BY NURFARAHIN OKI
THE forestry sector will be subject to mandatory Environmental Compliance Audit (ECA) beginning July 1.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said it is expected that 101 forestry projects comprising 61 Forest Timber Licence Holders (FTL) and 40 Planted Forest Licence Holders (LPF) will adopt an environmental self-regulation approach through ECA.
“To ensure that ECA can be implemented smoothly, the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) Sarawak has held 14 audit training series which produced 166 auditors registered with NREB in various sectors.
“Through collaboration between NREB and the Sarawak Timber Association (STA), the ECA pilot project was implemented involving nine FTL holders and four LPF holders,” he said in his ministerial winding-up speech today.
Awang Tengah, who is also the Second Minister of Natural Resources and Urban Development, added that in the near future, NREB will expand the implementation of the environmental self-regulation approach to the agriculture sector, quarries and mining and mega projects.
On the same note, he said the improved standard operating procedure (SOP) for fire prevention and extinguishing in peat land areas have been adopted by eight land owning companies in Kuala Baram, Miri with the memorandum of undertaking (MoU) on the SOP last March 1, 2024.
“This SOP suggests several actions to prevent peat land encroachment by illegal hunters or fisherman by setting up 24-hour security control posts at strategic locations and carrying out patrols.
“The companies are required to appoint a person-in-charge to make regular reports to the authorities, establish a firefighting team with complete equipment for preparedness to extinguish fires in the event that they occur on their land,” he said.
