A NEW habitat for the Presbytis Chrysomelas cruciger (Tricolour Langur) or red monkey has been discovered at Sungai Selai Inah, Jemoreng.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said this species was previously only found in Maludam National Park.
He assured that the Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) is in the process of gazetting the habitat area of this monkey, which is approximately 845 hectares, as Sungai Selai Inah Protected Forest.
“For your information, this unique monkey is categorised as a critically endangered species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and is protected under the Wild Life Protection Ordinance, 1998.
“The discovery was published on March 27, 2024, in an international article, namely the Check List the Journal of Biodiversity Data,” he said in his ministerial winding up speech today.
On another note, Awang Tengah who is also Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development, said Sarawak is the highest contributor to tree planting in Malaysia as of April 2024, recording the planting of more than 34 million trees.
Towards this end, he said Sarawak targets to plant 35 million trees soon, earlier than the targeted year of 2025.
“This year, an additional 20,000 trees are targeted to be planted in Totally Protected Areas (TPA) such as Rajang Mangrove, Bukit Lima Sibu, Samunsam, Similajau, and Piasau.
“Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) through the Project Rewilding has planted 98,000 trees in most of the TPA throughout Sarawak.
“Through the tree planting campaign, the spirit of loving nature can be nurtured among the community by planting various trees, thereby supporting Sarawak’s commitment to Malaysia’s greening programme,” he said.
