Govt committed to holistic forest management plan
SARIKEI: The state government has put in place a holistic plan for forest management, knowing that forests mean a lot to Sarawakians, as well as to the international community.
According to Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, the government fully understands that the vast forest areas provide the people with ‘the ecosystem services’ such climate regulation, catchment protection, water supply, control over erosion, sedimentation and flooding.
“Our forests are also a source of economy in that they serve as the habitat for our rich flora and fauna, the place for recreation and also eco-tourism products. As such, the state government has committed itself to ensuring forest conservation would be accorded due attention and for restoration landscape in degraded forests to be carried out accordingly,” he spoke the statelevel ‘International Day of Forests 2018’ at SK Abang Haji Matahir here yesterday.
Adding on, he said sustainable management of forests would provide the state with natural source of water, which could be used to generate green energy for export, as well as to boost the state’s development programmes.
In this respect, Awang Tengah – also Second Minister of Urban Development and Natural Resources – said the state government had decided during a recent cabinet meeting to increase the size of water catchment area, dubbed as ‘Heart of Borneo’ (HOB), from 2.1 million hectares to 2.7 million hectares.
“HOB is meant to ensure sufficient water supply to feed Bakun, Baleh, Murum, Batang Ai and other dams,” he added.
According to Awang Tengah, the state government’s commitment in managing its forests holistically is reflected in the implementation and enforcement of various strategies such as Permanent Forest Estate (PFE), Totally Protect Area (TPA), curbing illegal logging activities, Sarawak Timber Legality Verification System (STLVS), and Sustainable forest Management (SFM).
On PFE, he said the target would be to increase the gazetted areas from the present 4.3 million hectares to six million hectares; while for TPA, the state government wanted to increase the coverage from 788,000 hectares to one million hectares.
“This is to ensure sustainable wellbeing of our flora and fauna.”
On STLVS, he said it is a system that covers the process of licensing, harvesting, transporting, manufacturing and trading of logs and timber products in accordance with the existing laws, regulations and procedures governing forests and timber trade in the state.
According to him, the state government has decided that by 2020, the issuance of logging licences in Sarawak must go through auditing by a third party in order to obtain the STLVS. It is said that by 2022, all logging licence holders in the state would be required to obtain forestry certification to prove that they practise sustainable forest management in their respective areas.
“We recognise the value and significance of our forests. That is why the Sarawak government is committed to ensuring that our forest resources are sustainably managed so that our timber industry would continue to be a major revenue contributor to Sarawak,” Awang Tengah said.
He also reminded all timber industry players to align themselves to these changes and be prepared to adopt new ways of doing things, including the usage of the latest technology, to ensure that the industry would remain relevant.
“The state government requires full commitment and cooperation from industry players to obtain forest management certification and statements of compliance for their respective concession areas in order to increase trust among buyers, especially those who would never compromise when it comes to requirements under sustainable forest management.”
Assistant Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datu Len Talif Salleh, Repok assemblyman Datuk Seri Huang Tiong Sii, Sarikei Resident Mohd Junaidi Mohidin, Forest Department deputy director-general Datuk Mohammad Ridza Awang, Forest Department Sarawak acting director Hamden Mohammad, and Urban Development and Natural Resources Ministry permanent secretary Dr Wan Liz Osman Wan Omar witnessed the launch ceremony.
Our forests are also a source of economy in that they serve as the habitat for our rich flora and fauna, the place for recreation and also eco-tourism products. As such, the state government has committed itself to ensuring forest conservation would be accorded due attention and for restoration landscape in degraded forests to be carried out accordingly. — Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan, Deputy Chief Minister