KUCHING, Nov 20 ― Sarawak aims to continue to place high priority on conservation, with one million hectares of land to be gazetted as totally protected areas by 2020.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said, to date, we have gazetted 0.82 million hectares of landmass for totally protected areas.

He said this includes national parks, nature reserves and wildlife sanctuaries for the purpose of conservation of flora and fauna and its habitat, recreational, educational as well as for ecotourism activities.

"In addition, we have also gazetted 1.24 million hectares as a totally protected area covering water bodies or territorial waters.

"Under the State Land Use Policy, the forestry sector is also allocated with six million hectares for the purpose of Permanent Forest Estates,” he said while speaking at the Forest Talk ― The Journey of 100 Years here, today.

Awang Tengah added, through our sound sustainable forest management, 63 per cent or 7.8 million hectares of Sarawak is still under forest cover.

"This contributes about 44 percent of Malaysia's total forest cover,” he said. ― Bernama