This ecoregion is composed of the isolated montane forests (more than 1,000 meters (m)) of the Van Rees (to 1,430 m) and Gauttier (Foya) (to 2,193 m), Cyclops (to 2,158 m), Denake, Bewani (to 2,000 m), Torricelli (to 1,650 m), Prince Alexander (to 1,240 m), and Adelbert Ranges (to 1,718 m) in Irian Jaya, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (PNG). These isolated mountain ranges are all on the northern side of the Central Cordillera of the island of New Guinea. The climate of the ecoregion is tropical wet, which is characteristic of this part of Melanesia, located in the western Pacific Ocean north of Australia. Northern New Guinea is a very active tectonic area with a complex geologic history. The geology of this mountainous ecoregion is a mixture of metamorphic and Pliocene fine-grained terrestrial and marine sediments.
The vegetation of this ecoregion is generally tropical montane rain forest. Although they are subject to variable climates and topography, montane forests are smaller-crowned and have even more canopies than lowland hill forest. Tree densities can be high, and the shrub density is also high. Predominant canopy trees include Nothofagus, Lauraceae, Cunoniaceae, Elaeocarpaceae, Lithocarpus, Castanopsis, Syzygium, Illex, and southern conifers. Nothofagus and Araucaria may grow in pure, dense stands. The levels of Myrtaceae, Elaeocarpaceae, and conifers increase with altitude. The conifers generally found above 2,000 m include Dacrycarpus, Podocarpus, Phyllocladus, and Papuacedrus in the canopy and emergent layer.
The open forests of the Cyclops Mountains, perhaps the most well-studied of the ranges, are dominated by Kania, Metrrosideros, and Xanthmyrtus, with Lithocarpus and Nothofagus at higher altitudes. Above 1,400 m, conifers (Phyllocladus, Papuacedrus, Dacrydium) dominate, with Podocarpus and Rapanea. At an elevation of 1,200 m, the Foya Mountains to the west are dominated by Araucaria cunninghammii, Podocarpus neriifolius, Agathis labillardieri, Calophyllum, and Palaquium. The Torricelli, Bewani, and Prince Alexander ranges consist of limestone and montane forest.
Biodiversity Features Tube-nosed fruit bat (Nyctimene sp.) in the Cylops Mountains, Irian Jaya, Indonesia. (Photograph by � WWF-Canon/Ronald Petocz)Overall richness and endemism are low to moderate when compared with those of other ecoregions in Indo-Malaysia. There are fifty-one mammal species in the ecoregion, with six species that are endemic or near endemic (Table 1). The mammalian fauna consists of a wide variety of tropical Australasian marsupials, including tree kangaroos, and a glider. The Cyclops long-beaked echidna (Zaglossus attenboroughi) was considered endangered before it was split from the Papuan echidna (Zaglossus bruijnii), and presumably would still be considered so because it is a focal prey item for humans. The northern glider (Petaurus abidi) is found nowhere else on Earth. The highlands of the north coastal ranges also harbor Scott's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus scottae), reputed to be the largest and most threatened native forest mammal in PNG.
Table 1. Endemic and Near-Endemic Mammal Species.
Family Species
Tachyglossidae Zaglossus attenboroughi*
Perorictidae Echymipera clara
Petauridae Petaurus abidi*
Macropodidae Dendrolagus scottae*
Muridae Paraleptomys rufilatus
Muridae Xenuromys barbatus
An asterisk signifies that the species' range is limited to this ecoregion.
This area also provides habitat for a number of isolated and taxonomically distinct bird populations. The avifauna of the ecoregion has a clear Australasian flavor, including representatives of several Australasian families including Ptilonorhynchidae, Eopsaltridae, Meliphagidae, and Paradisaeidae. This ecoregion includes all of the North Papuan Mountains Endemic Bird Area (EBA) and portions of the Adelbert and Huon ranges EBA (the Adelbert Mountains) and the North Papuan lowlands EBA (the Van Rees Mountains). The ecoregion contains twelve endemic or near-endemic birds (Table 2). The North Papuan mountains EBA contains five restricted-range birds, including three found nowhere else on Earth. The Adelbert Range contains three restricted-range bird species. It shares Wahnes's parotia (Parotia wahnesi) and the olive-streaked honeyeater (Ptiloprora guisei) with the mountains of the Huon Peninsula, but the fire-maned bowerbird (Sericulus bakeri) is found nowhere else on Earth but this ecoregion. The rarest bird species in PNG, fire-maned bowerbird has the most circumscribed geographic range known for any species on mainland PNG. Both the fire-maned bowerbird and Wahnes's parotia (Parotia wahnesi) are considered vulnerable.
Table 2. Endemic and Near-Endemic Bird Species.
Family Common Name Species
Rallidae Mayr's forest-rail Rallina mayri*
Ptilonorhynchidae Golden-fronted bowerbird Amblyornis flavifrons*
Ptilonorhynchidae Fire-maned bowerbird Sericulus bakeri*
Meliphagidae Mayr's honeyeater Ptiloprora mayri*
Meliphagidae Rufous-backed honeyeater Ptiloprora guisei
Meliphagidae Cinnamon-browed honeyeater Melidectes ochromelas
Eopsaltriidae Smoky robin Peneothello cryptoleucus
Eopsaltriidae Green-backed robin Pachycephalopsis hattamensis
Cinclosomatidae Brown-capped jewel-babbler Ptilorrhoa geislerorum
Paradisaeidae Greater melampitta Melampitta gigantea
Paradisaeidae Carola's parotia Parotia carolae
Paradisaeidae Wahnes's parotia Parotia wahnesi
An asterisk signifies that the species' range is limited to this ecoregion.
Within this ecoregion, the Torricelli Range has one endemic butterfly species, making it a center of butterfly endemicity on the island of New Guinea.
Blyth's Hornbill (Aceros plicatus), Irian Jaya, Indonesia. (Photograph by WWF-Canon/Ian Craven)Several Centres of Plant Diversity correspond with the various ranges of this ecoregion, including the Mamberamo-Pegunungan Jayawijay (Van Rees and Gauttier) and Cagar Alam Pegunungan Cyclops in Irian Jaya, the Torricelli Mountains-Bewani Mountains-Prince Alexander Range in PNG, and the Adlebert Range in PNG. The Torricelli, Bewani, and Prince Alexander ranges have a flora that is estimated to exceed 2,000 species and includes the only endemic fern genus on New Guinea (Rheopteris cheesmannii).
Several endemic plants have been collected in the Cyclops Mountains, but in general the flora of this ecoregion is very poorly known. Ultrabasic formations are present in the Makanoi Range forests.
Current StatusMuch of the topography of this ecoregion is too steep for traditional logging activities, and the majority of the ecoregion is safe because of its inaccessibility. Twenty-six percent of the ecoregion is covered by five protected areas, mostly in Irian Jaya, although almost half of the ecoregion is in PNG (Table 3).
Table 3. WCMC Protected Areas That Overlap with the Ecoregion.
Protected Area Area (km2) IUCN Category
Unnamed [AA0115] 1,510 ?
Mamberamo-Pegunungan Foya [AA0115] 2,110 IV
Peg. Cycloop 210 I
Teluk Yotefa 90 IV
Mt. Menawa 2,150 ?
Total 6,070
Ecoregion numbers of protected areas that overlap with additional ecoregions are listed in brackets.
Types and Severity of ThreatsThe threats to this ecoregion include the potential for commercial logging if it becomes economically viable. The Cyclops Mountains are quite close to the main population center of Irian Jaya, Jayapura, however, and these hill forests are at risk from the town and a transmigration settlement in the area.
Justification of Ecoregion DelineationUsing Whitmore's map of the vegetation of Malesia and MacKinnon's reconstruction of the original vegetation, we delineated the large areas of distinct habitat types as ecoregions. The tropical lowland moist and freshwater swamp forests to the north of the Central Cordillera were placed in the Northern New Guinea lowland rain and freshwater swamp forests, and the montane forests in the Northern New Guinea montane rain forests. This ecoregion corresponds to MacKinnon's biounits P3e and P3j. Udvardy placed these ecoregions in the Papuan biogeographic province of the Oceanian Realm
Monday, September 17, 2007
Local Beetles
THE Malaysian rainforest might harbour a beetle that could digest plastic waste. Or one that could be used to control crop pests naturally, without resorting to harmful chemicals. We might have such beetles in this country. No one knows because we still don't know enough here about these small yet important creatures.
Prof Mohamed S. Mohamedsaid and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's green beetle collection, also known as the 'King Kong'.
And while scientists are frantically trying to classify the many species that exist, the beetles, like so much of this country's fauna, are facing destruction.
"Being plant feeders, beetles are at the front line of any habitat destruction,'' points out Prof Mohamed S. Mohamedsaid, entomologist and leaf beetle taxonomist at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's (UKM) Centre for Insect Systematics in Bangi, Selangor.
Some species feed only on one type of plant. Destroy that plant and there go the beetles. This is why they make such good "indicator'' species - by sampling beetle populations, conservationists and scientists can track what's happening in the forest.
That's not all they're good for, of course. Indeed, while beetles might be easy to overlook, we ignore these creatures at our peril, for their importance in the natural scheme of things is underlined by their sheer numbers: there are nearly one million species of these creatures, making up a whopping one fourth of all species on earth.
While the bigger animals grab all the attention, these little creatures quietly go about their business of tending to the world's ecosystems.
They play a major role in pollinating plants; in fact, scientists theorise that beetles helped fuel the spectacular explosion of flowering plants during the dinosaur era (the Mesozoic).
It is also beetles that take care of nature's detritus by decomposing dead vegetation and animal waste. The humble dung beetle, for instance, rolls dung into balls that are buried for the consumption of its larvae.
Other species make excellent pest controllers: the descendants of a single ladybird beetle--those pretty orange and black beetles--can, in a single summer, eat nearly 200,000 of the aphids that destroy garden plants in temperate countries. Not a drop of chemicals needed.
"In Malaysia, there are 200,000 beetle species that have been described, but there are definitely more out there,'' says Prof Mohamed.
Eight years ago, the Centre for Insect Systematics made a start on identifying this magnificent diversity. Since then, Prof Mohamed and two colleagues have carried out extensive taxonomic activities, creating a sizeable collection of strange-looking bugs.
Leaf beetles from Borneo
Walk into the centre's rooms on the second floor of UKM's Biological Sciences building and you will be greeted by a strange, stale smell of mothballs and chemical solutions--sign of a busy taxonomic centre. "There are over 100,000 insect specimens at the centre,'' says Prof Mohamed as he opens up one cabinet to proudly show off his collection of leaf beetles, the species he specialises in.
In other cabinets, butterflies in bright colours and grasshoppers in hues of green are carefully arranged. There are close to 1,00 different beetle species, 500 butterfly species and over 250 grasshopper species as well as over a hundred cicadas. All are preserve-dried, pinned and labelled carefully for reference purposes.
It's taken Prof Mohamed close to 15 years to establish his collection of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae), the second largest beetle family in the world after the snout beetle (Cucurlionidae).
You realise the collection is a labour of love when he describes how he used to go on collection trips all over the country during semester breaks.
For the past 10 years, he's concentrated on Kinabalu Park.
"As a result of the study, we know Kinabalu Park is represented by 163 species of leaf beetles of the subfamily Galerucinae.''
That includes three new genera (Borneola, Kinabalua, and Paraxenoda) and 25 new species. One of the new species, a brown beetle, has been named in honour of Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman: Hyphaenia rahmani.
"The leaf beetles of Kinabalu Park are highly diverse. Based on the collection from an area called Sayap and from near the park headquarters (both highland areas), 108 species were recorded.
"This figure, however, is lower than the 176 species collected from the lowland forest of the Danum Valley Conservation Area (in eastern Sabah),'' Prof Mohamed says, reinforcing yet again how important it is to maintain the integrity of both Kinabalu Park and the Danum Valley Conservation Area.
If a large tract of forest is destroyed, he says leaf beetles there will be wiped out as they are unable to fly far to reach food plants in new areas.
To date, Prof Mohamed has identified 120 new species unknown to science--an attribute of this country's rich biodiversity, he says proudly.
All this new information is being recorded in the centre's journal, Serangga, which began in 1996 and which focuses on insect fauna from South-East Asia. Volume 6 is currently being put together.
While the journal is certainly a step forward in cataloguing this country's biodiversity, we would take an even bigger stride forward if we established a museum of natural history.
"A museum of natural history conducts research on species diversity and maintains collections of preserved animal specimens for research purposes. Most important of all, it helps research communities understand biological diversity,'' explains Prof Mohamed.
Malaysia has many museums that are educational but none that is research based. We did have one before WWII; the Federated Malay States Museum was established in Kuala Lumpur in 1906 when collections from the older Selangor and Perak Museums were merged. It was bombed on March 10, 1945, after which the ruins were razed and the National Museum erected on the site.
There's another compelling reason for establishing a natural history museum.
According to him, Article 7 of the Convention of Biological Diversity - which Malaysia signed in 1992 - stipulates the importance of identification and monitoring in conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity.
"Without taxonomy, the provision in the article cannot be fulfilled. A natural history museum is the bastion of taxonomic activities, where taxonomy is fundamental in understanding biodiversity,'' he says.
Though he is glad that the Centre for Insect Systematics in UKM is expanding, he says it won't be long before they run out of space as their collection continues to grow.
"All countries are proud of their natural history museums and Malaysia should have one to value our biological heritage,'' he stresses.
"Some countries have collections not only from their own environment but also from other parts of the world. Many Malaysia specimens, for instance, have gone abroad,'' he says.
Since Malaysia does not have a natural history museum, many specimens studied and collected by foreign taxonomists have been deposited in their museums.
For instance, most of the beetle species found in Malaysia were described by Europeans and taken back to their countries during the colonial period. In fact, all those foreign taxonomist names in text books is one reason why Prof Mohamed was inspired to begin his leaf beetle collection.
He says a natural history museum is not only entertaining, but it also encourages people to love nature and helps them understand biodiversity better.
"There are hundreds of thousands of other animal species, particularly the invertebrates from terrestrial and aquatic habitats which have yet to be documented from this country.''
Besides, at the rate at which Malaysia's fauna is losing its natural habitats, a museum of natural history might be the only way of preserving lost biodiversity.
Prof Mohamed S. Mohamedsaid and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's green beetle collection, also known as the 'King Kong'.
And while scientists are frantically trying to classify the many species that exist, the beetles, like so much of this country's fauna, are facing destruction.
"Being plant feeders, beetles are at the front line of any habitat destruction,'' points out Prof Mohamed S. Mohamedsaid, entomologist and leaf beetle taxonomist at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's (UKM) Centre for Insect Systematics in Bangi, Selangor.
Some species feed only on one type of plant. Destroy that plant and there go the beetles. This is why they make such good "indicator'' species - by sampling beetle populations, conservationists and scientists can track what's happening in the forest.
That's not all they're good for, of course. Indeed, while beetles might be easy to overlook, we ignore these creatures at our peril, for their importance in the natural scheme of things is underlined by their sheer numbers: there are nearly one million species of these creatures, making up a whopping one fourth of all species on earth.
While the bigger animals grab all the attention, these little creatures quietly go about their business of tending to the world's ecosystems.
They play a major role in pollinating plants; in fact, scientists theorise that beetles helped fuel the spectacular explosion of flowering plants during the dinosaur era (the Mesozoic).
It is also beetles that take care of nature's detritus by decomposing dead vegetation and animal waste. The humble dung beetle, for instance, rolls dung into balls that are buried for the consumption of its larvae.
Other species make excellent pest controllers: the descendants of a single ladybird beetle--those pretty orange and black beetles--can, in a single summer, eat nearly 200,000 of the aphids that destroy garden plants in temperate countries. Not a drop of chemicals needed.
"In Malaysia, there are 200,000 beetle species that have been described, but there are definitely more out there,'' says Prof Mohamed.
Eight years ago, the Centre for Insect Systematics made a start on identifying this magnificent diversity. Since then, Prof Mohamed and two colleagues have carried out extensive taxonomic activities, creating a sizeable collection of strange-looking bugs.
Leaf beetles from Borneo
Walk into the centre's rooms on the second floor of UKM's Biological Sciences building and you will be greeted by a strange, stale smell of mothballs and chemical solutions--sign of a busy taxonomic centre. "There are over 100,000 insect specimens at the centre,'' says Prof Mohamed as he opens up one cabinet to proudly show off his collection of leaf beetles, the species he specialises in.
In other cabinets, butterflies in bright colours and grasshoppers in hues of green are carefully arranged. There are close to 1,00 different beetle species, 500 butterfly species and over 250 grasshopper species as well as over a hundred cicadas. All are preserve-dried, pinned and labelled carefully for reference purposes.
It's taken Prof Mohamed close to 15 years to establish his collection of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae), the second largest beetle family in the world after the snout beetle (Cucurlionidae).
You realise the collection is a labour of love when he describes how he used to go on collection trips all over the country during semester breaks.
For the past 10 years, he's concentrated on Kinabalu Park.
"As a result of the study, we know Kinabalu Park is represented by 163 species of leaf beetles of the subfamily Galerucinae.''
That includes three new genera (Borneola, Kinabalua, and Paraxenoda) and 25 new species. One of the new species, a brown beetle, has been named in honour of Malaysia's first Prime Minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman: Hyphaenia rahmani.
"The leaf beetles of Kinabalu Park are highly diverse. Based on the collection from an area called Sayap and from near the park headquarters (both highland areas), 108 species were recorded.
"This figure, however, is lower than the 176 species collected from the lowland forest of the Danum Valley Conservation Area (in eastern Sabah),'' Prof Mohamed says, reinforcing yet again how important it is to maintain the integrity of both Kinabalu Park and the Danum Valley Conservation Area.
If a large tract of forest is destroyed, he says leaf beetles there will be wiped out as they are unable to fly far to reach food plants in new areas.
To date, Prof Mohamed has identified 120 new species unknown to science--an attribute of this country's rich biodiversity, he says proudly.
All this new information is being recorded in the centre's journal, Serangga, which began in 1996 and which focuses on insect fauna from South-East Asia. Volume 6 is currently being put together.
While the journal is certainly a step forward in cataloguing this country's biodiversity, we would take an even bigger stride forward if we established a museum of natural history.
"A museum of natural history conducts research on species diversity and maintains collections of preserved animal specimens for research purposes. Most important of all, it helps research communities understand biological diversity,'' explains Prof Mohamed.
Malaysia has many museums that are educational but none that is research based. We did have one before WWII; the Federated Malay States Museum was established in Kuala Lumpur in 1906 when collections from the older Selangor and Perak Museums were merged. It was bombed on March 10, 1945, after which the ruins were razed and the National Museum erected on the site.
There's another compelling reason for establishing a natural history museum.
According to him, Article 7 of the Convention of Biological Diversity - which Malaysia signed in 1992 - stipulates the importance of identification and monitoring in conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity.
"Without taxonomy, the provision in the article cannot be fulfilled. A natural history museum is the bastion of taxonomic activities, where taxonomy is fundamental in understanding biodiversity,'' he says.
Though he is glad that the Centre for Insect Systematics in UKM is expanding, he says it won't be long before they run out of space as their collection continues to grow.
"All countries are proud of their natural history museums and Malaysia should have one to value our biological heritage,'' he stresses.
"Some countries have collections not only from their own environment but also from other parts of the world. Many Malaysia specimens, for instance, have gone abroad,'' he says.
Since Malaysia does not have a natural history museum, many specimens studied and collected by foreign taxonomists have been deposited in their museums.
For instance, most of the beetle species found in Malaysia were described by Europeans and taken back to their countries during the colonial period. In fact, all those foreign taxonomist names in text books is one reason why Prof Mohamed was inspired to begin his leaf beetle collection.
He says a natural history museum is not only entertaining, but it also encourages people to love nature and helps them understand biodiversity better.
"There are hundreds of thousands of other animal species, particularly the invertebrates from terrestrial and aquatic habitats which have yet to be documented from this country.''
Besides, at the rate at which Malaysia's fauna is losing its natural habitats, a museum of natural history might be the only way of preserving lost biodiversity.
Country Report Says Malaysia Seeks To Rehabilitate Borneo Rain Forests Marred by Logging
Malaysian authorities need 200 million ringgit (US$58 million; euro42 million) to replant trees and restore heavily logged forests that are home to thousands of orangutans on Borneo island, a news report said Sunday.
Forest rehabilitation efforts will focus on 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of logged jungles that are considered the "crown jewels" of environmental diversity in Malaysia's Sabah state in Borneo, Sabah Forestry Director Sam Mannan was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.
An environmental restoration and management plan for the Ulu Semaga-Malua forests will be finalized by the end of 2007, requiring at least 200 million ringgit of funds from the federal government and private donors, Mannan added.
Conservationists say rain forests in Malaysia and neighboring Indonesia have increasingly shrunk in recent decades because of the spread of the timber industry and palm oil plantations. Malaysian officials have played down these concerns, saying that the clearing of forests is monitored and controlled under environmental protection laws.
The key objective of Sabah's forest rehabilitation plan is the conservation of 3,000 orangutans in Ulu Semaga-Malua, which also contains a wide array of wildlife and plants, Mannan reportedly said.
Sabah Forestry Department officials could not immediately be reached to confirm the report.
Wildlife experts have estimated that 13,000 orangutans live in the wild in Sabah, accounting for one-fifth of their total population. Sabah's forests are also home to other rare animals such as Bornean pygmy elephants and Sumatran rhinos.
A recent United Nations report said oil palm plantations are expanding so fast in Malaysia and Indonesia that almost no virgin forest will remain by 2022. If that happens, the orangutan could be virtually extinct in five years, it said.
Forest rehabilitation efforts will focus on 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of logged jungles that are considered the "crown jewels" of environmental diversity in Malaysia's Sabah state in Borneo, Sabah Forestry Director Sam Mannan was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.
An environmental restoration and management plan for the Ulu Semaga-Malua forests will be finalized by the end of 2007, requiring at least 200 million ringgit of funds from the federal government and private donors, Mannan added.
Conservationists say rain forests in Malaysia and neighboring Indonesia have increasingly shrunk in recent decades because of the spread of the timber industry and palm oil plantations. Malaysian officials have played down these concerns, saying that the clearing of forests is monitored and controlled under environmental protection laws.
The key objective of Sabah's forest rehabilitation plan is the conservation of 3,000 orangutans in Ulu Semaga-Malua, which also contains a wide array of wildlife and plants, Mannan reportedly said.
Sabah Forestry Department officials could not immediately be reached to confirm the report.
Wildlife experts have estimated that 13,000 orangutans live in the wild in Sabah, accounting for one-fifth of their total population. Sabah's forests are also home to other rare animals such as Bornean pygmy elephants and Sumatran rhinos.
A recent United Nations report said oil palm plantations are expanding so fast in Malaysia and Indonesia that almost no virgin forest will remain by 2022. If that happens, the orangutan could be virtually extinct in five years, it said.
Malaysia calls for sustainable expansion of palm oil plantations
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia: Expansion of palm oil industry — which many hope will provide the fuel of the future — must be sustainable, environmentally-friendly and protect local communities, Malaysia's deputy prime minister said in a speech Tuesday.
Since the 1990s, the area under palm oil cultivation globally has increased by 43 percent, mostly in Malaysia and Indonesia, the world's No. 1 and No. 2 exporters of palm oil respectively.
"Based on current trends, the oil palm industry is set to continue to grow to satisfy global demand," Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a speech prepared for him at a bio-fuel conference. "However, it is important that the expansion be sustainable."
Najib did not attend the conference and his speech was read out a senior official of the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry, S. Vijayaratnam.
In the speech, Najib said it is necessary to develop a globally acceptable definition of sustainable palm oil production and use, as well as to implement better management practices.
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He noted that development of new plantations has led to cutting down large areas of forests, threatening rich biodiversity in their ecosystems. Also, use of fire to clear land for plantations has contributed to forest fires and haze. The clearing of vast tracts of land has also led to social conflicts between local communities and project proponents, he said.
While Malaysian palm oil is produced using sustainable practices, the "industry is open to collaboration to enhance its high standards," the speech said.
To underscore its seriousness, Malaysia has launched a Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund with an anticipated outlay of 20 million ringgit (US$5.6 million; €4.2 million), he said.
The organization will fund ideas and proposals to enhance biodiversity linked to palm oil production worldwide, he said.
Palm oil and other bio-fuels are being touted as the fuel of the future to replace fossil fuels including petroleum.
Because bio-fuels emit 80 percent less emissions than fossil fuels, "the future is becoming clear," Najib said. "As oil prices continue to soar and supplies become depleted, bio-fuels are looking more appealing as an alternative transport fuel."
The government introduced a National Biofuel Policy in 2005, aiming to reduce gasoline imports and to shore up palm oil prices during periods of low export demand. The diesel-palm oil blend has been used in recent years to power selected electricity generators here.
Palm-oil blended diesel is a technologically proven fuel.
Officials announced last week that three Malaysian government-linked palm oil companies planned to merge to create the world's biggest palm oil business worth around 31.4 billion ringgit (US$8.66 billion; €6.5 billion). Shareholders have yet to approve the proposal.
Since the 1990s, the area under palm oil cultivation globally has increased by 43 percent, mostly in Malaysia and Indonesia, the world's No. 1 and No. 2 exporters of palm oil respectively.
"Based on current trends, the oil palm industry is set to continue to grow to satisfy global demand," Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said in a speech prepared for him at a bio-fuel conference. "However, it is important that the expansion be sustainable."
Najib did not attend the conference and his speech was read out a senior official of the Plantation Industries and Commodities Ministry, S. Vijayaratnam.
In the speech, Najib said it is necessary to develop a globally acceptable definition of sustainable palm oil production and use, as well as to implement better management practices.
Today in Business
Microsoft rejected in antitrust appealA rush to cash out of Northern RockEU takes second look at the bloc's safety regulations
He noted that development of new plantations has led to cutting down large areas of forests, threatening rich biodiversity in their ecosystems. Also, use of fire to clear land for plantations has contributed to forest fires and haze. The clearing of vast tracts of land has also led to social conflicts between local communities and project proponents, he said.
While Malaysian palm oil is produced using sustainable practices, the "industry is open to collaboration to enhance its high standards," the speech said.
To underscore its seriousness, Malaysia has launched a Palm Oil Wildlife Conservation Fund with an anticipated outlay of 20 million ringgit (US$5.6 million; €4.2 million), he said.
The organization will fund ideas and proposals to enhance biodiversity linked to palm oil production worldwide, he said.
Palm oil and other bio-fuels are being touted as the fuel of the future to replace fossil fuels including petroleum.
Because bio-fuels emit 80 percent less emissions than fossil fuels, "the future is becoming clear," Najib said. "As oil prices continue to soar and supplies become depleted, bio-fuels are looking more appealing as an alternative transport fuel."
The government introduced a National Biofuel Policy in 2005, aiming to reduce gasoline imports and to shore up palm oil prices during periods of low export demand. The diesel-palm oil blend has been used in recent years to power selected electricity generators here.
Palm-oil blended diesel is a technologically proven fuel.
Officials announced last week that three Malaysian government-linked palm oil companies planned to merge to create the world's biggest palm oil business worth around 31.4 billion ringgit (US$8.66 billion; €6.5 billion). Shareholders have yet to approve the proposal.
'Buy palm oil plantations, save biodiversity'
Nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) campaigning for the environment should acquire small tracts of palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia say Lian Pin Koh and David S. Wilcove in this Nature article.
They argue that the profits gained could be used to establish a network of privately-owned forest nature reserves for biodiversity conservation.
Campaigners claim that palm oil expansion in the two countries is destroying tropical forests and threatening many species, such as orang-utans, in biodiversity hotspots.
Palm oil producers deny the charge, arguing that palm oil is cultivated in disturbed forests or existing cropland.
The authors say that NGOs do not fully grasp the socioeconomic reality in Indonesia and Malaysia — Malaysia's Palm Oil Board estimates plantations provide 500,000 jobs in the country — while growers don't fully appreciate the threat to South-East Asia's unique biodiversity or the potential to rehabilitate disturbed habitats.
For the buy-up proposal to work, NGOs would have to collaborate with large conservation donor groups to fund the initial investments. And, say the authors, an alliance with the local palm oil industry would provide a win-win situation for both sides, providing the NGOs with operational expertise for the plantations and enhancing the corporate image of the industry.
They argue that the profits gained could be used to establish a network of privately-owned forest nature reserves for biodiversity conservation.
Campaigners claim that palm oil expansion in the two countries is destroying tropical forests and threatening many species, such as orang-utans, in biodiversity hotspots.
Palm oil producers deny the charge, arguing that palm oil is cultivated in disturbed forests or existing cropland.
The authors say that NGOs do not fully grasp the socioeconomic reality in Indonesia and Malaysia — Malaysia's Palm Oil Board estimates plantations provide 500,000 jobs in the country — while growers don't fully appreciate the threat to South-East Asia's unique biodiversity or the potential to rehabilitate disturbed habitats.
For the buy-up proposal to work, NGOs would have to collaborate with large conservation donor groups to fund the initial investments. And, say the authors, an alliance with the local palm oil industry would provide a win-win situation for both sides, providing the NGOs with operational expertise for the plantations and enhancing the corporate image of the industry.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Malaysia Biodiversity
According to this article, Malaysia’s International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Rafidah Aziz has said that “the Malaysian workforce has acquired skills and knowledge to move up the value chain, thus laying the foundation for growth and development of skills and knowledge-based industries,” and that Malaysian and U.S. companies can work synergistically together in emerging high-tech fields such as nanotechnology, micro-electromechanical systems, wireless technology, photonics, and alternative sources of energy. Rafidah is currently in the U.S. leading a delegation on trade and investment. She said, “U.S. pharmaceutical companies are encouraged to take advantage of investment opportunities in innovator drugs, active pharmaceutical ingredients, vaccines, inhalation products and novel delivery systems,” adding that research and development in Malaysia’s pharmaceutical industry has produced value-added products and created the potential for high growth in both domestic and export markets. Rafidah also said that Malaysia’s vast biodiversity and experience with traditional and complementary medicines can contribute to pharmaceutical and nutraceutical research and development. Malaysia is also pursuing new opportunities in information and communication technology and food and agricultural biotechnology. Rafidah said, “Partnership with Malaysia can be a way [for U.S. companies] to gain further access into markets in the Middle East, Asean and other countries with a sizeable Muslim population.” She elaborated that the global market for halal food was worth an estimated US$500 billion last year. Other potential areas for work in these sectors, she said, include health food, processed local tropical fruits for niche markets, natural food ingredients from fruits and vegetables, cocoa related products, and palm oil-based products
Peninsular Malaysian peat swamp forests
The Peninsular Malaysian Peat Swamp Forests, though not as diverse in species as the surrounding lowland rain forests, are home to many of Malaysia's endangered species. Asian elephants, Sumatran rhinoceros, tigers, clouded leopards, and Malayan tapir all inhabit these rapidly shrinking forests.
Location and General Description This ecoregion represents the disjunct peat swamp forests in peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand. Based on the Köppen climate zone system, this ecoregion falls in the tropical wet climate zone.
The peat swamp forests of peninsular Malaysia have edaphic and vegetative characteristics similar to those in Sumatra and Borneo. The soil is infertile and primarily organic matter. Peat deposits found behind mangroves are recent in origin. They are formed when rivers drain into the inland edge of a mangrove and trap the sediments within their tangle of roots. As these areas build up, they flood less frequently. The peat deposits can extend between 50 centimeters (cm) and 20 meters (m). Because peat swamps are not drained by flooding, they are acidic (pH usually is less than 4) and nutrient deficient. Compared with other lowland rain forest ecoregions, peat forests are not as species-rich and have fewer endemic species.
The ecoregion plays a significant role in acting as a sink for water from surrounding habitat. The edge of this forest is characterized by strangler figs (Ficus spp.), whose fruits provide an important source of food for many of the mammal, bird, and fish species. The vegetation is not dominated by a single dipterocarp (such as Shorea albida in Borneo), but Shorea macrophylla (bintangor) is an important timber tree. Pandan and the sealingwax palm (Cyrtostachys lakka) give the understory a characteristic appearance.
Biodiversity FeaturesThe freshwater swamp forest, fauna is much more diverse than the fauna of peat swamp forests, being more similar to lowland rain forests. Many of the characteristic species of lowland rain forests are also found here. There are five large endangered mammals found in this ecoregion: the tiger (Panthera tigris), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), and clouded leopard (Pardofelis nebulosa). The avifauna is not as diverse as that of the Malaysian lowland rain forests and does not include any endemic species, but the grey-headed fish eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus and brown fish owl Ketupa zeylonensis are thought to be specialists in this habitat. The importance of peat swamp forest for freshwater biodiversity, and in particular small fish diversity (e.g., species of Betta), has recently been demonstrated by surveys by Wetlands International.
Current StatusMore than half of this small ecoregion has been cleared or degraded. Most of the remaining habitat is found along the eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia. The ecoregion does not receive any formal protection. These forests did not escape the pervasive forest fires that raged through Malaysia and Indonesia in 1997-1998.
Types and Severity of Threats These forests are threatened by logging, tin mining, and clearance for agriculture including rice, rubber, coconut, and oil palm. Coastal swamp forests continue to be cleared for development, and drainage of neighboring land can draw down the water table. Until recently water extraction has been an unlicensed activity; attention has been drawn to this problem by water use for eel farming in Pahang. The combination of disturbance, lowering of the water table, and surrounding activities has increased risks of fire; significant areas near the Pahang coast were burnt in 1997-1998.
Justification of Ecoregion DelineationThe Peninsular Malaysian Rain Forests ecoregion represents the large extent of the lowland broadleaf rain forests extending south of the Kangar-Pattani line to Singapore. The tropical montane evergreen moist forests above 1,000 m were placed in the Peninsular Malaysian Montane Rain Forests. We also extracted the large areas of peat swamp forests along the coast of peninsular Malaysia into the Peninsular Malaysian Peat Swamp Forests. Thus, we created three ecoregions within MacKinnon's Malay Peninsular subunit (07a). Udvardy combined all of Borneo into the Borneo biogeographic province
Location and General Description This ecoregion represents the disjunct peat swamp forests in peninsular Malaysia and southern Thailand. Based on the Köppen climate zone system, this ecoregion falls in the tropical wet climate zone.
The peat swamp forests of peninsular Malaysia have edaphic and vegetative characteristics similar to those in Sumatra and Borneo. The soil is infertile and primarily organic matter. Peat deposits found behind mangroves are recent in origin. They are formed when rivers drain into the inland edge of a mangrove and trap the sediments within their tangle of roots. As these areas build up, they flood less frequently. The peat deposits can extend between 50 centimeters (cm) and 20 meters (m). Because peat swamps are not drained by flooding, they are acidic (pH usually is less than 4) and nutrient deficient. Compared with other lowland rain forest ecoregions, peat forests are not as species-rich and have fewer endemic species.
The ecoregion plays a significant role in acting as a sink for water from surrounding habitat. The edge of this forest is characterized by strangler figs (Ficus spp.), whose fruits provide an important source of food for many of the mammal, bird, and fish species. The vegetation is not dominated by a single dipterocarp (such as Shorea albida in Borneo), but Shorea macrophylla (bintangor) is an important timber tree. Pandan and the sealingwax palm (Cyrtostachys lakka) give the understory a characteristic appearance.
Biodiversity FeaturesThe freshwater swamp forest, fauna is much more diverse than the fauna of peat swamp forests, being more similar to lowland rain forests. Many of the characteristic species of lowland rain forests are also found here. There are five large endangered mammals found in this ecoregion: the tiger (Panthera tigris), Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), Sumatran rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis), Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus), and clouded leopard (Pardofelis nebulosa). The avifauna is not as diverse as that of the Malaysian lowland rain forests and does not include any endemic species, but the grey-headed fish eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus and brown fish owl Ketupa zeylonensis are thought to be specialists in this habitat. The importance of peat swamp forest for freshwater biodiversity, and in particular small fish diversity (e.g., species of Betta), has recently been demonstrated by surveys by Wetlands International.
Current StatusMore than half of this small ecoregion has been cleared or degraded. Most of the remaining habitat is found along the eastern coast of peninsular Malaysia. The ecoregion does not receive any formal protection. These forests did not escape the pervasive forest fires that raged through Malaysia and Indonesia in 1997-1998.
Types and Severity of Threats These forests are threatened by logging, tin mining, and clearance for agriculture including rice, rubber, coconut, and oil palm. Coastal swamp forests continue to be cleared for development, and drainage of neighboring land can draw down the water table. Until recently water extraction has been an unlicensed activity; attention has been drawn to this problem by water use for eel farming in Pahang. The combination of disturbance, lowering of the water table, and surrounding activities has increased risks of fire; significant areas near the Pahang coast were burnt in 1997-1998.
Justification of Ecoregion DelineationThe Peninsular Malaysian Rain Forests ecoregion represents the large extent of the lowland broadleaf rain forests extending south of the Kangar-Pattani line to Singapore. The tropical montane evergreen moist forests above 1,000 m were placed in the Peninsular Malaysian Montane Rain Forests. We also extracted the large areas of peat swamp forests along the coast of peninsular Malaysia into the Peninsular Malaysian Peat Swamp Forests. Thus, we created three ecoregions within MacKinnon's Malay Peninsular subunit (07a). Udvardy combined all of Borneo into the Borneo biogeographic province
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