Malaysia Conservation and Management Challenges for Sustainable Forest

National Forest Act of 1984

• Designed to promote uniformity of the forestry laws of the States of Malaysia.
• Addresses issues related to forestry administration, management, conservation and forest development.
• Classifies Permanent Forest Estates (PFEs)and states that any products originating from a PFE or other State land are considered the property of the State Authority and therefore may only be extracted with a proper license.

National Forest Policy

Policy amended in 1992 to included:

• Conservation of biodiversity.
• Promote role of local communities in forest development.
• Sustainable utilization of genetic materials.

Annual Coupe

• To ensure that the forests are managed on a sustainable basis AAC is determined every 5 years.
• Records AAC had been exceeded when country's economic condition is not good.

Implementation of Selective Management System (SMS)

• Generally effective in addressing emissions.
• Still being refined to overcome issues with regards to impacts on species composition and recovery rates.
• More immediate issue is in improving harvesting and minimize damage through Reduced Impact Logging.

Timber Certification

• Important tool to promote and demonstrate Sustainable Forest Management (SFM).
• Ensuring whats on paper is practiced on the ground.
• Third party inspection of forest management unit had resulted in significant improvements in forest management practices.

international perspective in conservation and management challenges for sustainable forest

Afforestation

• Planting of trees for commercial purposes.
• the supply of wood and wood products from afforested areas has prevented the over use and destruction of natural forests.

Reforestation

• A method of planting trees in an existing forested area.
• When forests are removed without reestablishment they can be reforested by planting trees in the same area to rebuild the existing area.

Selective Logging

• Removal of trees within a stand based on size limitations.
• Allows for forest regeneration to occur between and after the selective harvest cycles.

Controlled Burn

• Controlled burn is a method that uses to manage forests.
• Fire can benefits the ecosystem within a forest.
• It renews the forest undergrowth and also stimulates the germination of trees species.