(NTFP) Heart of Borneo (HoB) 2017 Carnival in Kuching yesterday. PHOTO: RAMIDI SUBARI
KUCHING: The 2.1 million hectares of Totally Protected Areas (TPAs) in Sarawak which are part of the overall Heart of Borneo (HoB) Project will be increased to 2.5 million hectares. Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi (Dr) Abang Johari Tun Openg said he agreed with Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan’s request to increase the TPAs in the state.
“As your Chief Minister, I agree that we increase,” he said when officiating at Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) Carnival Sarawak Heart of Borneo (HoB) 2017 and Heart of Borneo Visit Year 2018 at Kuching Waterfront here yesterday.
He said it will be extended right up to Tanjung Datu and all the national parks in the areas such as Kelingkang Range, Gunung Apeng National Park, Bungo Range National Park, Gunung Pueh National Park, Gunung Gading National Park, Jemusan Wildlife Sanctuary and Tanjung Datu National Park. He said these will become part of the Heart of Borneo.
“This is our commitment from Sarawak and we will manage sustainably the products of our forests,” he said, adding that this will bring a huge impact on the development of Sarawak economy. According to Johari the State wants to have a very good forest management policy and the state government has an approach to protect the state’s forest treasures. He said the 2.1 million hectares of totally protected areas that the state currently has are part of the Heart of Borneo.
“While we want to promote the timber industry thus we have a new approach where we want to have our industrial forest policy. “Meaning we plant forest that will become feedstock to our timber industry,” he said, adding that the trees can grow faster because plenty of waterfalls around. The Chief Minister also said he had also requested all the timber companies to plant trees so that these trees can become feedstock to the timber industry in the state. According to Johari people today are using digital and we cannot be left behind.
Now we have the system so we use it to manage our treasure better,” he said. He said so that is why had increased the premium for Yayasan Sarawak from 80 cent per ton to RM50 per ton resulting in Yayasan Sarawak getting RM300 million and these RM300 million is to be used as scholarship.
The NTFP Carnival from 26-30 October at the Kuching Waterfront here is an initiative of the Forestry Department Sarawak to bring the community from various different ethnic to participate in promoting and selling their products.
