The Sabah Forestry Department (SFD) has expressed confidence in the government’s implementation of its Sustainable Forestry Management initiative which ensures the protection and conservation of Sabah’s natural assets for posterity.

In his keynote address at the Launching of the Heart of Borneo (HoB) Conference, Chief Conservator of Sabah Forests, Datuk Mashor Mohd Jaini highlighted 60 per cent of Sabah’s land mass remains covered in rainforest, whereas 26 percent is gazetted as totally protected forests (TPA).

“We should be proud of our achievement in the number of TPAs which has surpassed the target set by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation in Nature) which aims to preserve 17 percent of land mass, as well as 10 percent of marine area,” he said.

Touching on the Sabah Forestry Policy 2018, Mashor said the Sabah government has set the aim of preserving at least 30 percent of land area as TPA by 2025.

“However, recent forest fires posed significant challenges to ensure the advancement of conservation initiatives as well as the smooth implementation of economic development,” he said in his speech to participants of the conference yesterday at The Magellan Sutera Harbour Resort.

He underlined conservation efforts continues to be the main focus as it represents an important source of revenue for the government through flourishing ecotourism which in turn, creates economic and job opportunities for local folk.

The way forward according to Mashor, is for all relevant parties to strengthen cooperation to ensure the Sustainable Forestry Policy can be implemented effectively and seamlessly.

“Through stronger collaboration and partnerships, we can consider ideas to coordinate the need to conserve more rainforest areas while ensuring better livelihoods especially for local communities living in close proximity of protected areas,” he said.

New Sabah Times (Pic: Sabah Parks)