KUCHING: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) is committed to conserving Sarawak’s forests, said its chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton.
“There are several few restoration plans in the pipeline, including rewilding urban forest park by restoring 250 hectares of the degraded area within five years,” he said in a message on Monday (Mar 22) in conjunction with the International Day of Forests celebrated on Mar 21.
As part of the efforts to mitigate climate change, he said 3.2 million trees would be planted in an area of 8,000 hectares in Sarawak under the Earth, Sea and Sky Project.
“We will replant with endemic species suitable for the site and engage with the local communities to help us with the planting,” he said.
Zolkipli added that the plants would be suitable for wildlife and provide food as well as nesting sites for them.
“As we want the plants to survive, we will also monitor them after planting,” he stressed, adding that rehabilitating Totally Protected Areas (TPA) was an important component of SFC’s work in managing the National Parks, Nature Reserves and Wildlife Sanctuaries.
He pointed out that the Sarawak government aimed to plant 35 million trees, which was about one-third of the 100 million Tree Planting Campaign under the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025).
The United Nations declared March 21 as the International Day of Forests (IDF) in 2012.
On this day, it celebrates and aims to create awareness of the importance of all types of forests.
The theme for this year is “Forest restoration: a path to recovery and well-being”.
