September 12, 2019 10:42 PMKUALA LUMPUR: Soaring Chinese demand for durians is turning into the next big threat to Malaysia’s depleted rainforest, a conservation expert said today.
“Durian seems to be becoming the next big threat,” he said at the organisation’s headquarters, a traditional, wooden Malay house nestled inside a lush forest garden outside Kuala Lumpur.He urged the government to stop demand for durian decimating Malaysia’s forests, saying checks needed introducing – and fast.
The government is counting on a 50% jump in exports by 2030 as it chases Thailand for a bigger share of the export market. But Malaysia is working on reforms to its decades-old forestry laws, and hopes to update these by next year to better protect its forests. Rather than planting durian trees on forest areas, farmers should be encouraged to replace older palms with durian, and mix their crops to defend against fluctuating prices, he said.Durian-flavoured foods include pizza, butter, salad dressing and milk; KFC has even added “durian exploding chicken nuggets” to its menu.
Under Malaysia’s constitution, forest management falls largely under state, not federal, control. This has led to economic interests taking priority over the environment and rights of indigenous people, green groups say.
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