Kesan penyahhutanan ke atas pola suhu dan kelembapan bandingan di Cameron Highlands, Malaysia: Satu analisis awal (The impact of deforestation on the patterns of temperature and relative humidity in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia: A preliminary analysis)

Abstract

Sumbangan perubahan guna tanah akibat penyahhutanan kepada peningkatan gas karbon dioksida atmosfera adalah salah satu ketidakpastian besar dalam kajian perubahan iklim dan merupakan punca gas karbon dioksida antropogenik kedua terbesar selepas pembakaran api fosil. Terdapat kekurangan kajian
tentang penyahhutanan di kawasan hutan tropika rantau Asia Tenggara dan kesannya kepada perubahan iklim. Justeru, kajian ini cuba menganalisis kesan perubahan guna tanah akibat penyahhutanan di kawasan Cameron Highlands, Pahang ke atas sistem iklim tempatan. Data parameter cuaca untuk tempoh 36 tahun (1970-2006) diperolehi daripada Jabatan Meteorologi Malaysia manakala data guna tanah dibekalkan oleh Jabatan Pertanian Cameron Highlands (1970-2006). Data diproses menggunakan Microsoft excel dan dianalisis menggunakan kaedah statistik mudah seperti regresi linear, koefisien korelasi dan peratusan.  Umumnya, hasil kajian mendapati berlaku peningkatan suhu sekitar 0.9C di stesen MARDI manakala di stesen Tanah Rata hanya sekitar 0.1C. Peningkatan suhu ini selari dengan perubahan pola guna tanah di Cameron Highlands iaitu dari kawasan hutan menjadi kawasan bandar dan agrikultur. Kadar kelembapan  bandingan juga menurun terutamanya di stesen MARDI di pekan Tanah Rata. Penyahhutanan yang berlaku ini memberi kesan kepada fenomena perubahan iklim di Cameron Highlands dan seterusnya menjejaskan sedikit industri pelancongan kawasan tanah tinggi. Oleh itu, satu usaha melestarikan pembangunan di Cameron Highlands amat diperlukan bagi menjamin industri pelancongan terus maju di kawasan peranginan tanah tinggi ini pada masa hadapan.

Katakunci: agrikultur, kelembapan bandingan, litupan hutan, penyahhutanan, perubahan iklim, pola guna
tanah

Land use change caused by deforestation is the second biggest source of carbon dioxide after fossil fuel  combustion and is one of the biggest uncertainties in climate studies. Yet, in South East Asia studies on deforestation and its effects on climate change are still lacking. To bridge the literature gap, this study analyses the effect of land use changes due to deforestation in Malaysia’s Cameron Highlands on the local climate system. Climate data for a period of 36 years (1970 - 2006) were obtained from the Malaysian Meteorological Department while land use data were provided by the Agricultural Department of Cameron Highlands (1970 - 2006). The data were processed by using Microsoft Excel and analysed with simple statistical methods, such as linear regression, coefficient of correlation and percentage. Generally, the results showed that there was a rise in temperature of around 0.9ºC in the MARDI station and a 0.1ºC rise near the Tanah Rata station. The temperature increment was in line with the change in land use patterns in Cameron Highlands, from densely forested areas into urban and agricultural areas. Relative humidity had also decreased particularly at the MARDI station, Tanah Rata town. Deforestation had affected the climate of Cameron Highlands and had had a negative impact on the highlands tourism industry. A more sustainable development is thus necessary for Cameron Highlands to ensure the continued flourishing of its tourism industry.

Keywords: agriculture, climate change, deforestation, forest cover, land use pattern, relative humidity