KUCHING, Jan 2 — The Sarawak government today announced the restructuring of the Sarawak Forestry Department and Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) in an effort to strengthen the state forestry industry.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Openg said the restructuring process, which took effect today, would see the role of Sarawak Forestry Corporation Sdn Bhd being taken over by SFC, its parent body which is a state statutory agency.
“The Sarawak Forestry Department will also be restructured to strengthen its role for excellent and more sustainable forest management, including to achieve international recognition,” he told a press conference in his office at Wisma Bapa Malaysia here.
According to him, forestry has become a global issue and the restructuring exercise would enable the state to have greater focus in managing its forest with an eye to ensuring sustainability while continuing the growth of the forest industry through proper replanting.
“Replanting of our forest comes under the (state) Industrial Forest Policy where we also need raw material for our timber industry and our timber industry must be sustainable too,” he said.
Abang Johari said the exercise would significantly raise the effectiveness of the national and marine parks in Sarawak, which he said are valuable assets of the state.
“The assets of our national parks must be managed sustainably. We do not want to have mass tourists; we want selected tourism where they can enjoy the assets that we have at our national parks as well as wildlife,” he said.
He said the exercise was also taking into account the protection of habitats of wildlife indigenous only to Sarawak, while curbing illegal wildlife trading, which had raised the world community’s concern.
“The Sarawak government is very concerned about this, and we have to have a proactive and pre-emptive action in order to protect our national parks and the habitats,” he added. — Bernama
