KUCHING: Policy reform is vital for dealing with the current issues facing the forestry either locally or globally and among the policies that are being reviewed or newly introduced are the Sarawak Forestry Policy, Forest Management Certification, Development of Planted or Industrial Forests, Wood Industries Development Plan, Raw Materials for Timber Industries and Forest Revenue, especially cess from downstream products.
Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Haji Johari Tun Openg stated this at the launching of the 18th Malaysian Forestry Conference 2018 with the theme “Advancing Sustainable Forestry Through Technology and Digitization” at Imperial Hotel here yesterday.
He said all new or revised policies were in the final stage of deliberation before they were endorsed.
“In line with our policy reform, the state government has made it mandatory for all long-term forest timber licences to obtain Forest Management Certification (MFC) by 2022. In the past, FMC was merely on a voluntary basis.
“ With growing local and global concern on environmental issues, forest management certification has become the main requirement for buyers to ensure that timber and timber products come from sustainably managed forests.
“It has also become the key interest for environment and social based Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs),” stressed the Chief Minister.
“We fully subscribe to the concept of sustainable development of the forest so that our forest will always be there to provide for us,” he said.
The state government, Abang Johari said, was committed to ensuring its forest and forest resources were managed in a sustainable manner and had, in fact, put in place a well-meaning forest policy statement as early as 1954 to ensure that the forest would not be destroyed in the face of development and modernization.
“However, with rapid socio-economic development which requires more areas for development and competition for land use as well as encroachment into our Permanent Forest Estate, the management of our forests becomes more and more challenging.
“Realising this, our state government has to re-look at its policies and ordinances to strengthen our forest management and wood-based industries,” Abang Johari said.
He pointed out that Peninsular Malaysia and Sabah were well ahead of Sarawak in implementing the Forest Management Certification.
“This is perhaps the area where collaboration among the forestry agencies in these three regions could be enhanced to further uplift Malaysia’s image in forest management certification,” he said.
Today, with the advancement of technologies and digitalization in many aspects of development, Sarawak could no longer be oblivious to the use of technologies and be isolated as its forests could be seen and remotely monitored from anywhere in the world, added the Chief Minister.
“Sustainable forest management requires timely and accurate information, and with the advancement of technologies, this information is readily and easily available with the snap of your fingers. This will enable the decision maker to make an informed decision.
“Technologies also offer options for a pragmatic approach in conservation of biodiversity, e.g, wildlife tracking and monitoring. This is also in line with the state’s aspiration to become a digital government,” he said.
“For us in Sarawak, we strive to stay abreast with the latest technologies in the areas of forest planning, monitoring and enforcement. Drone, for example, is widely usef in monitoring and reconnaissance works, especially in areas where access is limited.
