49pc Sabah forest reserves permanent

Kota Kinabalu: The fourth publication of the "Fact Sheets of Forest Reserves in Sabah" has been released by the Forestry Department that provides current information on forest reserves in Sabah, including new gazettements, reclassifications and excisions as at Dec 31, 2014. According to Forestry Director Datuk Sam Mannan, about 3.6 million hectares or 49 per cent of the total Sabah's land mass have been gazetted as Permanent Forest Reserves (PFRs), which is governed by the Forest Enactment 1968 and placed under the jurisdiction of the Sabah Forestry Department. The Permanent Forest Reserves (PFRs) in Sabah are classified into seven classes based on their specific functions, to serve both economic and environmental purposes, he said in a statement here Wednesday.

The extent of the PFRs to date comprises Class I: Protection Forest (1,038,890 hectares), Class II: Commercial Forest (2,033,183 hectares), Class III: Domestic Forest (4,673 hectares), Class IV: Amenity Forest (12,409.45 hectares), Class V: Mangrove Forest (281,374.56 hectares), Class VI: Virgin Jungle Reserve (106,801.14 hectares), and Class VII: Wildlife Reserve (137,735.00 hectares), he said.

Mannan said the Totally Protected Areas (TPAs) which comprises PFRs Class I, VI & VII, including some 0.27 million hectares outside the PFRs that are gazetted under Sabah Parks, Wildlife Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation has reached 1,557,555.14 hectares or some 21 per cent of Sabah's land mass.

"The biggest contributor being the reclassification of forest reserves into Protected Class I forest reserves, which recorded an increase by 265,184 hectares since 2012.

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"More such areas will be identified in order to meet the State government's long term target of having 30 per cent of Sabah under TPAs within the next 10 years," he said.

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He said the publication would be a useful reference for anyone who shares the common interest in Conservation and Sustainable Forest Management in Sabah, especially to researchers, policy makers, and academicians.

Those interested may request a copy from the Public Relations and Innovation Division of the Sabah Forestry Department headquarters in Sandakan.

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

Try 1 month for RM 18.00

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