THE Sarawak Government has gazetted 2.1 million hectares of total protected areas (TPA), consisting of 874,000 hectares of terrestrial areas and 1.2 million hectares of marine areas, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
According to him, an additional 318,000 hectares have been approved for preliminary gazettement.
To strengthen forest conservation efforts, Awang Tengah, who is also Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development, said the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) has signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with the Sarawak Infectious Disease Centre (SIDC) for research on zoonotic diseases, with the Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC) for technical cooperation on biodiversity, and with Universiti Malaya for genetic research.
“SFC is also collaborating with King Mongkut’s University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand, on a migratory shorebird conservation programme.
“In the first quarter of 2025, a bird tagging programme was carried out at the Bako-Buntal Bay East Asian-Australasian Flyway site,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech in the State Legislative Assembly today.
Meanwhile, under the Malaysia Greening Programme through the 100 Million Tree Planting Campaign, he said Sarawak has planted 47.4 million trees to date, surpassing the national target of 35 million.
As for the forest plantation initiative, Awang Tengah said 615,172 hectares have been planted as of December 2024, involving fast-growing species such as Acacia mangium, Eucalyptus, and Kelampayan.
“This approach helps reduce pressure on natural forests and provides a sustainable alternative source of timber,” he added.
