Concern over wanton tree-cutting
Published on: Thursday, July 31, 2014
Keningau: The District Council here has been urged not to chop down trees within the township as they please.Former Sabah Bingkor Reform Movement (APS) chief, Victor Leonardus (pic), said some trees have important historical value considering they have been there for more than 30 years and that the Council should preserve them instead.Such trees, he said, not only provide shade but also add to the aesthetic beauty of the landscape.
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"I don't understand why the Council needs to chop down the huge trees. They were planted in 1983 during a gotong royong," he said.He said the Council should at least take into account the public's opinion before they proceed in cutting down the decades old trees. In 1976, he said, the United Nations (UN) ordered Australian Scouts to plant 1.5 million trees as part of an effort to rehabilitate the environment worldwide. The following year, it was Africa's turn to plant three million trees.This effort was then emulated by countries around the world to replace the trees that have been felled. In 1990, the Scouts Conference in Paris urged scouts around the world to plant trees.
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At that time, there was a severe drought in Paris resulting in all the trees that were planted along the roads there to wilt and die.Several agriculture experts from eight countries conducted a meeting to revive the trees. The French Government also urged its people in Paris to plant trees and flowers and gave them subsidy to carry it out.
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From its efforts, Paris is now known as the "City of Flowers".In London, residents who planted trees were given subsidy by the government. But they must inform or apply with the local council before the trim or cut down trees. Hence, Victor hoped the Keningau District Council would not simply chop down trees.In KOTA KINABALU, City Hall has been chopping off the tops of trees along the section of Jalan Mat Salleh outside Tanjung Aru town per a request from airport authorities to do so.A spokesman for the agency said Malaysia Airports Bhd (MAB) had observed that these trees were in the flight path of some planes landing at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA)."The company has identified 10 trees which are a potential obstruction to air traffic," he said."Seven of this number are growing in common areas which are maintained by City Hall, the remainder belong to private landowners." He said the agency's workers only trimmed off the tops of three trees instead of chopping then down since beginning this work about a month ago."Our staff have been reminded to be mindful of the movement of pedestrians using the pavement below the trees at all times to ensure that passers-by are not injured by falling branches," he said. A MAB spokesman said efforts to reduce the height of trees was deemed necessary, considering that, of late, there had been more planes landing from the direction of City. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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