Orang-utan population and Deforestation in Indonesia

Indonesia is facing a problem of deforestation in its tropical rainforests. The deforestation has been a result of developed countries multinational corporation need for wood, along with the Indonesian government lack of vigilance in an attempt to maintain some protection for its own rainforest. As a result, 40% of the Indonesian rainforest has been deforested. As the logging continues, a great area of biodiversity is lost and the orang-utan is the one animal in the rainforest that suffer the most from the deforestation.

While deforestation occurs, the orang-utan population decreases. The habitat destruction is occurring due to legal and illegal logging operations in order to clear land for agriculture purposes, and the logging is destroying the primate’s main food sources which are fruit trees. Thus, to reduce the destruction of the orang-utans habitat, Indonesia government should immediately stop the Indonesian resettlement program that is overcrowding its outer islands and to vast tracts of deforestation for agricultural purposes or build rehabilitation centre in Indonesia for orang-utans that have lost their habitat and have suffered from malnutrition, caused by being poached and sold as pets on the black market.

Another hazards form deforestation that the orang-utans face is the building of the roads for the low –land harvesting of timber. Not only does the road construction hasten the erosion processes that will take place within the orang-utan habitat, but they also effectively isolate orang-utan individuals from one another, leaving the primates with no migratory corridors with where to travel to search a mate. Hence, to save orang-utans, we should restore the connection between separated populations of orang-utans with the destruction and replanting of commercial logging roads or do not permit as many new roads to be built within the rainforest.

In conclusion, to help orang-utans, the habitat protection should be the highest priority. The Indonesian Government should increased permanent protection forest against any type of encroachment upon the land for either agricultural purposes, or for the purposes of poaching endangered species.

Causes of Deforestation in Southeast Asia version 2

Deforestation is a process that involves a competition amongst different land users for scarce resources, a process exacerbated by counter-productive policies and weak institutions. Nowadays, deforestation has become one of the major environmental issues that not only directly affected countries and locations, but also a global perspective. In general, we can say that deforestation have a direct causes form population growth, commercial agriculture and infrastructure development.

Firstly, a growing population in Southeast Asian is the most important cause that underlying tropical deforestation. Southeast Asian nations with 570 million in population has lead to the facts that 570 million people requiring food, shelter, paper, water, wood and all others that come from the forests.

Secondly, commercial agriculture can directly result in deforestation. Normally, a commercial or plantation agriculture is often agribusiness practiced by corporations. For example, oil palm plantations are a major catalyst of deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia. These two world’s biggest palm oil producers had about 6.7 million hectares of oil palm plantation in 2002.

Thirdly, infrastructure development is also result in deforestation. The construction of new roads has a great impact on the forest. For example, North-South Expressway (NSE) in Malaysia which is the longest expressway in Malaysia with the total length of 966 km (600 miles) running form Bukit Hitam in Kedah near the Malaysia-Thailand border to Johor Bahru in south Malaysia. This expressway opened up millions of square kilometres of previously inaccessible forest to link up many major cities and towns in western Peninsular Malaysia, acting as the 'backbone' of the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia. As a result, more secondary roads that penetrate deeper into the forest eventually producing a wide swath of deforested land on either side of the road.

In conclusion, deforestation is the product of the integration of many environmental, social, economic, cultural, and political forces at work in many regions. Thus, without proper solution, it will bring serious consequences for the environment.

Causes of Deforestation in Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia countries likes, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam lost nearly 800 square miles of forest every year from mid-1970s to mid-1980s. From this figure, most of the forests had been converting to an agriculture land. Thus, the agriculture expansion is the primary cause of the deforestation.

Southeast Asia region with the highest proportion of forest, which is 33 % in the world, has been reducing rapidly in the past ten years. According to an analysis from Chandra Giri of Science Application International Corporation (SAIC), 81 % of the deforestation from 1985 to 2005 was the result of agricultural expansion. This conversion to agriculture land may be result from an increasing of human needs and road expansion. Southeast Asian Nations with a combined population of about 570 has increase the amount of human daily needs. Thus, the expansion of the agriculture is necessary to meet these daily needs. In the others hand, the road development to improve overland transportation of goods may cause a limited amount of the deforestation. The road building towards a timber area and agriculture land also causes a limited amount of deforestation. Thus, the uncontrolled deforestation that due to an improper development in agriculture in Southeast Asia must be publishing and a proper solution must be carrying out.

Figure 1. Deforestation in continental Southeast Asia (excluding Malaysia and Indonesia) from 1973 to 1985. The black represents forest, the lighter areas deforestation. The dark gray represents cloud cover, and white areas are places for which no satellite information was available. During this time period, about 50,000 square miles was deforested. China and India are included on the map but no assessment of their forest cover was made.

(My blog buddy is Steve,Liu Zhen)

Fight Against Criminals in Malaysia

According to the Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow, there are total of 1,830 rapes have been reported in the first seven months last year. In other words, there are nine girls and women being rape in every single day. Malaysia’s crimes rate has reached an alarming rate, especially this concerning the matter of life and death. As a Malaysian citizens, we need to act fast to find out the solution for the problem. To solve the problem, government and the citizens play an important role.

For government aspect, having someone who is capable to lead is the most important. Locate the right person in the right position may help to attend the problem more effectively. For example, addition police officers are necessary to increase the police force in every state. Re-hire a retired police officers and civilians to take over administrative jobs while training for new blood may overcome a police shortage issue. However, the quality of the police force must be taking seriously too. Corruption between polices is the most common news we heard nowadays. Thus, the police force needs to polish their image to serve people better and always ready to help citizens in need.

For individual aspect, self-awareness is most important. Either becomes a crime or a victim is base on our education system and social environment. Our current education system is too much focus on academics achievements while ignoring the building of moral conscience. We must have awareness in preventing the crime. Avoid walking alone on the street and staying outside at night is some of the precaution steps that we should be aware. For example, the 5-year-old missing girl, Sharlinie Mohd Nashar, which until today is still an unsolved case. Even though there is a RM 100, 000 award to solve the case, but what most people concerning is the life or death of the girl. Thus, we need to have self- awareness to protect the ones we love and ourselves. If not, it will be too late for us to regret.

In conclusion, the increasing rate in crime in Malaysia is not rise in one day. This is a long-term challenge for our government and citizens as well. In this critical situation, there is useless to blame the government in a lack of leadership in every level of government leadership, police department, immigration department, parliament and education system in Malaysia. We, as a citizen of Malaysia, have our responsibility to co-operate with government to fight against the criminals.

Below are some of the latest news regards the crime in Malaysia

The Star Online - Cops: Crime rate in KL down by 7%
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/2/6/nation/20250346&sec=nation>

New Straits Times - Fewer violent, property crimes
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Wednesday/National/20080206073715/Article/index_html>