An overview of illegal logging situation in Peninsular Malaysia

The trends of illegal logging and current situation of illegal logging in
Peninsular Malaysia were studies. Data and information from year 2001 to
2010 on volume of log productions (m3
) and volume of illegal log
productions were collected from the government and private sectors such as
the Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia (FDPM), International Tropical
Timber Organization (ITTO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
The data obtained were statistically analyzed using the correlation analysis to
determine the direction and the strength of the relationship between log
productions and illegal log productions. The results showed that the trends of
illegal logging are on the increased. Eighteen percents (18%) of the logs cut
annually are obtained from illegal operation. The log productions and illegal
log productions resulted have a weak negative relationship as r = -0.271, p =
0.603 and do not significantly related. The illegal log productions are
inversely related with the log productions. It can be concluded that the log
productions in Peninsular Malaysia occurred in a small scale and the situation
is under control. Proper long-term planning needs to be generated and
implemented to prevent the problem from becoming worse.