Auditor-general applauds Sarawak's forest management, says deputy premier
KUCHING, May 24 — Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan today said the auditor-general has given the thumbs up to the Sarawak government on its forest management.
He said the auditor-general's Series 2 Report presented to Parliament in February this year entitled “Special Audit of Forest Management and Environmental Impact” showed that forest areas in Sarawak have been sustainably managed.
He told the State Assembly that this includes environmental, social and economic aspects to meet the needs of present and future generations.
“The Sarawak government is always concerned and committed to sustainably managing forest treasures to provide continuous benefits to the people of Sarawak,” Awang Tengah, who is also the state minister of natural resources and urban planning, said in his winding-up speech.
He said apart from being a natural habitat for flora and fauna, forests are also very important in contributing towards the stability of the world's climate.
He said through the improvement of existing policies and the implementation of various sustainable forest management programmes, Sarawak is still able to maintain 7.65 million hectares or approximately 62 per cent of the forest cover area as of the end of last year.
He said Sarawak is the largest contributor of forest cover in Malaysia, which is 42.4 per cent of the total 18.05 million hectares of forested areas in Malaysia.
He said the effectiveness of forest management is best measured by compliance with the criteria and indicators that have been set by an international standard such as the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) which is also affiliated with the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) based in Switzerland and the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) based in Germany.
“Therefore, the Sarawak government took a position to stipulate that all long-term forest licensed areas must get their respective certifications in 2025.
“So far, 20 Forest Management Units (FMUs) with an area of 1.78 million hectares have been certified,” he said, adding that another seven areas of Forest Farms Management Units (FFMUs) with a total area of 97,966 hectares were also certified under this initiative.
He said the achievement of this forest certification status is important to prove that forest management practiced in Sarawak meets international standards and that the wood products produced can be marketed competitively in the global market.
