CHIEF Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor wants the State Forestry Department to revisit the Forest Enactment 1968 to include a new classification of forest reserve for the community.
“This is to encourage the local communities to get involved in forest conservation efforts, in addition to future settlement consideration for them according to their needs and suitability,” he said.
Speaking at the Forestry Appreciation ceremony at Magellan Sutera Resort in Kota Kinabalu on June 26, the Chief Minister said the State Government fully supported the State Forestry Department’s efforts in protecting, preserving and conserving the forests in Sabah.
After the State Legislative Assembly passed the amendments to the Forest Enactment recently, he said the State’s permanent forest reserve will increase to 566.57 hectares.
Hajiji said 3.575 million hectares of forests in Sabah are totally protected now compared to last year’s 3.574 million hectares, adding that this represented 64 per cent of the State’s land mass.
The Chief Minister wants the State Forestry Department to step up efforts to protect Sabah’s forest through various measures, among them through the Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative that began in 2007 and the Forest Beyond Timber initiative which explores the potential of generating non-timber revenue from the forest as an alternative to creating new revenue for the State.
“These efforts are essential to support forest conservation through the transition from dependence on the supply of timber resources from virgin forests to non-timber-based income.
“This transition will help Sabah to maintain the percentage of forest cover. Therefore, I hope these conservation efforts will continue with enthusiasm, tenacity and dedication so that Sabah’s forest treasures will continue to be preserved,” he said.
At the appreciation night, 24 Sustainable Forest Management Licence Agreement (SFMLA) licence holders and 13 Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) area managers received this year’s accreditation certificate from the State Forestry Department for compliance achievement.
The Chief Minister hoped the certification would further motivate the SFMLA concessionaires and SFM area managers to achieve this year’s target.
