Merbau dipilih sebagai Pokok Kebangsaan Malaysia

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Merbau dipilih Pokok Kebangsaan
Fairul Asmaini Mohd Pilus


Dr Mahathir menandatangani plak pelancaran Pokok Kebangsaan selepas majlis perasmian pameran ‘Hutan Kita’ 2019. FOTO Mohd Yusni Ariffin

POKOK Merbau (Malacca teak atau Intsia palembanica) dipilih sebagai Pokok Kebangsaan.

Pengumuman itu dilakukan Perdana Menteri, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ketika berucap merasmikan Pameran Hutan Kita di Menara Kuala Lumpur hari ini.

Menurutnya, beliau percaya rakyat Malaysia akan menerima pokok Merbau sebagai salah satu simbol kebanggaan negara.

Dalam pada itu, Menteri Air, Tanah dan Sumber Asli, Dr Xavier Jayakumar berkata, pokok Merbau dipilih sebagai lambang keutuhan integriti hutan negara.

Katanya, ia hasil pengurusan secara mampan serta usaha pemuliharaan khazanah biodiversiti Malaysia.

“Malaysia adalah antara 12 negara yang paling kaya dengan biodiversiti yang mana hampir 70 peratus spesis dunia terdapat di negara ini.

“Selain itu, dianggarkan lebih 15,000 spesis tumbuhan vaskular dengan anggaran 8,300 terdapat di Semenanjung manakala 12,000 lagi Sabah dan Sarawak.

“Justeru pemilihan pokok Merbau ini secara tidak langsung menjadi simbol kepentingan hutan kepada pembangunan industri dan ekonomi negara,” katanya pada sidang media selepas perasmian Pameran Hutan Kita.

Dalam pada itu, Xavier berkata, Pameran Hutan Kita akan berlangsung sehingga 22 September ini dan ia adalah salah satu inisiatif di bawah Program Konservasi Hutan Kita 2019-2020.

“Pameran itu juga sejajar dengan komitmen negara ketika Sidang Kemuncak Bumi di Rio de Janeiro, Brazil pada 1992 iaitu untuk mengekalkan sekurang-kurangnya 50 peratus daripada keluasan tanah negara di bawah litupan hutan.

“Lebih istimewa, Pameran Hutan Kita turut berjaya mencipta rekod kebangsaan dan diiktiraf Malaysia Book of Records sebagai Pameran Spesis Pokok Hutan Hujan Tropika Terbesar dengan lebih 850 spesis dipamerkan,” katanya.

Orang ramai dijemput hadir ke pameran itu dan masuk adalah percuma.

Artikel ini disiarkan pada : Jumaat, 23 Ogos 2019 @ 11:18 AM

sharlenetexas

Pada awal pembukaan UTM Skudai, kolej kediaman diberi nama sempena nama pokok balak. Salah satunya Merbau. Lepas tu ditukar nama sempena nama2 tokoh negara. Ingat tak sis @dua_chzy

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Merbau now Malaysia's national tree


Merbau trees are coming under increasing threat from loggers. - Bernama

By Veena Babulal
August 23, 2019 @ 5:24pm
KUALA LUMPUR: Capable of towering up to 50m in height, the Merbau, one of the tallest trees in the tropical region, is now officially Malaysia’s national tree.

In announcing this, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the merbau could become a symbol of national pride.

“I would like to take the opportunity to announce that the merbau tree (Malacca teak) has been chosen as our national tree.

“With its hardy nature, I believe that all Malaysians can take the merbau as a symbol of national pride,” he said while opening the “Hutan Kita” exhibition at the Kuala Lumpur Tower here.

Meanwhile, Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Dr A. Xavier Jayakumar said the merbau was chosen as it could be found across Peninsular Malaysia as well as Sabah and Sarawak. “The hardwood tree that stands tall, towering, strong and big was selected as a symbol of the integrity of the nation’s forests as a result of sustainable management and the conservation of the Malaysian biodiversity,” he said.

He said the tree, which is known by the scientific name Intsia palembanica, was also a symbol of the importance of forests to the country’s industries and economy.

However, the tree is coming under increasing threat from loggers.

In his speech, Dr Mahathir also reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to maintain at least 50 per cent of its land area under forest cover to honour its pledge made during the Rio Earth Summit in Brazil in 1992.

“At the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, as the prime minister back then, I made a pledge that Malaysia is committed to maintain at least 50 percent of our land mass under forest cover.

“Today, almost three decades later, I am proud to announce that we have not reneged on that pledge.”

He said Malaysia’s forest cover was currently at 55.3 per cent or 18.28 million hectares of its total land area, exceeding the government’s initial commitment made during the summit.

This, said the prime minister, represented the nation’s will and commitment to conserve and sustainably manage its forest as well as its flora and fauna.

He said it also represented Malaysia’s ability to not only keep its word to global partners but outdo its own expectations.

“Our forest cover today is even far higher than that of most large European countries, including France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.”

He said despite Malaysia’s economic growth and rapid urbanisation, maintaining its forests and making existing agricultural land more productive to meet increasing demand could not have been achieved without adopting pragmatic, progressive and sustainable development policies.

The Land Conservation Act, 1960, Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the National Forestry Act, 1984 were instrumental articles of legislation which provided the legal framework covering every aspect, including land use, wildlife protection, administration and conservation of forests.

However, Dr Mahathir said Malaysia has been accused of putting its need for development before the needs of its forests, drawing on the exploitation of deforestation by palm oil lobbyists.

“The claims linking palm oil to deforestation is baseless, unfair and unjustified.

“These claims bring a negative impact to Malaysia, which depends highly on the palm oil industry to raise the socioeconomic well-being of our people in order to help us achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

“It also has significant detrimental effects on oil palm growers, which include 650,000 smallholders as well as another 1.5 million people employed throughout the palm oil supply chain,” he said.

Dr Mahathir said Malaysia’s palm oil industry was developed in a sustainable and responsible manner to ensure that it did not cause environmental degradation as well as avoid unsustainable practices such as destruction of forests and wildlife habitats as per the SDGs.

The “Hutan Kita — Journey through our Rainforest” exhibition is being held at the Tower Terrace of the Kuala Lumpur Tower from tomorrow until Sept 22. It is organised by the Water, Land and Natural Resources Ministry.

The exhibition is an initiative under the Our Forest Conservation Programme 2019-2020 that showcases the richness of the country’s forests as well as efforts implemented for forest preservation and conservation.

It has set a national record as the largest exhibition of tropical rainforest trees with 850 species of tropical rainforest trees on display, and has gained recognition in the Malaysia Book of Records.

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'Having a national tree could backfire'

By New Straits Times
August 25, 2019 @ 10:50am

KUALA LUMPUR: While the selection of the Merbau as Malaysia’s national tree could spark sustainable environment management efforts, equal attention should be given to the conservation of the nation’s forests as a whole.

Environmentalists believe that although there are plenty of positives to be gained from having a national tree, it could backfire via certain sectors planting the Merbau purely for its high commercial value.

Environmental Protection Society of Malaysia vice-president Randolph Jeremiah said while it was a positive move, more needed to be done for the forests.

“It is our hope that our forests are accorded recognition and protection due to their uniqueness and importance as habitats for wildlife and water resources.

“In a conscious effort to create sustainability, the federal government should allocate resources to ensure that state governments carry out this responsibility, and improve land use management practices.”

Jeremiah said authorities should secure remaining state land forests through gazettement as forest reserves and prevent any degazettement of existing forest reserves unless for critical use.

“We need to enrich existing forest reserves with natural species while limiting conversion to non-native tree plantations.”

EcoKnights president Yasmin Rasyid said while declaring Merbau as the national tree could spark a positive conservation movement, it might make it more lucrative for certain sectors to start planting Merbau due its high commercial value.

“In this instance, conservation is probably a by-product if the economic model for Merbau plantation can be established, if there is one.

“This move could very well be a stepping stone in raising awareness of local indigenous trees. Secondly, using Merbau as a flagship species can help protect other vulnerable flora and fauna in the forest area.”

However, Centre for Environment, Technology and Development Malaysia (Cetdem) chairman Gurmit Singh said he did not see the significance of having a national tree unless it was to prevent it from being logged.

“Does this mean that the Merbau will be on the list of trees that can’t be logged?

“Why was this particular tree chosen in the first place?

“There should have been a public vote on which tree is selected, just like we do with national logos.”

He cautioned that having a national tree without guidelines or restrictions could be risky.

“What if all the Merbau trees are logged and eventually disappear? Does that mean we don’t have a national tree? If you are going to have something of national significance, you must have rules and regulations to protect it. There must be enforcement in place.”

Capable of growing up to 50m in height, the Merbau is one of the tallest trees in the tropical region. The tree, known by its scientific name Intsia palembanica, is under increasing threat from loggers.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir, in announcing the Merbau’s status as a national tree on Friday, had reaffirmed Malaysia’s commitment to maintain at least 50 per cent of its land area under forest cover to honour its pledge at the Rio Earth Summit in Brazil in 1992.

Malaysia’s forest cover is currently at 55.3 per cent or 18.28 million hectares of its total land area, exceeding the government’s initial commitment at the summit.

diggerr

Nice sharing

dua_chzy

sharlenetexas replied at 25-8-2019 07:12 PM
Pada awal pembukaan UTM Skudai, kolej kediaman diberi nama sempena nama pokok balak. Salah satunya M ...

Oooo patut la hada nama Arked Meranti, Arked Cengal segala. Zaman aiol, Merbau dah takda.

Aiol ingat lagik kot. Cer terai dari Kolej 1 yakni KRP.

KRP - Kolej Rahman Putra
KTF - Kolej Tun Fatimah
KTR - Kolej Tun Razak
KTHO - Kolej Tun Hussein Onn
KTC - Kolej Tunku Canselor
KTDI - Kolej Tun Dr. Ismail

Tu ja ai ingat. Pehtu Kolej 9-16 ntah ape dah nama. Yang ai hengat kolej 12 ka 13, Kolej Datin Sri Hendon jah.

KSDS (Kolej Siswa Desa Skudai) tak termasuk since dah lama aruah ya.

emasgunung

dua_chzy replied at 25-8-2019 09:31 PM
Oooo patut la hada nama Arked Meranti, Arked Cengal segala. Zaman aiol, Merbau dah takda.

Aiol ...

KRP - Meranti
KTF - Belian
KTR -
KTHO -
KTDI -
KTC - Kempas

Merbau, Cengal, Resak tak sure yang mana

dua_chzy

emasgunung replied at 25-8-2019 10:11 PM
KRP - Meranti
KTF - Belian
KTR -

Ho la... Yang akak aware, KRP tu ja. Lelain tak tahu lansung sebab tam diwar-warkan pon zaman blaja dolu.

paperchase

Item kebangsaan:

*Lagu -  Negaraku, 1957
*Ideologi -  Rukun Negara, 1970
*Bunga -  Bunga Raya, 1960 ( terpilih dari shortlisted 7 bunga iaitu Kenanga, Raya, Melur, Teratai, Mawar, Cempaka, Tanjung)
*Bendera - Jalur Gemilang,  1997 (terpilih dari shortlisted Jalur Gemilang, Jalur Nusa Gemilang dan Jalur Sinar Gemilang)
*Kereta -  Proton,  Perodua

Ok,  minta sambung ya...

sharlenetexas

emasgunung replied at 25-8-2019 10:11 PM
KRP - Meranti
KTF - Belian
KTR -

Iols masih ingat pusat komputer resak. Company cina guna nama resak. Resak ni ktdi kan?

syadq

Idea untuk ada pokok kebangsaan sebabnya bunga kebangsaan kita bukan native species.

tripleid

teringat novel Seorang Tua di Kaki Gunung karya Azizi Abdullah

anastasia7

Akhirnya merbau. Haritu dengar2 tualang

kasibiman

paperchase replied at 25-8-2019 11:24 PM
Item kebangsaan:

*Lagu -  Negaraku, 1957

Yadda yadda.

Mentenen out.

Sayang sekali nak tgk bunga raya skang dah Susah bkn mcm dulu

Artemesiaa

Moga ia terus terpeliharan dan tak pupus sepenuhnya akibat pembalakan

zjen

paperchase replied at 25-8-2019 11:24 PM
Item kebangsaan:

*Lagu -  Negaraku, 1957

minatang kebangsaan -  rimau,  tapir
makanan kebangsaan -  nasi lemak ( belum lagi diiktiraf )
pakaian kebangsaan - baju Melayu,  kebaya  ...  barangkali akan tukar ke jubah
buah kebangsaan - nangka ... ?
seniman kebangsaan - P.Ramlee
tokoh politik kebangsaan -  Tengku ke Atok ... ?

Austranesia

kenape bukan pokok durian? takut indon claim ke?

ulamalu

kasibiman replied at 26-8-2019 02:02 PM
Yadda yadda.

Mentenen out.

Betul tu.   Tapi mmg cantik sgt bunga raya tu.  Sekolah rendah dan menengah kena tanam.

paperchase

zjen replied at 26-8-2019 06:45 PM
minatang kebangsaan -  rimau,  tapir
makanan kebangsaan -  nasi lemak ( belum lagi diiktiraf )
...

menara -  Menara Berkembar Petronas
tanjung -  Tanjung Piai,  Pontian,  Johor (titik paling akhir Benua Asia)