KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said Sabah remains a net carbon sink due to its forested areas that support national carbon absorption.
On Saturday (May 23), Hajiji said forests play a critical role as carbon sinks. He said peat swamp and mangrove forests could be expanded within the natural economy sector.
He said an inclusive forest management approach involving local communities could balance environmental conservation and socioeconomic wellbeing.
Hajiji said community-based programmes included reforestation of degraded forests, rehabilitation of water catchment areas, and alternative income from non-timber forest products such as kelulut honey and rattan.
He said Sabah Forestry Department received RM70.8mil under Rolling Plan-One for forestry projects during the 13th Malaysia Plan period. He said Sabah received RM126.36mil through the Ecological Fiscal Transfer since 2019 for biodiversity conservation projects.
Hajiji said the theme of International Forest Day this year was “Forests and Economy”. He welcomed the Sook district as the host of the National-level International Forest Day celebration and attributed the event to Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup’s initiative and support.
