The International Day of Forests, which is celebrated every year on March 21, is over, but integrated efforts to restore and conserve existing forests are never-ending.
Restoration improves not only forest quantity and quality but also food security, air and water quality, climate change for the better, and more.
The effort of restoring the ecological functions of an area will return a host of tangible benefits to humans, wildlife and nature.
While steps are taken to restore degraded areas with the hope of getting them to recover as much as possible, measures must also be put in place to conserve healthy forests to prevent them from being degraded or destroyed.
The state government has taken various initiatives including aiming to plant 35 million trees in support of the national ‘100 Million Tree Planting Campaign’.
Various parties including government agencies and departments, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and members of the public have whole-heartedly expressed their support for forest restoration and conservation.
Regarding this, Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) director Datuk Hamden Mohammad said the Sarawak government is intensifying its Forest Landscape Restoration (FLR) Programme, and collaborating with various government agencies, stakeholders and local communities.
“Forest conservation is increased through tree planting, rehabilitation and restoration of degraded areas. It not only preserves the habitat for flora and fauna, but it also prevents natural disasters resulting from forest damage such as soil erosion. Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone else planted a tree a long time ago.
Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton, spoke about the importance of rehabilitating totally protected areas which is an important component of SFC’s work in managing the state’s national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and nature reserves.
He said their restoration plans have two parts, the first being a short-term plan of re-wilding urban forest parks within five years and targeting 250 hectares of degraded area.
The long-term plan is targeting 8,000 hectares (3.2 million trees) across Sarawak under the Earth, Sea and Sky Project. The main objective of the plan is mitigating climate change.
“We will replant with local endemics suitable for the site and engage with local communities to help us with the planting. The plants are those suitable for wildlife habitat (suitable for nesting sites, etc) and as sources of food. As we want the plants to survive and thrive, we will monitor them after planting.
According to Dr Jason Hon, head of Sarawak Programme, World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-Malaysia, the state’s forests are at different levels of intactness and degradation.
Undeniably, degraded patches occur within the Permanent Forest Estates and Totally Protected Areas, supposed to be good forest areas. It is heartening to note that the Sarawak government is intensifying forest restoration efforts.
“However, we must reflect on why there was a need for restoration to be carried out. Much of these were caused by human activities, developments and improper planning leading to the fragmentation of forested landscapes.
“In principle, we must maintain existing forests as much as we can, before we embark on large scale forest restoration projects. When we carry out forest restoration, it must include post planting activities such as maintenance, growth assessment, monitoring and more to ensure that our efforts result in positive environmental impacts.
“Therefore, it is more than just planting trees now, but to be able to see the results years later, leading to an improved connectivity for wildlife and nature’s resilience as well as better provisions of ecosystem services such as water and climate regulation,” he said.
For Prof Dr Gabriel Tonga Noweg, chairman of Jagoi Area Development Committee (JADC), tree planting in the right place to support forest restoration goals is a good thing to do.
“We should always remember that tree planting is not simply a case of filling every available space with trees. We want to ensure that selected native trees are planted. Tree species must be matched with local soil type and microclimatic environment.
“Local native species are preferred as this will ensure a higher survival success rate and good growth performance. Native species will contribute in rebuilding the natural ecosystem to the fullest and the eventual restoration of all ecosystem services of the forest, which includes improved wildlife habitat.
“Planting of exotic species may not contribute in restoring the natural environment but on the contrary may introduce new risks of disease and pests, competition which may upset the existing ecosystem.”
Franklin George, who is project coordinator for People’s Action for Development and Education of Penan Sarawak (Pade), said communities should play their roles in forest restoration “if they are empowered to do so in their respective areas”.
He thinks this would develop their abilities to manage and conserve the forests.
“Communities can consider engaging with experts, conservationists, the government and other parties that know how to manage and conserve forests sustainably. For example, communities can work with agroforestry agencies that incorporate the cultivation and conservation of crops for more productive and sustainable land use,” he said.
An editor, Oliver Fan, points out that forests help to improve air quality by producing oxygen and restore Air Pollutant Index (API) to the proper levels.
“Greenery facilitates water management and promotes biodiversity in built-up areas, and can help to reduce the effects of noise pollution. Reforestation also provides shelter to animals and is able to restore a balanced ecosystem so as the natural resources.
“The Malaysian Forestry Policy has been enacted. As citizens, it is our responsibility to work together with the government agencies, councils or NGOs. In our daily habits, we should choose more environmentally-friendly products, reduce usage of carbon-based products, and take care of and embrace nature,” he said.
Another person who pointed out that forest restoration is essential to the release of more oxygen into the atmosphere is Shin Yi.
Her entrepreneurial brain also calculated that irresponsible or haphazard tree planting may be worse than not planting at all.
“We should study where to plant and what to plant for better results in the process of attaining the goals of forest restoration.
“In terms of support, organisations that do proper tree planting ought to be assisted by more volunteers as well as sufficient donations in cash and kind.”
