25-year forest master plan being formulated by Sabah, says Hajiji

The Sabah government is implementing a 25-year Forest Master Plan that will serve as a comprehensive guide for managing the state’s forest resources in the long term. Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor announced that the plan will cover not only forest reserves but also forest areas within state land and alienated lands. The State Forestry Department has already been taking proactive measures to protect Sabah’s forests, fully implementing the Sustainable Forest Management concept since 1997.

Hajiji emphasized the importance of maintaining a balance between socio-economic development and environmental conservation through rationalization of land use. He suggested exploring non-timber-based income generation initiatives as a means to support forest conservation programs. He conveyed this message at the Heart of Borneo International Conference: An Ecosystem That Provides. The speech was delivered by Deputy Chief Minister I/Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Industry Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan.

Hajiji expressed the Sabah government’s commitment to conserving natural resources, in line with the objectives of the Heart of Borneo Initiative. He was pleased to see various stakeholders and individuals from around the world come together at the conference to collaborate on environmental conservation efforts. Since the initiative’s declaration in 2007, the Sabah Forestry Department has made significant progress in conservation. Over 27% of the state’s land area, approximately 2.0 million hectares, has been designated as Totally Protected Areas (TPAs), with 75% of them found within the Heart of Borneo boundaries.

Hajiji also announced the government’s commitment to expanding the size of TPAs to encompass 30% of Sabah’s land area by 2025. Additionally, the state fully supports the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal for enhanced climate actions and aims to mainstream climate change-related actions into its development agenda. He stated that Sabah is actively working on implementing necessary mitigation and adaptation actions across all sectors to support Malaysia’s Nationally Determined Contribution under the Paris Agreement by 2030.