By DailyDayak Team
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 9: Sabah and Sarawak, which are home to 12,000 species of flora and fauna representing more than 80 per cent of Malaysia’s known species, will receive greater conservation support under Budget 2027, with the government increasing the Ecological Fiscal Transfer (EFT) allocation to RM270 million.
Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim said Malaysia was among the 17 countries in the world richest in flora and fauna, with nearly 70 per cent of the world’s known species found in the country, when he tabled the Budget 2027 at Dewan Rakyat today.
He said Malaysia had maintained nearly 18 million hectares of forest, covering 54.4 per cent of its total land area, exceeding its commitment made at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit to preserve at least 50 per cent.
As of 2025, nearly 4,000 hectares of mangrove and coastal forest had also been restored through the planting of more than 9.3 million mangrove trees and other suitable species.
The government will also allocate RM65 million to support about 2,500 community rangers, including Orang Asli, military veterans, and retired police personnel, in protecting the country’s biodiversity.
The funding will cover building and maintaining ranger posts for patrol operations.
Meanwhile, RM15 million collected through a cess imposed on the palm oil industry will be channelled towards conservation efforts, prioritising threatened habitats and species, including the Malayan tiger, Bornean elephant and orangutan.
To protect marine life, the government will introduce a programme to purchase old fishing nets to prevent discarded nets from endangering marine wildlife.
Public sewerage systems in Pulau Tuba, Langkawi, Redang and Tioman will also be upgraded. —DayakDaily
