By Jaythaleela K
MIRI, Nov 2: Sarawak Forestry will continue to establish smart partnerships with local and foreign bodies in research and funding for sustainable forest development.
State Forest director Datu Hamden Mohammad said the Sarawak government has placed strong commitment to introduce innovative approaches and enhance forest protection resources.
“We need to create collaboration with local and foreign agencies through smart partnership to protect our forest for the benefit of the future generations.
“I believe via this collaborations, it will provide a platform or opportunity for the department (Forestry) to receive technical support, research and funding for sustainable forest development,” he said at the Sarawak Forestry dinner here in conjunction with its 100th anniversary.
Nearly 200 department staff from Miri and Limbang attended the gathering.
Hamden cited smart partnership with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, Unesco World Heritage Site and the Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative among others.
He said that under the HoB initiative, the state forestry received a grant totalling RM26.24 million from the federal government under the 11th Malaysia Plan. The grant was channelled through the Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources.
Under the same initiative, he added that the department was also awarded US$500,000 by the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WSC) and 2.72 million euros from the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Hamden said under the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Sarawak Forest Department is expected to receive a grant amounting of US$7.368 million, which would be shared with Sabah, in April next year. — DayakDaily
