KUCHING, April 6: The Federal government will be working closely with Sarawak to ensure it meets its target of 50 per cent national forest coverage in line with the Rio Agreement 1992.
Sarawak Forest Department director Datu Hamden Mohammad said his meeting with Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad yesterday (April 5, 2023) would honour the promise of meeting the targetted number.
“Sarawak is the biggest contributor to the national forest coverage, taking up 44 per cent out of 54 per cent of forests in the whole of Malaysia.
“YB Minister (Nik Nazmi) therefore stressed the need to mobilise expertise and innovation to help Sarawak maintain that number.
“Initiatives such as SARABOM and COMOS, both of which received international recognition (Golden Award) during the Malaysian Technology Expo which took place from March 16 to 18, 2023 showed that this effort involving innovation and the latest technology had a positive impact on the preservation of forests in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG),” he said in a statement today.
Meanwhile, Hamden said Nik Nazmi also applauded Sarawak’s recent initiative to introduce forest police as well as Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg’s continuous support toward preserving the forests.
Hamden also reported in the meeting that the forest coverage in Sarawak as of Dec 31, 2021 is at 61.4 per cent of the region’s total land area.
Also present at the hour-long meeting were NRECC Deputy Minister Dato Sri Huang Tiong Sii, NRECC secretary-general Dato Rosli Isa, and the Supreme Management of the Ministry and the Department of Forestry, Semanjung Malaysia (JPSM). — DayakDaily
