LETTER TO THE EDITOR
EXPLORE ALTERNATIVES TO TREE-FELLING
As a Petaling Jaya resident, I am dismayed that
the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has made the decision to cut down over
1,100 trees for the construction of the Damansara-Shah Alam Highway (DASH).
Petaling Jaya residents were previously informed
that only 160 trees were identified for felling to make way for the highway
construction project. On 10th April 2017, the MBPJ confirmed that 1,100
trees of varying sizes will be felled for the highway project. Concerns are now
raised as to the final number of trees already felled and to be felled, the
basis for the increase in the number of trees felled, how the earlier evaluation
had been made and why the earlier number could not be adhered to, and who
stands to benefit from the felling of the trees.
Despite the fact that the highway developer
Prolintas is required to replant two trees for every tree felled, it is submitted
that these tree-planting efforts have only limited potential to reduce carbon
dioxide levels in the atmosphere, compared to if mature trees were left intact
and protected against disease and felling. The Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) averred in a special report in 2000 that tree-planting
initiatives could sequester only around 1.1 to 1.6 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide
(CO2) a year. Global greenhouse gas emissions, on the other hand, were equivalent
to 50 gigatonnes of CO2 in 2004. Although replanting and tree-planting initiatives
are better than no climate change mitigation efforts at all, the carbon
sequestered through replanting is almost negligible.
Further, as concerned citizens, we would like to
know where the developer and MBPJ propose to replant these 2,200 trees, the
variety and species of trees to be planted, whether the tree-planting sites
chosen will be afforded protection against land-clearing and future development
projects, and what level of care these new trees are expected to receive to
ensure their survival. Merely putting saplings into soil does not constitute
reforestation and climate change mitigation efforts. A tree will only begin to
be effective in absorbing CO2 in its 10th year. A 25-year-old tree
will be able to absorb approximately 0.0011 tonnes of CO2 over a year. Over 25
years, we would need 36 trees to offset just one tonne of CO2. Disease,
deforestation and reclamation of land for development will have an impact on
whether a tree survives for 50 years and beyond.
The DASH project was proposed
as a solution to traffic congestion in the Damansara area. However, any good it
proposes to effect by reducing traffic volume and travel distance is invalidated
by the destruction and damage to the environment caused in its construction.
Urban trees play a vital role in temperature regulation, floodwater and
stormwater absorption and pollution reduction, among others. Urban tree
canopies provide shade, oxygen, habitats for birds and wildlife and
recreational spaces for people. Felling mature trees and then pledging to ‘replace’
them is not the right approach. One cannot simply ‘replace’ a mature tree that
has been providing oxygen and other ecological services. In addition, the
felling of trees goes against the National Landscape Policy and defeats the
purpose of tree-planting and urban renewal campaigns.
The developer and MBPJ
should look into the possibility of realigning the highway construction plans to
minimise damage to the environment and reduce the number of trees to be felled,
and of relocating and transplanting the smaller and younger trees. It is clear
that despite the wishes of the public and the concerns of environmental
organisations, the developer and Selangor State Government fully intend to
press ahead with the construction of the DASH Highway. It is thus incumbent
upon the developer and State Government to take all measures necessary to
protect, preserve and retain the existing trees and to reduce the environmental
impact of the DASH Highway project.
WONG EE LYNN
COORDINATOR,
GREEN LIVING SPECIAL INTEREST GROUP,
MALAYSIAN NATURE SOCIETY
