Sabah to degazette 16,000ha of forest reserve for socioeconomic development

 

The Sabah assembly passed the Forest Enactment (Amendment) Bill 2025, tabled by Assistant Minister to Sabah Chief Minister Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, which will degazette 16,728.9ha of forest reserve in the state for socioeconomic development.

The bill which affects the following forests - 15,978ha of Sipitang Forest Reserve (Class II), Safoda Kinarut (320.9ha, Class IV), Sungai Tiagau (162ha, Class I), Bengkoka Peninsular (158ha, Class V), Trus Madi (55ha, Class II), Umas-Umas (28ha, Class VI), Sungai Serudong (23ha, Class I), Kudat (3ha, Class V), and Tawau (1ha, Class I) - was passed by majority voice after being debated by seven assemblypersons.

When tabling the bill, Nizam said that it was also aimed at the settlement of 12,012 residents from 40 existing villages in the Sipitang, Tenom, Kemabong, Tawau, Kalabakan, Ranau and Pitas districts.

The degazettement will further pave the way for the construction of the Serudong-Simanggaris Immigration, Customs, Quarantine and Security (ICQS) Complex.

“The state government, through the Land Revenue Office, Sabah Forestry Department, and Land and Survey Department, has taken proactive measures to identify suitable government land to turn into forest reserves of the same size to replace the degazetted forest reserve.

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“There is no significant change to the total area of forest reserves… a drop of 0.47 percent from the total forest reserves in Sabah,” he said, adding that the state still had 3.55ha of forest reserves.

Nizam said the degazettement is being undertaken for the welfare of Sabahans, especially those in the rural areas who need space to settle and earn a living.

He said that the move to degazette has gone through a detailed selection and monitoring process, backed by strong justification.

Nizam added that the state government is also in the process of gazetting existing forest areas as forest reserves, as well as several other government lands as protected areas under Section 5A of the Forest Enactment 1968.

- Bernama