Conservator Of Forests Research Articles

New Scholarship

New Scholarship

Diaries of F. W. Foxworthy: Malaysia's First Forest Research Officer ed. by F. S. P. Ng

Reviewed by: Diaries of F. W. Foxworthy: Malaysia's First Forest Research Officer ed. by F. S. P. Ng Henry Barlow Diaries of F. W. Foxworthy: Malaysia's First Forest Research Officer F. S. P. Ng (ed.) Forest Research Institute Malaysia, 2018. FRIM Special Publication No. 26. 311 pp. Fred William Foxworthy (1878–1950) was a distinguished American forester who was recruited in January 1918 as the first Forest Research Officer in what was then [End Page 112] British Malaya. Originally appointed for two years, Foxworthy so enjoyed his job that he stayed on till 1932. This volume under review consists of his office diaries from 11 January 1918 to 31 December 1925. Unfortunately, the second diary, covering his later years in the post, has not been located. However, this volume provides a cornucopia of insights not only into the state of forestry in the Malay Peninsula, but also into other aspects of life at the time. Before his appointment to Malaya, Foxworthy had served since 1905 in forestry-associated appointments in the Philippines. He had moreover spent five months' leave in 1915–16 in British North Borneo doing forestry consultancy work. He therefore arrived in Kuala Lumpur with some extensive experience of Southeast Asian forestry. G. E. S. Cubitt, then Conservator of Forests of British Malaya, to whom he was answerable, was well pleased with the appointment. It represented a welcome commitment by the British Malaya administration to the care of the forests. As the diaries reveal, Foxworthy was a man of considerable energy. He spent much of his time on field expeditions to different parts of the Peninsula to review and enumerate the forest resources. In this work he also visited local Chinese logging and milling operations, frequently commenting unfavourably on the standards and efficiency of the work he observed. During his forays into the different reserves and forest areas, he made detailed notes of the species he observed and the quality of the trees. Unfortunately, in many cases he simply used generic Malay names, such as keruing, so it is not always obvious which species he was referring to. On the other hand, it must be borne in mind that up until Symington's classic Malayan Dipterocarps, published during the Japanese occupation, and Corner's Wayside Trees the taxonomy of Malayan trees was in some considerable disarray. Thus at one stage he refers to belian, an exclusively Bornean species, as occurring wild in the Peninsula. It is not clear what species he was referring to. Throughout his field expeditions, considerable care was taken to collect flowering and fruiting specimens for eventual identification, in cases of doubt, in Singapore. He made frequent visits there for this purpose. In the course of his official account of his work, a number of well-known names appear albeit fleetingly: botanists Henderson, Holttum, and Sir Richard Winstedt on the academic side. Perhaps Foxworthy's most important achievement was to locate Kepong as the site for the Forest Research Institute. He justified his choice in the diary entry of 1 October 1921. The land was eventually acquired from the Selangor State Government in 1925. Unfortunately, in the absence of the second volume, we have none of his comments on the design and construction of the buildings. The existing diary covers his visit to India in 1920 and, perhaps more significantly, a posting to Kelantan from 31 January to 6 April 1924. This was in connection with the Duff Development Corporation case. He left almost immediately to London, where he gave evidence in the court case, using the diaries from his Kelantan stint. These, unfortunately, are no longer available, and comments during his London visit are confined to brief entries noting the days on which he gave evidence. Much of the content of the diary in 1923–4 concerned the Malayan Forestry contribution to the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley. This involved the shipping to London of considerable tonnages of sample planks and forest produce: [End Page 113] rattan, gutta percha and different resins. During his London visit, he dropped by at Wembley on several occasions, commenting on the standards of exhibition of the forestry departments and other countries represented. Devotees of Fraser's...

Railways and the Exploitation of Victoria's Forests, 1880s–1920s

Railways made a large contribution to the expansion of Victoria's economy, and in the process enabled and drove environmental change. This article focuses on one industry, forestry. It first examines railway demand for timber in construction and maintenance, particularly for sleepers. This demand caused tensions – a bitter dispute in the 1890s between the Railways Department and the Conservator of Forests, George Perrin, over timber cut on state land led to uneasy co‐existence after the turn of the century. Railways not only required timber but also carried commercial quantities in bulk, providing forest industries with access to profitable markets – in particular firewood, the significance of which has been underappreciated previously. Forest products contributed substantially to railway revenue, representing a more stable source of income than other major categories of freight such as wheat, wool, and coal.

Validation of the name Semecarpus kathalekanensis (Anacardiaceae)

During field surveys in Brahmakarmali (North Goa, India) we collected Semecarpus kathalekanensis Dasappa & Swaminath (2000: 78). In order to confirm the identity of the specimens, we examined the protologue and realized that the name Semecarpus kathalekanensis was not validly published, because the authors failed to indicate the herbarium in which the type is conserved (art. 40.7 of the ICN, McNeill et al., 2012). The authors, however, provided a Latin description and indicated a single gathering “10 Jan. 1998, Dasappa 758-WGP” as the holotype. They also cited “Dasappa 1865-WGP” and “Dasappa 1890-WGP” as paratypes. We traced the original material at the Herbarium of Karnataka Forest Department’s Research and Utilization Division, Doresanipalya, Bangalore (Office of the Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Karnataka). So, the name Semecarpus kathalekanensis is validated here by reference to the previously published description by Dasappa & Swaminath (2000) and by indicating the herbarium in which the holotype is conserved.

The Secret of Shangri-La: Agricultural Travels and the Rise of Organic Farming Discourse

The Secret of Shangri-La: Agricultural Travels and the Rise of Organic Farming Discourse

Social Learning in Facing Challenges of Sustainable Development: A Case of Langat River Basin, Malaysia

This paper explains the findings of the research on implementation of integrated river basin management (IRBM) in Langat River Basin, Malaysia. This study utilized institutional analysis and development framework to identify institutional challenges associated with IRBM implementation in the study area. Three categories of action arena were defined and scope for stakeholder participation in decision making was identified. This analysis revealed that polycentric institutional arrangements under Federal administration are capable to coordinate and integrate river basin management by extending the scope for iterative learning processes that could address institutional challenges for adaptive and ecosystem based management approaches. Using stakeholder interview data, binary logit regression model and ordinal regression model analyses were carried out to find out present effect of influencing factors of IRBM implementation and outcome of present learning environment in study area. R value for these model analyses were 0.41 and 0.27 respectively at 1% significance level. It was found that social learning could significantly influence IRBM implementation in the study area (Odd ratio for social learning was 17.11). It has opened up scope for future research in the study area. Finding of this study is envisaged to be useful to those who are concerned to strategize IRBM and sustainable development and further research on LRB and elsewhere. 1 Assistant Conservator of Forests, Forest Department, Bangladesh and ExStudent, Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia; H/P: 008801716109454; E-mail: nobu_fd@yahoo.com; 2 Professor, Principal Fellow and Director, Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM BANGI, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Telephone: +603 8921 4149; H/P: +60192640682; Fax: +603 8925 5104; E-mail: mazlin@ukm.my; URL: http://www.ukm.my/lestari 3 Associate Professor, Hydrologist & GIS Modeling, School of Social, Development and Environmental Studies, FSSK, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM BANGI, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia. Tel: 603-8921 3648; H/P: 013-6526977; Fax: 603-8921 3334; Email: ikhwan@ukm.my;

Second record of Rhinolophus beddomei in Eastern Ghats, India

1 Assistant Conservator of Forests (Biodiversity), 3 Field Director, Project Tiger, 4 Field Research Assistant, ERM Laboratory, Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Sunnipenta, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh 518102, India. 2 (Corresponding author) Wildlife Biology Section, Department of Zoology, University College of Science, Osmania University, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500007, India. 2 Email: hyd2_masawa@sancharnet.in with web supplement

The Conservation and Utilisation of the Natural World: Silviculture in the Cape Colony, c. 1902-1910

Abstract The period between the culmination of the South African War in May 1902 and the Union of South Africa eight years later witnessed a significant phase in the development of the Cape's Forestry Department. The Colony's scientific foresters articulated a rhetoric of crisis, based on the assumption that global timber supplies were almost exhausted, in order to encourage politicians to take action to forestall an impending disaster. After the War, the conservation and extension of the country's dwindling woodlands was promoted as a key political issue by Jameson's Progressive Party, which held office from February 1904 to February 1908. The organisation of the Forest Department and the work it performed became the subject of government investigations in an endeavour to achieve silvatic self-sufficiency through the application of more systematic and scientific land management procedures. As a consequence, the Department was centralised under the Chief Conservator of Forests and nationally based conservation programmes, based on German precedents, were put into place. Protecting the trees and encouraging sustainability of yield involved the imposition of restrictions on felling and access to woodlands. This paper explores the ideology of forest conservation and the evolution of silviculture in the post bellum Cape, as well as the socio-economic impact of these policies, focusing in particular on African populations residing in the Eastern Cape and the impoverished woodcutters from the Knysna Forests.

Contemporary Cartography: Mapping dieback in the jarrah forest of Western Australia

This paper gives a brief description of the jarrah forest of Western Australia, the disease called ‘Jarrah Dieback’, early mapping of diseased areas, forest quarantine, low altitude 70 mm photography, interpretation and subsequent mapping. It is published with the consent of the Acting Conservator of Forests of Western Australia.

Four New Species of Terminalia L. (Combretaceae) from Melanesia

Revision of the genus Terminalia L. for the Department of Forests, Territory of Papua & New Guinea has revealed one new species from New Britain and New Ireland, one from the New Guinea mainland and two more from the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. At least one, T. archipelagi, is likely to be of considerable interest to the Territory's timber industry. Dr. A. W. Exell's account of Combretaceae (in Fl. Males., Ser. 1, 4(5): 533-628 (1954)) provides the invaluable framework for all studies of Terminalia in Melanesia. On it van Royen based Part i of the 'Foresters' Manual for Papua & New Guinea' which is now out of print. Since then, however, many new collections have been made, mostly by staff of the Forestry Department of the Territory, by C.S.I.R.O. Resources Survey staff based in Canberra, and by the Forestry Department of the British Solomon Islands Protectorate, principally Dr. T. C. Whitmore. The correlation of the Solomon Island material with that of Papua & New Guinea has forced us to reconsider the usages of some of the names published, which was not necessary for Flora Malesiana (and probably was not possible in 1954). A later paper will set out the details and reasons for the changes. We are grateful to the Conservator of Forests, Honiara, B.S.I.P., and the Government Botanist, Brisbane, for the loan of specimens, and to Mrs. Damaris Pearce, of the Division of Botany, Department of Forests, for her illustrations. I myself am grateful to my colleagues at the Division of Botany, particularly to the Chief of the Division, Mr. J. S. Womersley, for his considerable knowledge, experience and helpfulness, and to Messrs. E. E. Henty, A. N. Gillison and C. E. Ridsdale for their help and their enthusiasm in the field.

Rhinos Increase in Nepal

The Chitawan Wildlife Sanctuary in the Rapti River valley in Nepal together with the Mahendra National Park are the home of die great Indian rhinoceros, one of the world's endangered species. In 1959 and 1963 Mr. E. P. Gee, noted Indian conservationist, made surveys of the area, the second one at the request of the FPS; his reports published in ORYX (1959, V, 57, and 1963, VII, 67) drew attention to the decrease in the number of rhinos, due to poaching, from about 300 animals in 1959 to 160 in 1961, and the large amount of illegal settlement in the National Park. Mr. Willan, who is Chief Conservator of Forests in Nepal, continues the story since then with the encouraging news of the clearing of all illegal settlement from the park and also from the extension, the latter on the orders of HM King Mahendra, and the proper demarcation and accurate mapping of the sanctuary, which it is hoped will be created a National Park. Rhinos are now quite frequently seen, and between January and September this year 35 rhino calves were reported.

Opening remarks

First, I should like to say a word about the objects of the expedition. These were threefold. The most important one, of course, was to study an area of very great biological interest. The second was our belief that such a study would be of substantial aid to the Government in the plans which we understood they were making for the establishment of a National Park in the Mt Kinabalu region. This, I am glad to say, has in fact turned out to be the case. Our third object was to enlist the help of scientists living and working in that region in a co-operative enterprise in the hope that we might establish a tradition of scientific study of natural resources among the research and teaching staff of the Universities in the region. This again we were able to achieve in some measure and we hope to continue our co-operation in the next expedition. The expedition was led by Mr E. J. H. Corner, F. R. S., of the Botany School of Cambridge, and he was accompanied by Mr G. P. Askew of Newcastle, who took charge of the soil science investigations, and by Mr J. A. D. Stainton, who acted as photographer as well as a botanist. Mr Corner was also joined in the botanical work by Dr Chew Wee Lek from the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Professor J. L. Harrison, from the University of Singapore, was with the expedition for part of the time and studied small mammals and their parasites. Mr B. E. Smythies, Conservator of Forests in Sarawak, who is a prominent ornithologist, also spent some time with the expedition. The expedition was visited by interested people working in North Borneo, and this contributed substantially to the development of local understanding of the value of the area and of the scientific work that was being done in it.

Obituaries

WE regret to announce the following deaths : Mr. W. E. Copleston, C.S.I., formerly chief conservator of forests, Bombay, on December 1.

Colonial Service : Recent Appointments

THE following appointments in the Colonial Service have been recently announced : J. Chattaway, agricultral officer, Federation of Malaya ; W. R. Mills, agricultural chemist, Uganda ; C. C. Shapland, agricultural officer, Tanganyika ; J. R. Scobie, lecturer in mathematics, Technical Institute, Yaba, Nigeria ; W. M. Bagshaw, assistant conservator of forests, British Guiana ; J. M. Boyce and R. P. Farrer, assistant conservator of forests, Tanganyika ; I. Brett, assistant conservator of forests, Northern Rhodesia and Nyasaland ; G. W. G. Cottle, assistant conservator of forests, Fiji ; A. E. G. Storrs, assistant conservator of forests, Gold Coast ;. K. W. Trenaman and G. H. S. Wood, assistant conservators of forests, Uganda ; B. H. Baker, P. V. Caswell and J. M. Miller, geologists, Kenya ; J. V., Buller, geologist, Sierra Leone ; C. G. B. Du Bois and R. J. Johnson, geologist, Uganda; M. S. Garson, geologist, Nyasaland ; J. Hamilton and G. Henderson, geologists, British Guiana ; G. Jefford, mineralogist-chemist, Tanganyika ; D. W. Powell, geologist, Water Development Department, Tanganyika ; A. M. M. Spurr, geologist, Tanganyika ; F. J. H. Adcock, W. G. Midowicz and P. Peterson, assistant meterologists, Federation of Malaya ; A.me and Tsetse R. Green, veterinary officer, Tanganyika ; G. J. Hawkins, ranger (fisheries statistician), Department of GaControl, Northern Rhodesia ; R. T. Jarman, meteorological forecaster, Bermuda; F. I. Parnell, assistant director, Department of Game and Tsetse Control, Northern Rhodesia ; I. G. Watterston and G. S. Young, provincial tsetse officer, Tanganyika ; W. A. Stuart Williams, government statistician, Nigeria ; P. C. Chambers (senior agricultural officer, Kenya), director of agriculturtie, Cyprus; R. G. Heath (senior agricultural officer, Federation of Malaya), chief field officer, Federaon of Malaya ; W. J. M. Irving (senior agricultural officer, Uganda), assistant director of agriculture, Uganda ; J. C. Muir (director of agriculture, Tanganyika), member for agriculture and natural resources, Tanganyika ; C. C. Skeete (director of agriculture, Windward Islands), director of agriculture, Barbados ; F. H. Fi geological sutch (geologist, Federation of Malaya), senior geologist, Federation of Malaya; C. Raeburn (director ofrvey, ist, igeria ; H. M. Stuchbery (senior veterinary officer, Tanganyika), deputy director of veterinary serviceNiNgeria), commissioner on special duties, Nigeria ; H. D. Tonking (senior pathologist, Mauritius), pathologs, Nyasaland ; H. M. Johnston (malaria officer, JanjMca), malariologist, Jamaica.

Colonial Service: Recent Appointments

THE following appointments in the Colonial Service have been announced. D. L. Downie, botanist, Uganda ; T. B. Spence, agricultural officer, Kenya ; H. W. Ball, geologist, Nyasaland ; D. M. Corbett, veterinery officer, Tanganyika ; D. J. Burdon, assistant water engineer, geologist, Water Supply and Irrigation Department, Cyprus ; R. J. Garner, assistant meteorologist, Gold Coast ; D. K. Jones, agricultural research officer, Cyprus ; D. Moore, assistant conservator of forests, Trinidad ; H. V. H.

Colonial Service : Recent Appointments

THE following appointments in the Colonial Service have been announced : J. M. Hay, assistant chemist, Nigeria ; C. H. Tack, forest engineer, Uganda ; J. Greasy, veterinary officer, Tanganyika ; P. T. Heath veterinary officer, Uganda ; G. J. Bell, professinal assistant, Royal Observatory, Hong Kong ; R. J. Garner, assistant meteorologist, Gold Coast ; N. G. Lechmere-Guppy, assistant conservator of forests, British . Guiana ; A. P. Johnson, assistant meteorologist, Gambia ; N. Kirby, deputy Government chemist, Jamaica ; R. D. Pauwels, agricultural chemist, Kenya ; J. K. Cox (agricultural officer, North Borneo), senior agricultural officer, North Borneo ; J. Gordon (agricultural officer, Gold Coast), agricultural officer, North Borneo ; R. D. Linton I (senior agricultural officer, Tanganyika), deputy (director of agriculture, Gold Coast ; His Highness Tenghu Yaacob ibni al-marhum Sultan Abdul Hamid j (principal agricultural officer, Federation of Malaya), I State agricultural officer, Federation of Malaya ; J. F. Hughes (assistant conservator of forests, Tanganyika), forest utilization officer, Tanganyika; M. S. Parry (assistant conservator of forests, Tanganyika), sylviculturist, Tanganyika; Dr. J. H. Strahan (malaria research officer, Federation of Malaya), professor of social medicine and hygiene, Singapore; L. F. Robertson (senior veterinary officer, Palestine), veterinary officer, Tanganyika ; S. Simpson (senior veterinary officer, Gold Coast), director of veterinary services, Gold Coast; L. J. Chwatt (malariologist, Nigeria), senior malariologist, Nigeria ; K. V. Nicholls (meteorological officer, Federation of Malaya), meteorologist, East African High Commission ; G. K. Read (animal husbandry officer, Palestine), livestock officer, Tanganyika.

Colonial Service : Recent Appointments

THE following appointments in the Colonial. Service have been announced : J. S. Campbell, agricultural officer, Nigeria ; W. Galley, agricultural officer, Uganda ; W. Smith, agricultural officer, Gold Coast ; E. A. Edmonds, geologist, Gold Coast ; N. J. Guest, geologist, Tanganyika ; K. Taylor, geologist, Uganda ; R. B. Smith, agricultural officer, Trinidad ; J. H. Wheelan, assistant conservator of forests, Gold Coast ; J. D. Farquhar (assistant conservator of forests, Palestine), assistant conservator of forests, Tanganyika ; R. B. McConnell (geologist, Tanganyika), senior geologist, Nigeria. The following have been appointed assistant conservators of forests in the countries mentioned : M. F. H. Abraham (Kenya), M. C. Argyle (Kenya), J. H. Blower (Tanganyika), W. Carmichael (Tanganyika), D. M. Duggie (Gold Coast), W. G. Dyson (Kenya), C. A. Walker (Nigeria), F. Weston (Uganda).

Colonial Services: Recent Appointments

THE following appointments in the Colonial Services have been announced: J. S. Campbell, agricultural officer, Nigeria ; H. D. Matheson, agricultural officer, Federation of Malaya; D. J. Parsons, agricultural officer, Uganda ; J. B. D. Robinson, chemist, Department of Science and Agriculture, Barbados ; J. W. F. Chapman, assistant conservator of forests, Nigeria; D. A. Francis, assistant conservator of forests, Gold Coast; F. W. Binge, geologist, Kenya ; T. C. James, geologist, Tanganyika ; D. L. Searle, geologist, Kenya ; R. B. Smith, agricultural officer, Trinidad ; M. E. R. Taylor, assistant conservator of forests, British Guiana ; J. H. Wheelan, assistant conservator of forests, Gold Coast ; H. Gillman (agricultural officer, Tanganyika), senior agricultural officer, Tanganyika; R. Johns (agricultural adviser to the comptroller of development and Welfare, West Indies), deputy director of agriculture (regional), Nigeria; R. W. R. Miller (agricultural officer, Federation of Malaya), director of agriculture, Sarawak; A. Smith (rural education officer, Gold Coast), principal agricultural education officer, Gold Coast; F. E. Hughes (senior assistant conservator of forests, Gold Coast),. conservator of forests, Gold Coast.

Colonial Service : Appointments

THE following appointments have been made in the Colonial Service : I. G. Bulmer, to be assistant conservator of forests, Sierra Leone ; Captain A. T. Crow, to be geologist, Gold Coast ; Captain M. Maughan, to be computer, Lands, Mines and Surveys Department, Uganda ; C. A. Gibson-Hill, to be assistant curator, Raffles Museum, Singapore ; J. N. Milsum, senior agricultural officer, Malaya, to be chief field officer, Malaya ; R. G. H. Wilshaw, senior chemist, Malaya, to be chief research officer, Malaya ; H. C. King, assistant conservator of forests, Mauritius, to be senior assistant conservator of forests, Sierra Leone.

Some Ecological Observations on a Tropical Forest Type in the Gold Coast

From September to December 1944 the writer was preparing a Working Plan for the Bobiri Forest Reserve in Ashanti (Gold Coast), and in February and March 1945 revisited it to prepare profile diagrams of one of the forest types. The following observations are based on this work. The preparation of the profile diagrams was part of a larger project initiated by Capt. R. C. Marshall, Chief Conservator of Forests, with a view to determining whether a clear distinction and definition of the rather indefinite 'types' accepted by the Forest Department Staff could be drawn. It is hoped that the full results of this project will be published eventually as a Departmental Bulletin, but owing to shortage of staff this is likely to be deferred for some years. The writer has therefore taken advantage of his leave to prepare these notes on the observations made in the type in which he worked for comparison with the descriptions of other tropical forest types of Davis & Richards (1933, 1934) and Richards (1936, 1939). The methods suggested by Richards, Tansley & Watt (1939) were followed as far as circumstances allowed.