KANGAR: More than 83 per cent of the Permanent Forest Reserves (PRF) in this country have been certified under the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification or PEFC scheme to date, making Malaysia among the countries with the largest area of certified tropical rainforest in the world.
Peninsular Malaysia Forestry director-general Datuk Zahari Ibrahim said the achievement also places Malaysia as the only tropical rainforest country in the top 10 globally in terms of certified forest area, surpassing major tropical countries such as Brazil and Indonesia.
“This achievement not only proves the effectiveness of state policies but also reflects the commitment to enforcement at the local level as well as the continued determination of JPSM (Peninsula Malaysia Forestry Department) in practising the principles of sustainable, responsible and competitive forest management on the global stage,“ he said.
He was speaking at the closing ceremony of the Nakawan Rainforest Festival, held in conjunction with this year’s state-level International Forest Day celebration, at the South Perlis District Forest Office Square, Sungai Batu Pahat Ecotourism Complex, near here, today.
The closing ceremony was officiated by the Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Jamalullail. Also present was the Raja Perempuan of Perlis Tuanku Tengku Fauziah Almarhum Tengku Abdul Rashid.
Meanwhile, Zahari said that four new areas had been gazetted as PFR, making the total PFR area in the state of Perlis to 11,140 hectares last year compared to 10,870 hectares in 2023.
“Congratulations and well done to the state government for this commitment which should be used as an example to other states in increasing efforts to preserve and conserve priceless natural treasures,“ he said.
He added that 114.72 million trees, comprising 1,972 tree species, had been successfully planted nationwide since the launch of the 100 Million Tree Planting Campaign.
Zahari also expressed his appreciation to the Perlis state government for the success of the campaign, which had recorded 1,039,759 trees planted as of May 22, exceeding the initial target of one million trees.
