Malaysia (deforestation)

• what percentage of Malaysia is covered by rainforests?

  • 67%
• When was Malaysia the largest exporter of tropical wood?

  1980s
• What is subsistence farming?

  • farmers only produce enough food for themselves and their family
• what is 'slash and burn'

  • use of fire to clear land
• What is Malaysia the world's last exporter of?

  Palm oil
• Why did the population living in Malaysian forests grow, and by how much?

  • Government sponsored transmigration programmes as population in urban areas was increasing too much
  • 1956 - 1980s 15,000 square km of rainforest was converted for settlers
• Which mineral does Malaysia have high reserves of?

  • Bauxite
• Name a dam in Malaysia

  Bakun Dam
• How much land did Bakun Dam flood?

  700km
• How does deforestation affect carbon dioxide levels?

  Felled trees leave carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
• What percentage of global carbon dioxide do Malaysian rainforests absorb?

  30%
• How does deforestation in Malaysia affect the climate?

  • Evaporation (transpiration) in trees cools the air and releases moisture
  • No trees - less moisture, so a hotter and drier climate
• How does deforestation affect the soil?

  • Less trees mean there is less interception of rain
  • The heavy rain hits the forest floor and washes away the nutrients on top
  • Infertile soil is left exposed
• How does deforestation increase the income?

  • Palm oil can be traded overseas
  • Companies working in tropical rainforests pay taxes
  • Mining, farming and hydroelectric power provide jobs and income
• How can deforestation lead to decreased income in the long term?

  • Pollution of water sources is costly
  • Environmental degradation is expensive
  • tourism may drop as there will be less biodiversity
• Between 2000 - 2014 what percentage of the forest's forest cover was lost?

  14%
• What did many migrants do in Malaysia that was harmful to the environment?

  set up plantations