KUCHING: Sarawak has issued licences to three entities involved in carbon credit trading, covering an area of 56,806ha, says state Deputy Natural Resources and Urban Development Minister Datuk Len Talif Salleh.
He said one of the licences was being validated by a certified validation and verification body (VVB) while the other two had just been issued.
In addition, the state government has issued eight carbon study permits involving 179,327ha.
"This allows the permit holders to conduct studies and prepare the Sarawak project design document as a prerequisite for a carbon licence to be approved," Len Talif told Dr Simon Sinang (GPS-Tebedu) during Question Time in the Sarawak Legislative Assembly on Thursday (Oct 15).
To a supplementary question, he said licensees' carbon projects must undergo validation and verification by internationally-recognised VVBs before they can start generating carbon credits.
"Once it passes the verification stage, the carbon project will receive certification that allows carbon credits to be officially issued.
"The credits can then be registered in the carbon market and traded at domestic and international levels.
"At this stage, the project will start to generate real economic value," he said.
Len Talif also said local communities can benefit from carbon projects through job opportunities and capacity-building programmes by project developers.
For instance, he said locals can provide boat rentals and labour as support.
"They can also build their technical capacity in areas such as forest replanting, nursery management, forest inventory, biomass assessment and sustainable resource management," he added.
