Chini forest reserve to be expanded up to 7,000ha - Pahang MB

 

The Chini Forest Reserve area in Pekan will be expanded from 4,600ha to 6,000 or up to 7,000ha as ordered by the Regent of Pahang Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah yesterday.

Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail (above) said the State Land and Mineral Director’s Office and Forestry Department had been asked to take immediate action to identify the additional areas and work towards gazetting the land.

He said the expansion was necessary to increase the percentage of forest cover in order to preserve and conserve the quality of the environment around Tasik Chini, where the water body area alone measures between 200 and 700ha depending on the season.

“The expansion will provide greater effectiveness to the efforts to meet the requirements of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco),” he said in a statement today.

Wan Rosdy said the Tasik Chini Biosphere Reserve (TCBR) under the Unesco’s Man and Biosphere Programme had been recognised as the first biosphere reserve in Malaysia since 2009 based on three main thrusts related to conservation of the ecosystem, logistical supports including research and learning activities, and development related to the local economy.

“To ensure the success of the three main thrusts, TCBR has been divided into three zones, namely the Thrust Zone, Sustainable Zone and Transition Zone, each with different functions. With the expansion to up to 7,000ha proposed by Tengku Hassanal, it is hoped that it could help ensure that the TCBR is implemented successfully and effectively,” he added.

Meanwhile, Wan Rosdy said the state government would also work to speed up the replanting work, by allocating another RM10 million for reforestation, of which RM250,000 had been spent on the activity.

Apart from that, he said enforcement activities will be further strengthened, including monitoring activities using Light Detection Radar technology, which will be implemented in an integrated and periodical manner involving state and federal law enforcement agencies.

Yesterday, Tengku Hassanal ordered for the Chini Forest Reserve to be expanded to protect and conserve the flora and fauna in the Tasik China area.

- Bernama