25-year forest master plan being formulated by Sabah, says Hajiji

KOTA KINABALU: A 25-year Forest Master Plan is being put in place by the Sabah government that will be a comprehensive guide for the direction of the state’s long-term forest resources management.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the plan that encompassed the Sabah Forest Policy 2018, would not only focus on forest reserves but also forest areas within state land and alienated lands.

He said the State Forestry Department had taken various proactive measures to protect Sabah’s forest, and since 1997, the Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) concept has been fully implemented in Sabah.

“Sustained efforts in creating a balance of socio-economic development and environmental conservation through rationalisation of land use should be continuously implemented as an alternative new and sustainable income generation for Sabah.

“This includes exploring various initiatives which can support forest conservation programme through non-timber-based income generation (Forest Beyond Timber),” he said at the Heart of Borneo International Conference: An Ecosystem That Provides held here Wednesday (Aug 23).

His speech was read by Deputy Chief Minister I/Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

Hajiji said the Sabah government was committed towards the conservation of its natural resources through protected areas in line with the objectives of the Heart of Borneo Initiative.

“I am happy to see that the International Conference on HoB today has brought together various stakeholders and individuals from all over the world to work together in environmental conservation efforts.

“Since the declaration of the Heart of Borneo Initiative in 2007, the Sabah government, through the Sabah Forestry Department, has made much progress in conservation.

“More than 27% of the state’s land area or about 2.0 million hectares have been gazetted as Totally Protected Areas (TPAs), and 75 per cent of the TPAs are located within the boundaries of Sabah’s Heart of Borneo,” he added.

The Sabah government was also committed to expanding the size of the TPA to 30% of Sabah’s land area by 2025, Hajiji said, adding the state was fully committed to support the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) for enhanced climate actions and would continue to promote the strong linkages between climate change and sustainable development by mainstreaming climate change-related actions into Sabah’s development agenda.

“Sabah is also committed to implementing necessary mitigation actions, as well as adaptation actions, across all sectors to support the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) that Malaysia has set under the Paris Agreement by 2030,” he said.