BETONG: Sarawak’s carbon trading initiative will cover Native Customary Right (NCR) land including areas that still have big trees all over the state, according to Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
Uggah said the main idea behind this initiative is to use these trees to capture and store carbon dioxide.
By doing so, the aim is to add to the large forested areas that exist in the state.
Under this programme, he said, the owners of the NCR land will be paid. However, the details of the payment system are still being worked out.
Uggah said this after meeting with NCR landowners from Kubal Ili, Kubal Tengah, and Kubal Ulu at Rh Mendit Unsu in Penom here recently.
During the meeting, he presented a grant worth RM393,000 to the women bureaus from 94 longhouses within the Bukit Saban constituency.
To make the initiative successful, Uggah and Betong MP Dr. Richard Rapu, is initiating survey works. This involves buying handheld GPS mapping instruments and laptops.
Uggah urged all landowners in the three areas to participate in the survey. The survey will help determine important aspects such as land boundaries.
He emphasised the importance of everyone’s presence during the survey as absenteeism has caused delays in the past.
He further explained that the Land and Survey Department team, along with the longhouse group, cannot proceed with the project without knowing the exact boundaries.
