PUTRAJAYA: An increase in wildlife protection enforcement activities and the introduction of a new fine amount of RM10mil for environmental criminals were among the successes of the Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Ministry (NRES) this year.
Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said NRES has increased wildlife protection enforcement activities, including for Harimau Malaya in 2024, by increasing community rangers to 1,924 people involving a cost of RM60mil.
NRES also implemented amendments to the Environmental Quality (Amendment) Act 2024.
"The Act in force since 1974 has also been amended where the maximum fine for environmental crimes has been increased from RM100,000 to RM10mil and there is a mandatory jail term for environmental criminals for up to five years," he said in a post on his official social media page today on the summary of the achievements of the NRES 2024 team.
Nik Nazmi said about 350,000 hectares of land and ocean areas have also been gazetted as new protected areas as of September last year under the Ecological Fiscal Transfer (EFT) incentive.
In addition, NRES has also implemented an initiative to help villagers and Orang Asli with property and crop losses due to wildlife attacks, introduced this year.
"There are 130 applicants as of last September who have benefited more than RM410,000," he said.
He said Malaysia's greening programme through the planting of 100 million trees had also been successfully completed a year earlier with the 100 millionth tree planted by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim. - Bernama
