PADAWAN: The Forestry Department has sowed 71,602 seed balls at the Lubok Ria Communal Forest, Sabal Forest Reserve and the Balingian former mining area.
Its director Datuk Hamden Mohammad said this is an effort to improve forest restoration.
“We have also tested the seed ball method on seven indigenous species, namely kelampayan, geronggang empitap, sawin, terentang, jambulaut and most recently longan.
“Our research team will continue to improve this method and to test using many other indigenous species,” he said
“Our target this year is to produce 300,000 seed balls, with the involvement of local communities and school children,” he said at the state-level International Day of Forests 2022 celebration held at Industrial Forest Research Centre (IFRC) here on Tuesday (June 28).
He said the state government has been committed to the sustainable management of forest resources with best management practices for decades and this includes initiatives in forest landscape restoration.
“On June 15, 2019, at the Sabal Agroforestry Center, the Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg formally launched the Sarawak Landscape Restoration Programme.
“In order to support Malaysia’s Greening Programme, which aims to preserve the nation’s biodiversity while restoring and improving degraded forested areas, Sarawak plans to plant 35 million trees throughout the state by 2025,” he said.
The Le Tour De Restoration campaign, with the slogan “Towards a Greener Generation” was started by the department and introduced by the Premier on September 30, 2021, in Kuching, he said.
“The campaign is an initiative to promote the 100-Million Tree Planting programme across Sarawak through mobile exhibitions and environmental awareness activities.
“The programme’s main routes are from Kuching to Lawas, emphasising the value of trees and forested areas, fostering a love of nature, and amplifying the public’s and stakeholders’ calls for action to restore the degraded areas in Sarawak.
“It also acts as a vehicle to publicise the dedication and spirit of maintaining green covers within the state,” said Hamden.
