25/09/05 KOTA TINGGI, (NSPT - A world-renowned paradise for bird watchersat the foothills of Gunung Panti here is being devastated by loggersclearing the forest to plant oil palm.The area is within a designated permanent forest reserve. However, theloggers hired by two companies have been wantonly cutting trees forseveral months now.

This devastation is particularly evident at a spot about 10km in theinterior of the Kota Tinggi-Mersing road.

This area, known as Bunker Trail, according to bird watchers, used to be asanctuary for rare birds such as the Black Hornbill (Anthracocerosmalayanus), Garnet Pitta (Pitta granatina), Straw- headed Bulbul(Pycnonotus zeylanicus), Asian Fairy-bluebird (Irena puella) andWhite-rumped Sharma (Copsycus malabaricus).

Many of the hillslopes in the area have already been logged, withcaterpillar tractor and excavator wheel tracks everywhere. A barricade atthe entrance of the site keeps out the public.

There is also an abandoned sand mining area nearby, which is now marked byunsightly mining pools.

A contract worker met at the project area said the two companies,including one from Singapore, have been actively engaged in forestclearing works for oil palm planting for some time now.

On the bird sanctuary, he said there were fewer birds since the trees werecut down.

When an NST team left the area yesterday after taking photographs, aforest ranger said permission was needed to enter, claiming the area was arestricted zone.

Meanwhile, a web site on the Panti bird sanctuary set up by Singaporeanbird watching enthusiast Paul Huang, carries the announcement that thesanctuary is closed to the public. Huang said the Johor ForestryDepartment had put up signs notifying the public that it was an offence toenter.

The web site has a picture gallery featuring hundreds of rare birds foundat the Panti Forest. Huang hopes the gallery will generate appreciationfor the Panti Forest fauna and lead to its conservation.

Biologist Cagan H. Sekercioglu from the Department of Biological SciencesCentre for Conservation Biology, Stanford University, said in his messageon the web site: "This is the most depressing thing I have heard in all myyears of birding.

"I’ve been thinking that I need to prioritise Southeast Asia because ofthe rapid rate of forest loss and this confirms my worst fears.

"Ironically, I am coming to Singapore to work on a paper on the future ofbiodiversity in Southeast Asia, to predict what it will look like with allthe deforestation.

"I cannot believe with all the birding interest, no one tried to lobby theMalaysian Government. Can’t they charge a fee from the birders in exchangefor preservation? That is the kind of solution I recommend in my paper."

Meanwhile, Malaysia Nature Society Johor branch adviser Vincent Chow said:"The Bunker Trail is an important, internationally known birding site andthe onus is on the State Government to gazette the whole Panti Forest as anational park as soon as possible.

"More damage could be done even to other animal species as the area isextremely rich in biodiversity, being part of the migratory route of smalland large mammals within the Panti area, with links to the Endau-RompinNational Park."