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Brunei-Malaysia border visible from space

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Google Maps satellite images show that most of the oil-rich nation’s territory is a darker shade of green.

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Free Malaysia Today
The majority of Brunei’s territory appears to be a darker shade of green compared with Malaysia’s. (Google Maps pic)

Brunei is a strangely shaped country, with a large swathe of Malaysian territory separating the western and eastern districts of the oil-rich nation.

Even more unusual is that its borders are discernible from space. Google Maps satellite images show that the majority of Brunei’s territory appears to be a darker shade of green than Malaysia’s.

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Another view of the border between the two countries. (Google Maps pic)

The reason for this is logging.

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Note how the jungle on the Brunei side remains relatively pristine. (Google Maps pic)

The above close-up of a section of the border reveals a tell-tale maze of dirt logging roads on the Malaysian side, built to extract fallen trees.

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Neat rows of oil palm trees have replaced the rainforest on the Malaysian side. (Google Maps pic)

Why the big difference in land usage between the two countries? Conservationists would argue that Brunei has done a better job in protecting its forests by adhering to the following:

  • Reducing the number of licensed logging operators;
  • Increasing the area of gazetted forests to 55% of the total land area;
  • Enforcing laws with regular patrols by forest rangers;
  • Banning the export of raw logs and sawn timber, and limiting exports to finished and semi-finished products such as furniture components, doors and frames.

Economists, on the other hand, might point out that Brunei is so oil-rich – forestry only contributed a minuscule 0.14% of GDP in 2018 – that it does not need to exploit its forest resources as aggressively as Malaysia.

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Logging activity is to blame for the difference between Malaysia and Brunei’s forests.

Furthermore, Brunei’s pampered citizens enjoy generous handouts from the government such as free education, healthcare, pensions, housing schemes, subsidised petrol and utilities.

Given these perks, there is less incentive for Bruneians to earn a living doing dangerous work in a steaming jungle.

Either way, these images show clear evidence of deforestation in Malaysia. Hopefully efforts by local conservationists will lead to more controlled logging activity for the sake of the nation’s ecological future.

This article first appeared in Malaysia Traveller.

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