Make sure we keep 50% forestry cover, says ex-minister

 

The government has been urged to ensure that at least 50% of Malaysia’s land remains forested. (Bernama pic)

PETALING JAYA: A former minister is happy that RM500 million has been allocated for the timber forest scheme but wants an assurance that the money will be spent wisely to ensure at least 50% of the country’s land mass remains under forest cover as pledged.

Teresa Kok, who was primary industries minister in the Pakatan Harapan government, said the RM500 million budget allocation for the Forest Plantation Development Scheme should come with a ban on encroachment into permanent reserve forests for timber plantations.

Otherwise, the scheme would fail.

“It is imperative that this initiative delivers the promise of protecting the remaining forested area by reducing the pressure on timber resources, in line with the government’s pledge,” she said in a statement.

Kok said because there were no clear guidelines on this in the past, on converting forests into plantations for timber supplies, the implementation of these schemes from 2006 up till now had resulted in encroachment into permanent forest reserves.

Former primary industries minister Teresa Kok

“The implementation of the scheme from 2006, which is scheduled to end this year, has inadvertently turned into a perverse incentive as there were no built-in safeguards against conversion of relatively well-stocked forests into monoculture timber plantations,” she said.

Kok also hoped that this allocation was not under the 12th Malaysia Plan.

“If it was an allocation under this plan, there is a real risk that there would be further encroachment into permanent reserves in the absence of a clear policy direction, as the fund is meant to be spent over the next five years.

“Participants in the scheme have borrowed funds from the scheme. But when they return the funds, It goes back to the finance ministry, instead of the agency. I would urge that the money returned by these borrowers be put into a revolving fund.

“This will help develop more of these forest plantations as the participants will be starting to harvest from next year,” she said. - FMT