MIRI: The Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) and Sarawak Energy Berhad (SEB) have joined forces to plant 500 saplings of high-value indigenous species in Bakam Forest Reserve, marking their first collaboration this year.
The planting of meranti, mersawa, and nyatoh saplings saw the participation of 70 staffs from both agencies earlier this week.
The programme was attended by FDS Assistant Director Zarina Shebli, Miri Regional Forest Officer Asan Odau, and SEB Senior Vice President for Corporate Services Hajah Siti Aisah Adenan.
In a release issued yesterday (Feb 21), the department said that the initiative was part of SEB’s corporate-level ‘10-Year Integrated Planting, Protection, and Habitat Conservation Campaign’ (2021 to 2030), which supports the Greening Sarawak Campaign led by FDS.
It also contributed to the cumulative number of trees planted in Sarawak under the ‘Greening Malaysia Agenda Through 100 million Tree Planting Campaign’ (2021 to 2025), which has now surpassed 83 million trees at the national level.
Bakam Forest Reserve is one of the recently gazetted Permanent Forest Estates (PFEs), bringing the total number of PFEs in the state to 117.
In addition to their role as production forests, PFEs play a crucial role in preserving biodiversity, non-timber forest products, water catchment areas, and providing recreational activities to support conservation efforts in the State.
FDS, as a forefront of the Greening Sarawak Campaign, is delighted to bring together participants from various agencies, industries, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the local community to preserve the environment.
