MALAYSIA’S Upper Phyllium bioculatum or Upper Forest Gray’s leaf insects are OVERALL commonly found in the Montane Hill Dipterocarp forests. Dipterocarp BIODIVERSITY Biodiversity Forest insects get their common Forest RICHNESS name because their large, leathery forewings GROUP ESTIMATED SPECIES Malaysia is recognised as one of have veins that look Mammals 307 Also known as Montane-Ericaceous Forests, they similar to the veins Upper Dipterocarp forests are found in the the world’s mega-diverse countries, occupy the few peaks that rise to an altitude of over on the particular type higher hills that range from 800 to 1,300 meters Birds 785 ranked 12 th in the world, according 1,500 meters in Malaysia. Trees found in this forest of leaves they inhabit. Reptiles 567 type are mainly dominated by low Rhododendrons - of the variety of Dipterocarp species found here, to the National Biodiversity Index Amphibians 242 often small in size, gnarled and stunted. Due to the including Bintangor (Calophyllum spp.), Damar under the Convention on Biological cold and damp misty conditions, the trees are often Minyak (Agathis borneensis), Meranti Sarang Marine Fishes 1,400 Punai Bukit (Shorea ovata) , Meranti Bukit (Shorea Freshwater Fishes 470 Diversity (CBD). tree species found in this forest are Ara ( Ficus spp.), platyclados), Keruing Bukit (Dipterocarpus costatus Gelam (Leptospermum spp.), Podo ( Podocarpus spp.), and D. retusus) and Rengas (Gluta spp.). Invertebrates 150,000 Samak ( Gordonia spp.) and Sempilor ( Dacrydium spp.). Vascular Plants 15,000 have evolved over 130 million years resulting in very Fungi 4,000 rich flora and fauna. Fauna diversity in Malaysia is very high, with 307 known species of wild mammals, Mosses 522 785 species of birds, 567 species of reptiles, 242 species of amphibians, 470 species of freshwater Hard Coral 612 Montane Hill fishes and more than 150,000 species of invertebrates. wide range of habitats including Malaysia’s plant or monkey cup is Source: National Policy on Biological Diversity 2016-2025 primary and secondary forests, mangroves, a genus of carnivorous plantations and the outskirts of towns and Oak plants that thrive in Dipterocarp warm days and cool, Forest Forest varied diet of fruits, leaves, small mammals, “monkey cup” refers to or reddish-brown primate which is easily the fact that monkeys identified by the length of its tail, has a noisy, have been observed called the Asian tapir, Oak-laurel forests, myrtle and other temperate staples such as the Hill Dipterocarp forests cover the greater part of aggressive temperament and sometimes drinking rainwater is the largest of the five magnolia, rhododendron, raspberry and an assortment of tree ferns, Malaysia’s inland mountain ranges that are 300 to species of tapir and the travels in large troupes of up to 30. from these plants. only one native to Asia. orchids, lichens and mosses are commonly found as we move to montane territory located at 1,200 to 1,500 meters altitude. Several the lowland and highland Dipterocarp forests lies in the light coloured patch species of birds like eagles, hawks and hornbills, flowers and insects the plant compositions, and these include Meranti that extends from its shoulder to its rear, and Seraya (Shorea curtisii) , Giam (Hopea spp.), Keruing black fur - make for an estimate lists around 15,000 species of vascular plants, with about 8,300 main tree species found in this forest are Mempening (Lithocarpus (Dipterocarpus spp.), Merawan (Hopea spp.), Mersawa excellent camouflage as species in Peninsular Malaysia, and about 12,000 species in Sabah and spp. and Quercus spp.), Berangan (Castanopsis spp.), species of (Anisoptera spp.) and Resak (Vatica spp.). the disrupted colouration makes it look like a rather Sarawak. Malaysia is extremely rich in palms, with more than 400 species Shorea and family of Lauraceae. Dipterocarp species are rare and only large rock when it is of which 70% are endemic to the country. a few species can be found here such as Keruing (Dipterocarpus spp.) lying down. and Resak (Vatica spp.). Source: National Policy on Biological Diversity 2016-2025 SELECTIVE MANAGEMENT Under the Sustainable Forests Understanding Forest Management Practice of Malaysia Malaysia’s Forests Upper Montane Dipterocarpaceae family, hence the term ‘Dipterocarp Forests’. 1 2 1,500 M Forest harvesting is Pre-felling inventory. based on Sustainable Forest Management known as Dipterocarpaceae , named because their fruits have Management practices trees are recorded seeds with two wings ( di = two; ptero = wing; carp = seed). Montane Oak Dry Inland Peat Swamp Mangrove Forest Forest Forest 1,200 M 3 Selective harvesting using directional felling to reduce impact takes place 93% 5% 2% according to national allowances Upper dipterocarp Forest timber sourced can be tracked at every stage of the supply chain, Malaysia’s forests not only provide a large variety right from the forest to the end product delivered to the consumer. Management It thus provides traceability for every piece of timber, and consumers of useful materials, ranging from medicinal plants are assured that the timber products that they purchased come from and food to fibre and timber, they are also a key & Harvesting sustainably managed forests. environmental asset, contributing to climatic stability, 750 M of the MTCS are benchmarked against an established international protecting water and soil resources and sustaining Malaysia has been practising Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) for sustainability standard. In this regard, the MTCS is the first tropical 4 5 more than a century. SFM is the wise management and use of forest timber certification scheme in the Asia Pacific region to be endorsed an astonishing spectrum of wildlife and plant species. resources in a manner that meets the country’s current requirements by the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC), Post-felling inventory, Regenerated forest without compromising on the needs of future generations. which is currently the largest forest certification system in the world. if necessary silvicultural after 25 –30 years Hill dipterocarp treatment is applied Malaysia is blessed with a rich ‘green heritage’ Todate, Malaysia stands tall as a nation with the largest area of MTCS/ stipulated quota, which is approved by the National Land Council. PEFC certified tropical forest in the Asia Pacific region with a total of consisting of lush tropical forests, national parks, 3.97 million hectares from 8 forest management units and 2 forest In the course of implementing the selective felling system, evolved to optimise an economic cut, the sustainability of the forests plantation management units. A total of more than 350 timber wildlife conservation sanctuaries and recreational Lowland dipterocarp Malaysia pays attention to related environment management and minimum cost for forest development. manufacturers and exporters have been awarded the certificate for practices such as reduced impact logging. Harvesting of chain-of-custody under the MTCS following independent assessments forest resources are conducted based on prescribed rules Malaysia’s SMS involves the selection of a management regime to by accredited certification bodies (CB) notified under the MTCS.* Freshwater/peatswamp & regulations which include: management, our forest resources continue to thrive. optimise not only the objectives of ecient and economic harvesting, *As of June 2016 300 M utilisation, reforestation and sustained yield but, more importantly, 1. to ensure that forest development is biologically, ecologically and environmentally sustainable. (see SMS illustration on the right) Today, 55.3% of Malaysia’s total land area remains Coastal vegetation trees that are big enough and suitable to be felled will be clearly marked. Mangroves CERTIFICATION development plans, land use and agricultural policies, Forest certification was introduced as a market-linked tool to 2. ‘Mother trees’ that produce seeds are also clearly marked promote SFM. For this purpose, a national voluntary Malaysian Timber as these must never be felled. Certification Scheme (MTCS) was established to provide for independent along with blueprints for the environment, biodiversity 3. After logging, a post-felling inventory is carried out by audit of forest management practices, assess the implementation of Forestry Department sta to determine the status of the conservation and forest management ensure that there SFM practices, and audit of timber companies to ascertain that the forest stand. is a balance between resource utilisation and nature timber products are sourced from sustainably managed forests. 4. Appropriate silvicultural treatments will be applied in conservation. the process of rehabilitating the logged-over forest area. through multi-stakeholder consultations and the certificates issued under the MTCS provide the assurance that the forest resources in the former state of eco-balance more quickly. country are being managed through the three pillars of sustainability MTCS gained 5. It may require another 25 – 30 years before that particular namely, economically viable (by encouraging responsible logging in international recognition forest compartment can be harvested again. By this time, the Permanent Reserved Forests), socially acceptable (by ensuring after being endorsed having had enough sunlight from the opening of the forest , , .. Copyright ©MTC holds the copyright the rights of the local indigenous communities are protected), and to all its contents,