KUCHING: Sarawak Forestry Corporation Sdn Bhd (SFCSB) will be put on dormant state with its structure absorbed into its main body, the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC), in the process converting all of its present 850 employees into state civil servants.
The company, a subsidiary of SFC, is the operation arm of the government statutory body that handles, among others, the operations and enforcement of forestry, wildlife and national parks’ protection.
SFC is currently only made up of members of its board of
directors, led by Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg as its chairman.
SFCSB chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton told Bernama that the migration process was now awaiting the endorsement of the State Cabinet.
The move is part of a restructuring process to set up a new national park and wildlife agency, similar to the one in Malaya, to better manage the state’s
protected areas.
Among the immediate initiatives for SFC is to take over the responsibility of controller of wildlife, which is currently under the Sarawak Forest Department (SFD), in the issuance of permits for individuals to keep protected wildlife.
Zolkipli said the plan to restructure SFC and SFD was mooted about three years ago for each department to have clearer cut roles and responsibilities in managing forest resources and conserving Sarawak’s biodiversity.
“Currently, SFD issues licences for timber and also wildlife and we enforce, we go to the ground and check. We only manage
operations. Legislation, policies, permits, licences all come under SFD’s purview. If we nab illegal loggers, or poachers or smugglers, we need to hand over to SFD to investigate.
“So, now SFC will be given the power to regulate national parks and wildlife protection, Insyaallah, if according to plans, we will start this early next year.
“So in future, forestry operations will be managed wholly by SFD, while wildlife and national parks will be totally under SFC,” he said.
With this new direction, he said SFC has also been instructed to re-look the state’s wildlife master plan which has not been reviewed since first published in 1998.
This, he said includes licence renewal fees and compounds under National Parks and Nature Reserves Ordinance 1998 and Wild Life Protection Ordinance 1998. – Bernama
