6 - Malaysia's Current Policy and Research Initiatives Toward Climate Change: Impacts to Biodiversity

Summary

Malaysia is an equatorial country lying between 1.0°-7°N latitude and 99.5°- 120°E longitude. It is a coastal nation, rich in biodiversity and natural resources.

Malaysia covers an area of 329,996 km² and is divided into two land masses separated by the South China Sea. There is Peninsular Malaysia in the west, with an area of 131,927 km². It is composed of 11 states, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur (Legislative Capital), and the Federal Territory of Putrajaya (Administrative Capital) (Figure 6.1 and Table 6.1).

Peninsular Malaysia is bordered in the north by Thailand, and in the south by Singapore. In the east, in the island of Borneo, are the states of Sabah and Sarawak. These states occupy an aggregated area of 198,069 km². The Federal Territory of Labuan, is located in the northwest coast of Borneo island. Between Sabah and Sarawak is the nation of Brunei Darussalam. Indonesia borders the south of Sabah and the rest of Sarawak.

The nation is endowed with tracts of rich and highly diverse natural tropical forests that cover about 60 per cent of the country's total area or about 198,000 km². The dominant habitats include lowland and hill dipterocarp forests, peat swamps, and mangroves. Over 90 per cent of the country's terrestrial biological species occur in natural forests. These valuable renewable assets have helped sustain the nation's rapid growing economy and development. About 20 per cent of the country's land area is categorized as agriculture, which includes plantations of oil palm, cocoa, and rubber tree, among others. The remaining 20 per cent is designated for development.

The country's current population is estimated at 25 M – 80 per cent of which have settled in Peninsular Malaysia, while the remaining 20 per cent have dispersed in Sabah and Sarawak.

MALAYSIA'S FORESTRY SECTOR

The forestry sector continues to play a significant role in the socioeconomic development of Malaysia. Export earnings contribute at least US$4.4 B annually. Logging in Malaysia has gone far beyond the level of sustainability.