

While manpower constraints may forbid the department from deploying staff to monitor the site and check littering and other illegal activities, it can seek the assistance of nearby villagers and give them an allowance to keep a lookout.

Perhaps the department can propose that the Pahang government collects a small fee from visitors under a Rainbow Waterfall fund to cover the allowances and to maintain cleanliness or build certain facilities.

There should be no public uproar over this as visitors gladly pay to enter places of interest and pristine beauty such as the Tioman Island marine park and for parking at popular beaches in Teluk Chempedak, Kuantan.

Anti-littering signs and more rubbish bins should be placed at these locations as there are not enough of them.

State Arts, Tourism, Heritage, Women and Community Development Committee chairman Datuk Shafik Fauzan Sharif should issue reminders to all the parties concerned to weigh the consequences of implementing such drastic moves.

Measures which hinder visitors and impede visits to places of interest should be done away with as the tourism industry is among the main revenue earners for Pahang.

Imposing restrictions is not the answer as keen climbers and adventure seekers will find ways to gain entry, and should a tragedy occur as a result of this, the department will get blamed.

It is better to exercise control by registering visitors daily and conducting quick checks of back packs and barring items such as styrofoam lunch boxes and fishing equipment to safeguard the natural surroundings.

Such measures are better alternatives to imposing a ban on visitors as this may do more harm than good.

MACC uncovers illegal logging at Perak-Pahang border

"License issued on Oct 16, 2009 and expired on Jan 15, 2010".
Meaning the license was for only THREE months by the Barisan Najis government. Easily confirm that any logging should be the same logging company. Don't tell me these illegal loggers cannot be traced. I guess they need the under table money to pay for the frogs without thinking about our natural heritage. If you have seen the TV news, video of raiding party was shown. Somebody had actually tipped the illegal loggers when road was blocked by logs. Someone in the foresty must be on the take. Damned the corrupted! Hell to these traitors!


Sunday March 7, 2010
MACC uncovers illegal logging at Perak-Pahang border
Star

IPOH: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has uncovered illegal logging at a 100ha site near Jalan Simpang Pulai-Cameron Highlands at the Perak-Pahang border.

A MACC spokesman who declined to be named said the operation was conducted jointly with officers from Perak Forestry Department and Rela on Saturday.

The operation which began at 9am led to the discovery of hundreds of fallen trees worth millions and several pieces of heavy machinery.

“The culprits managed to escape after blocking the road with tree trunks and heavy machinery,” he added.

Initial investigation found that logging was still being carried out there although the licence issued on Oct 16, 2009 had expired on Jan 15, 2010.

The enforcement officers believed that more than 10 people were involved in illegal logging in the area.

He said this was based on the freshly cooked food found in a tent. -- Bernama

Thumb Up for Selangor

Logging activities to be stopped

Oct 9, 2009
Star
By SALINA KHALID

THE Selangor state government will no longer issue permits for logging on government land starting Jan 1 next year.

The blanket ruling will cover all logging activities for the inland and the mangrove forests in the state.

A source had informed The Star that the state government, in its exco meeting on July 22, had decided to stop all logging for the inland forest with immediate effect, while the ruling on the mangrove forest would be enforced on Jan 1.

It means all inland forest logging activities has stopped about two months ago while logging concessionaires holding the licence to log mangrove forest along the state’s coastal area could only do so until the end of the year.

Their licences will not be renewed upon its expiration on Dec 31.

The rule, however, does not cover the clearing of privately-owned land.

Selangor Forestry Department director Dr Yunus Zakaria said the department had not issued any new licence for logging concession this year.

He said any logging being carried out were done using the licence issued since 2006. It allows them to log until the licence expires.

He added that those concessionaires who were given the licence to log (from the previous government) were still allowed to continue until their concession expires or until their logging in the area was completed.

Asked whether they could apply to renew the licence next year, Dr Yunus said they could submit their application to them and they would forward it to the state government for approval.

“We have informed them about the expiry date of their licences,” he said.

The National Forest Council had set a quota of 1970ha of forest that could be logged for timber in Selangor.

The figure is the maximum area that could be harvested for timber every year.

However, Dr Yunus said the actual logging allowed through the licence approval was less than that of the quota by the National Forest Council.

When asked about the logging this year, he said it was much less and not even a quarter of the quoted figure allowed for harvesting.

“There are seven logging concessions for mangrove forests in Selangor,” said Dr Yunus.

“But only five of them are carrying out logging activities and sharing an area of 800ha in Pulau Ketam,” he said.

Article 74(2) of the Federal Constitution provides that land and natural resources are matters under the jurisdiction of the state governments.

It states that the state is empowered to enact laws and policies on forestry independently and a State Forestry Director is appointed to manage the administration and regulation of forest harvesting; revenue collection which includes premiums, royalties, deposits, cess and other charges, the management and development of forest resources as well as planning and coordination of the development of forest-based industry.

The states, through their respective Forestry Department, constitute permanent reserved forests and classify them for timber production and protection such as water catchment areas, wildlife reserves and bird sanctuaries, virgin jungle reserves, state parks and amenity forests.

All forest produce from these permanent reserved forests or state land remain the property of the state and all exploitation of forest produce must be licensed and administered by the state.

The state forestry directors have the power to arrest, search, seize and investigate forest-related offences, and impose fines and prosecute offenders.

In accordance with the requirement of National Forestry Act 1984, the State Forestry Departments are expected to submit annual reports to both the state authority as well as the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia.

Malaysia’s forest policy has always emphasised the balance between protection and production. Regulations are in place with regard to forest management operations, which specify in detail harvesting guidelines, codes of best practices, forest inventory and construction of forest roads.

All harvesting and related operations are carried out by licensed contractors.

These licences stipulate intensity of extraction, harvesting sequence, tree size limitations, transport routes and standard of road.

Harvesting timber, for both inland and mangrove forest, is allowed in the country, with the logging licence issued by the relevant state Forestry Departments.

The licence for harvesting the trees is granted to the concessionaires under the selective management systems to ensure the sustainability of the forest.

It advocates the selection of a cutting regime based on diameter limits and species composition of the standing trees. It means the logging is permitted to zones that have met the maturity criteria of the trees.

Meanwhile, the chopping of mangrove trees in Selangor is only allowed on those that have reached a minimum of 30cm in diameter.

With the average growth of about 0.6 to 0.8cm per annum, it will need about 10 years for mangrove trees to reach the minimum diameter before they can be harvested.

According to the Malaysian Nature Society, only 1.8% of Malaysia’s land is covered in mangroves, with over 50% of these mangroves lost between 1950 and 1985.

Forestry Department statistics show that Peninsular Malaysia had 85,000ha of mangrove forest in 2003, down from 86,497ha in 2002.

The Selangor Forestry Department statistics show that in 2008, a total of 18,088ha of the coastal area in the state is covered with mangrove forest.

Those who are felling the trees that are smaller would be fined if they are caught.

Contractors who cut immature tree can be fined a maximum of RM50,000. At the same time, those who are carrying out illegal logging in the state have to pay a heavier fines.

Under Section 15 of the National Forestry Act, 1984 (Amendment 1993) those illegal loggers can be fined up to a maximum of RM500,000 and mandatory imprisonment of one year minimum and a maximum of 20 years.

Armed poachers brutally attack forest officer

April 24, 2009
Star
By RUBEN SARIO

KOTA KINABALU: They normally hunt and kill animals in the wild but this time, a group of poachers brutally attacked a remote Forestry Department camp and left a senior officer seriously injured.

Department director Datuk Sam Mannan said some 20 people armed with machetes, hockey sticks, samurai swords, hunting knives and brass knuckles attacked the camp in the remote Ulu Segama-Malua forest reserve.

He said district forest officer Indra Sunjoto was dragged, slashed, beaten and left unconscious in the 9pm incident on April 2. Indra was badly bruised and sustained a deep gash in the head that required several stitches.

Mannan said police could not be alerted immediately as the wireless phone service in Ulu Segama had broken down.

He said that as an immediate measure, the police had deployed General Operations Force personnel to the forest reserve which was undergoing extensive reforestation work.

Soon after the attack, police in Lahad Datu arrested two men.

Mannan said the Forestry Department had also engaged a security firm with armed personnel to guard the base camp and forest rangers carrying out patrols.

As a long-term measure, the department is applying for a gun licence so that field personnel in critical areas can defend themselves, he said.

Apart from attacking Indra, Mannan said the rampaging poachers also ransacked the staff quarters, carting away food, meat and motorcycles.

The attack may have been triggered by Indra having stopped a poacher earlier that day who managed to escape but left behind fresh deer meat and a motorcycle, he added.

He said the attackers were believed to be a group of men who had been habitually entering the forest reserve to hunt for deer and other protected species including elephants and clouded leopards.

Mannan said prior to the attack there had been skirmishes between the illegal hunters and staff members of Yayasan Sabah, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the Forestry Department.

RM3 million worth of wildlife seized in Bolehland

In 2004 he was fined RM7,500 for smuggling wildlife.
Today he was out on bail with only RM19,000.
By next February 20 (case mention), he could probably be fined around RM20,000.
No wonder this illegal smuggling will never cease.
If you are a business man, think of this logic. If you escape the smuggling, you make RM3 mil. If caught, you only pay a minimum in fine. Pay a few officers on the take and you still make alot. Probably you can still get back the "goods" as they will be auctioned out.
So tell me how can this illegal smuggling be stopped?
NO Way....unless the authorities are serious.
Read the story below......

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November 12, 2008
About 7,000 monitor lizards saved from the cooking pot

Staronline
By ZANI SALLEH

KUALA LUMPUR: More than RM3mil worth of live and dead animals were seized when the Wildlife and National Parks Department raided two locations in Johor last week.

Among the animals were more than 7,000 clouded monitor lizards, 1,000 owls, pangolins, crested serpent eagles, pythons, mousedeer, Malayan porcupine, wild pigs and bear parts.

A 49-year-old man was charged in a magistrate’s court in Tangkak on Nov 7 and is out on a RM19,000 bail.

The black market value of the wildlife seized in Muar and Segamat, is believed to be more than RM3mil.

Director-general Datuk Abd Rasid Samsudin said that this was the second time the man was detained for a similar offence.

He was fined RM7,500 in 2004 for possessing 182 pangolins and 1.3kg of pangolin scales.

“The live and dead animal parts can be distributed for consumption as exotic dishes in restaurants, “ he told a press conference on Wednesday.

He said the dishes, cooked with herbs were widely popular among diners, especially men, and were often priced at RM300 per bowl.

To meet the demand, the protected animals are highly paid for by restaurants in Vietnam, Hong Kong and China.

Mohd Rasid said eight members of the Wildlife Crime Unit seized 13 species of protected wild animals at the man’s house during the first raid which was conducted in Muar on Nov 4 at about 8am.

The dead animals were in several freezers while the live animals were found in the backyard.

The team raided another location in Segamat three days later and found 7,093 live clouded monitor lizards kept in a holding centre.

“The monitor lizards, weighing approximately 35,000kg, can fetch between RM50 and RM80 per kilo in black market trade,” he said. The case is due for mention on Feb 20 next year.

Logging in Penang State Park?

In Penang, there is a national park called Penang National Park at Teluk Bahang.

Bukit Panchor State Penang is the first state park declared on 9 Aug 2007. Another state park at Pulau Jerejak is on the pipeline.

State parks are governed by the state whereas the national parks are protected by the federal government. Development and logging are strictly disallowed in both....as far as I know until now.

But right here at Bukit Panchor State Park you could see logs right at the park headquarter. Is there logging? You tell me.

Observe carefully, you could see blue marking lines to indicate the size of the log.

More logs.

The modus operandi of actual logging are those of arranged logs, diameter measurements and certain length for logs.

If there is indeed logging, I hope our present Penang State Government will benefit from the sale. Or is there any hanky panky? So, is there logging in the Penang State Park?

Hope someone from Forestry could answer this.

Sarawak goes high-tech to protect forests

If you have been to any protected area, you will notice that it is not easy to enter the rich timber area. There are Forestry Officers manning the area. While you and me are not allow into the area, you will be surpised to see large San Tai Wong (timber lorries) in the vicinity.
You and me always know that high tech devices in government department never really work when needed. Perhaps they work for a year or two before the devices kaput. So when a Forestry Department talk about enforcement using high-tech toys, it could be another case of wastage of public fund. How much training to use PDA and the software? How much wastage for the maintanence? Only time will tell.
Read the story below:

By SHARON LING

KUCHING: Sarawak's Forest Department is going high-tech in its enforcement against encroachment and illegal logging activities in protected areas.

Its monitoring, enforcement and prevention (MEP) system, which was unveiled during the state-level commemoration of World Forestry Day on Monday, incorporates remote sensing, image processing, mobile mapping and web-based applications to detect illegal activities.
The data is then sent to field officers via a web-based platform from which it will be downloaded to a mobile component such as a PDA.

State director of forests Datuk Len Talif Salleh said the MEP system had been developed by the department using the latest available technology.

"This system cannot operate on its own but it has to be backed up with ground enforcement. To respond to the data, we have helicopters which we can use to drop our officers in a matter of hours," he told reporters after the commemoration ceremony at Sumber Alam Sanctuary here.
With the system in place, he added, the department aimed to minimise encroachment into national parks and other protected areas in the state.

Second Minister of Planning and Resource Management Datuk Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the system was in line with the department's efforts to strengthen its enforcement capabilities.
However, he added that enforcement alone was not enough and cooperation from the public was needed as well.

"People must give information with regard to illegal activities so that we can act fast. We don't want to see our protected areas encroached into as this will affect efforts to sustainably manage our forests," he said.

Source: Star Online Monday March 24