By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Nov 5: Sarawak wants the federal government to help counter negative overseas perceptions of its environmental conservation efforts by giving greater international exposure to the State’s achievements.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said Sarawak’s efforts to protect its forests, biodiversity and natural resources were not being adequately communicated to the international community.
“Some of the netizens, especially in Europe, they have this perception that we are doing nothing and that we are destroying our forests, our biodiversity, our flora and fauna,” he said.
Awang Tengah, who is also Minister of International Trade and Investment as well as Second Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development, further said Sarawak had achieved much in conservation and environmental management, but acknowledged that more needed to be done to communicate these efforts internationally.
He called on the federal government, particularly the relevant ministry, to help promote Sarawak’s environmental achievements overseas and address the negative perceptions.
“The federal government, through the relevant ministry in Malaysia, has an important role to play in promoting what we have done because there is a gap between our achievements and how we are perceived overseas.
“They have a negative perception of us, when in fact we have achieved a great deal and, in some aspects, have done even better than some European countries,” he stressed.
Sarawak has maintained 7.64 million hectares of forest cover, representing 62 per cent of its total land area, while 71 Totally Protected Areas (TPAs) covering 870,000 hectares have been gazetted.
The State has also planted 65 million trees between 2021 and 2026 under its Greening Sarawak initiative, exceeding its initial target of 35 million trees. Another 50 million trees are planned by 2030.
Awang Tengah also highlighted Sarawak’s significant contribution to the Heart of Borneo initiative, a conservation programme involving Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei to protect the island’s forests.
Additionally, he said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had praised Sarawak’s efforts in managing its natural resources and addressing haze issues during a meeting related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Awang Tengah was speaking at the 2026 Sarawak-level National Environment Day (HASN) celebration at The Waterfront Hotel here today.
Meanwhile, Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) Sarawak Controller Datu Jack Liam said the agency was strengthening Sarawak’s environmental governance through the newly launched Sarawak Environmental Policy, which provides a strategic framework to ensure economic development goes hand in hand with environmental protection and social inclusion.
The policy covers four strategic areas — environmental management, climate change, social inclusion and public responsibility, as well as research, education and public awareness — supported by 11 pillars, 41 targets and 111 action plans, in line with the Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 (PCDS 2030) and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said NREB had also developed Phase One of its Greenhouse Gases Management System (GHG-MS) this year to facilitate greenhouse gas emissions reporting and applications for Consent on Flaring and Venting, supporting Sarawak’s aspiration to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
On environmental education, Jack said the number of Environmental Awareness Clubs (Kelab PALS) in Sarawak schools had increased to 1,098 as of October 2026, compared with 675 in 2025, bringing the State closer to its target of establishing 1,466 clubs across all schools by 2027.
He added that NREB had introduced the e-PALS system to facilitate online grant applications, application status checks and activity reporting, while the initiative had also received several recognitions at national and international award platforms this year.
In conjunction with HASN 2026, NREB organised six programmes, namely the Seminar on Empowering Community and Village Leaders (KMKK) in Limbang, Lawas and Tanjung Manis; Environmental Education Conference 2026, which drew 450 international participants; Sarawak Youth Green Programme 2026, involving 120 participants; Sarawak Youth Green Innovation Competition 2026; “Green Careers, Greener Future” Exhibition; and Environmental Article Awards 2026.
Also present at the opening ceremony were Deputy Minister for Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment, Datuk Len Talif Salleh; Deputy Minister for International Trade, Industry and Investment, Datuk Malcom Mussen Lamoh; Deputy Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government I Datuk Dr Penguang Manggil; Deputy Minister for Energy and Environmental Sustainability, Datuk Dr Hazland Abang Hipni; and Malaysia’s Department of Environment (DOE) Deputy Director-General (Development) Azuri Azizah Saedon. — DayakDaily
