KUCHING: Responding to the government’s stated goal of having more FMUs (Forest Management Units) in Sarawak to be certified for Sustainable Forest Management, Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) has embarked on a Conservation Internship Programme (CIP) to facilitate the attainment of said goal.
At a simple ceremony held on Monday at SFC’s corporate office, the CIP was launched with its first batch of 15 interns.
Present at the ceremony were SFC’s Chief Executive Officer, Wong Ting Chung and Dr. Peter Kho, General Manager of Sarawak Timber Association (STA).
At the event, Wong explained: “There is a critical shortage in Sarawak of personnel competent in forestry conservation and social forestry who can take on the challenges mandated by certification requirements.
“To conduct this 9-month internship programme, we have to enlist the assistance of several collaborators from the timber industry, educational institutions and conservation non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We are also grateful for the support rendered by the government through the Ministry of Resource Planning and Environment.”
Officially called the “Conservation Internship Programme for Forest Management Certification”, this SFC undertaking rides on the RIMBA (Research for Intensified Management of Bio-rich Areas) Sarawak platform and was first announced in November, 2016 during a RIMBA event officiated by the then Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Haji Adenan Satem.
