Natives fear destruction of virgin forests due to big-scale logging

NATIVES living near the Mulu National Park, a world heritage site in interior northern Sarawak, are worried that big-scale logging affecting virgin forests will be carried out to facilitate the construction of a proposed Miri to Mulu highway.

Environmental cum social activist Willie Kajan, who is a local in Mulu, said his community learnt that big areas of forests will be earmarked for logging to clear land for the Miri-Mulu highway construction.

"This is not acceptable. We do not want to see big portions of our forests cleared by the state government just because they want to build the highway.

"If building the Miri to Mulu highway requires cutting down big areas of forests, we local natives of Mulu will protest.

"We think it will be best to just build a small trunk road that is tar-sealed and not a big highway that will involve clearing big sections of our forests," he said.

Kajan said the locals have already said they will not allow any blasting of rocks or cutting of hillslopes in the proposed Miri to Mulu road project.

On Nov 21, it was reported that the highway linking Miri to the world heritage site Mulu National Park measuring about 200 km long will be constructed to facilitate easier travelling for tourists visiting the biggest cave systems in the world.

The proposal for this project had been endorsed by the State Legislative Assembly, said Miri Mayor Adam Yii.

The highway is estimated to cost RM3.6 billion.

Yii, who is also State Assemblyman for Pujut, said the route for the Miri-Mulu highway will be separate from the Sarawak-Sabah highway by-passing Brunei.

"The Miri to Mulu highway will go through the Marudi district, while the Sarawak to Sabah highway bypassing Brunei will go through the Telang Usan area.

"The main purpose of building the Miri to Mulu highway is to boost tourism and socio-economic activities.

"However, the highway will not encroach into the Mulu National Park as it will finish at the fringe of the park and tourists will be ferried into the park using boats," he had said.

Yii said Miri City will become the gateway into Mulu when the highway is constructed.

At present, the only way to get to Mulu is via flights on small aircraft from Miri or using river transportation.

Sarawak has two world heritage sites -Mulu and Niah National Park - and both are located in northern Sarawak. - December 12, 2024