Forestry activities allowed in 19,500ha of permanent forest reserves in K'tan, says MB

KOTA BARU: A total of 19,500ha of permanent forest reserves in Kelantan have been approved for forest exploration activities under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), the state assembly heard on Thursday (March 31).

Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob said felling of trees in the affected areas was based on the Annual Felling Ration (CTT) set by the National Land Council at its 77th meeting on Sept 8 last year.

He said the state government, together with the Forestry Department, controlled illegal forest clearing through satellite monitoring.

"Besides that, control is also done through Forest Monitoring Using Remote Sensing (FMRS), including monitoring with the use of drones and regular ground patrols in hot locations,” he said in response to a question from Saiful Adli Abu Bakar (PAS-Salor).

Meanwhile, State Agriculture, Agro-based Industry, Biotechnology, Green Technology and Environment Committee chairman Tuan Mohd Saripudin Tuan Ismail said only about 30% of the state's permanent forest reserve area was allowed to be used for agriculture by the state Forestry Department.

He also added that 30% of the CTT approvals were given specifically for use as durian orchards.

"This is also one of the measures taken by the government to prevent natural disasters or damage to flora and fauna,” he said to a supplementary question from the Salor assemblyman. - Bernama