PARLIAMENT | The forested area of Peninsular Malaysia currently stands at 5,694,784 hectares, which amounts to a 42.95 percent forest cover, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
According to Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, Putrajaya aims to increase Peninsular Malaysia’s forest cover to 50 percent by 2040, under goals outlined in the 4th National Physical Plan, decided in 2021.
He said this in response to a question from Teresa Kok (Harapan-Seputeh) who urged Putrajaya to state its strategy on ensuring Malaysia fulfils its 50 percent forest cover voluntary pledge made during the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.
Kok has raised this question several times in recent years.
The figures cited by Nik Nazmi mirrored 2020 figures cited by the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia website under the Forest Management category.
A different page on the same website cited a figure of 5.73 million hectares of forested area for the year 2021, down from 5.81 million hectares in 2011.
However, Malaysiakini’s special report on deforestation and wildlife last week revealed that a large portion of areas included in forest cover data is in fact considered “production forests”.
These production forests are actually subject to deforestation via activities such as mining, forest plantations, logging, and other extraction objectives.
On specific measures to meet the Rio Earth Summit 1992 pledge, Nik Nazmi said the government amended the National Forestry Act 1982 to require public inquiries before the excision of any part of permanent forest reserves.
The law was amended by the Dewan Rakyat last July. However, states have to amend their own laws for the requirement on public inquiries to be enforced. Selangor is the only state with such laws, having done so in 2011.
Nik Nazmi said Putrajaya is also intensifying efforts to increase the permanent forest reserve area to five million hectares in Peninsular Malaysia, up from 4.8 million hectares presently.
He said Putrajaya will also not approve mining activities under the operational mining scheme (OMS) in permanent forest reserves, protected forest areas, and environmentally sensitive areas. - Mkini
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