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By Ashley Sim and Shikin Louis
KUCHING, June 12: Murum Protected Forest covering 7,236 hectares (ha) and the 907 ha Bakam Forest Reserve have been gazetted as Permanent Forest Estates (PFEs) this year.
Forestry Department Sarawak (FDS) director Datu Hamden Mohamad said this aligns with the Sarawak government’s intention to increase the total land gazetted as PFEs to six million hectares in the future.
“Sarawak has 62 per cent of its landmass, or approximately 7.65 million ha, under forest cover. Out of that, 3.95 million ha are gazetted as PFEs, and more than 872,000 ha of land are gazetted as Totally Protected Areas (TPAs).
“Up until May 2023, the State government has newly gazetted the Murum Protected Forest (7,236 ha) and Bakam Forest Reserve (907 ha), so this means that we have a total of 117 PFEs in the State right now.
“This means that Sarawak has contributed the most to total forest cover in Malaysia, which is 42.4 per cent,” he said during the opening of Forest Conservation Conference 2023 held at Imperial Hotel today.
Besides being a production forest, PFEs are also important for preserving biological diversity, non-timber forest products, water catchment areas, and recreational activities to support conservation activities outside TPAs.
“PFEs also have the potential to be designated as a carbon storage area,” Hamden added.
At the same time, he elaborated that Amenity Forests (recreational forests) are now classified as part of the permanent forest in Sarawak and intended for research, educational, and recreational purposes.
The new classification was listed under the Forests Ordinance 2015 through the Forest (Amendment) Bill 2022 to enhance community participation in promoting forest preservation and sustainable use.
He also mentioned that under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP), Sarawak had received a substantial amount of RM68 million for FDS projects in the State. Under the 12MP, the estimated funding approved is about RM 97,619,000.
Additionally, he informed that the Auditor-General’s (AG) Report titled ‘Auditan Khas Pengurusan Hutan dan Impak Kepada Alam Sekitar’ that was presented at Dewan Rakyat on February 16, 2023, recognised and affirmed that the forested areas in Sarawak are being managed sustainably.
The Conference was officiated by the Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg.
Amongst those present were Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan; Malaysian Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC) Dato Sri Huang Tiong Sii; Deputy Minister of Energy and Environmental Sustainability Sarawak (MEESTY) Dr Hazland Abang Hipni; Ministry of Natural Resources and Urban Development (MUDeNR) permanent secretary Datu Zaidi Mahdi; and NRECC deputy secretary-general Abdul Wahid Abu Salim. — DayakDaily
