Sarawak deputy premier: 1.27 million ha certified under 13 Forest Management Units in state

KUCHING, May 26 — A total of 13 Forest Management Units (FMUs) with an area of 1.27 million ha have been certified as of May 10 this year, said Deputy Premier of Sarawak Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.

The Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development said another area of 94,966 ha involving six Forest Plantation Management Units (FPMUs) were also certified.

“The achievement of this forest certification status is important to prove that the forest management practised in Sarawak meets international standards and the timber products produced can be marketed competitively in the global market,” he said in his winding up speech in the august House today.

Awang Tengah said the achievement of this forest certification status can also enhance the image and reputation of Sarawak in managing and administering forests at the international level.

He said forest certification is an ongoing commitment of the Sarawak government in line with the aspirations of Post Covid-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, based on economic prosperity, social inclusion, and environmental sustainability.

He added that the government, on Sept 13, 2019, approved the Forest Management Certification Policy in Sarawak by making it mandatory for all long-term logging licensees to obtain forest management certification status.

On top of that, Awang Tengah said the Gabungan Parti Sarawak (GPS) government is committed to combating illegal logging and illegal forest activities.

To do so, he said the state government had set up a Special Operations Team to Combat Illegal Logging.

“The team is tasked with coordinating the implementation of all integrated operations in collaboration with various state and federal enforcement agencies.” He said the Sarawak government through the Sarawak Forest Department also adopted the latest technologies such as hyperspectral, satellite imagery, Revlog System, Revlog Mobile Application, and Continuous Monitoring and Surveillance (Comos) to monitor forest areas and detect illegal logging activities. — Borneo Post Online