OVER 40,000ha of mangrove forest has been lost since 2017, underscoring the serious decline of one of Malaysia’s key ecosystems.
The Natural Resources and Environment Sustainability Ministry said the current mangrove forest inventory is 586,548ha, accounting for about 3.26% of Malaysia’s total forested area, a notable decline from the 629,038ha recorded in 2017.
It said this significant reduction of nearly 42,500ha over eight years was caused by a combination of natural and human-induced factors.
“Natural factors include coastal erosion, while human-induced factors include land-use conversion for coastal infrastructure development, aquaculture activities and agriculture.
“However, the percentage of destruction by sector varies by state, and requires detailed land-use data from the respective state authorities,” it said in a parliamentary written reply dated Monday.
To counter this, the ministry said, it has implemented a national mangrove and coastal tree planting programme as part of its reforestation efforts for the mangrove ecosystem.
“To date, more than 3,800ha of coastal areas have been successfully restored with the planting of over nine million trees.
“The ministry, through the Forestry Department, has also implemented and enforced strict controls on mangrove areas gazetted as Permanent Forest Reserves to prohibit any development.
“The only development allowed would be for urgent public interest purposes and after an Environmental Impact Assessment is conducted,” it added in response to a question from Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok) on the main causes of mangrove forest destruction nationwide.
