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Timber and palm oil concessions may cost Malaysia 16% of its forests

Posted on June 3, 2024 |

Malaysia faces a significant threat to its remaining forests, risking a loss of 16% due to government concessions for timber and palm oil, which could breach its COP26 commitment to maintain 50% of forest and tree cover.

The area of at-risk forests has risen from 2.3 million hectares in 2023 to 3.2 million hectares this year.

Timber plantations pose the largest threat, accounting for over 76% of forest threats, often located in intact forests and overlapping with oil palm concessions.

Despite the FAO's definition of deforestation, targeting 2.3 million hectares for deforestation could reduce forest cover to 47.35%, below the COP26 commitment.

The overall forest loss of 3.2 million hectares equals the size of Pahang, Malaysia’s largest state, which, along with Sarawak, Sabah, and Kelantan, faces significant concession overlaps with natural forests.

Sarawak holds 68.2% of timber plantations in intact forests, much higher than Sabah at 16.1%; monoculture timber plantations pose the greatest risk.

Clearing 2.4 million hectares of timber plantations would emit 368 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, matching the UK's yearly emissions.

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