The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has detected a surge in deforestation in Malaysia over the first quarter of 2014.
The agency’s satellite-based Quarterly Indicator of Cover Change (QUICC) recorded an alarming increase of 150% in the number of deforestation signals in Malaysia relative to a five-year baseline. The increase is second only to that occuring in Bolivia (162%) and is significantly higher than that of Panama (123%), Ecuador (115%), Cambodia (89%) and Nigeria (63%).
According to Mongabay, Christopher Potter, a senior research scientist at the NASA Ames Resarch Center and co-lead in the development of the QUICC system, highlighted Pahang and Negeri Sembilan as being new hotspots for Malaysia’s deforestation activities.
