More kampungs to be gazetted - 280,616ha forest have received certification
Published on: Saturday, April 20, 2024
By: Hayati Dzulkifli
Juhar (right) with Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor at the State Assembly.
Kota Kinabalu: The State Government aims to measure at least 7,500 Native land lots of 15,000 hectares and gazette 80 Native village areas, this year Governor Tun Dr Juhar Mahiruddin said this is part of efforts to improve services related to the granting of Native land and the Gazetting of Reserve Land for Native Villages.
It is also to strengthen the Land Administration System to be more efficient and effective.
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“Last year, the State Government completed the measurement of 7,652 Native Land Lots with a total area of 14,656.8 hectares (or 35,992.9 acres) and gazetted 85 Native Village Reserve Lands under Section 78 of Sabah Land Ordinance,” he said.
He added that various efforts to streamline land affairs services especially through digitization of the service delivery system are implemented to ensure optimal and sustainable use of land.
“Four land apps were developed in 2023 to provide online application services, namely the e-Site Entry Permit application for site entry permission applications, e-Schedule B for applications for permission to remove sand, stone or soil, e-Subsidiary Title for applications subdivision permission to obtain subsidiary grants (Strata Title) and e-Drone for applications to fly drones,” he said.
Tun Juhar said the State Government is also committed to strengthening the governance of forest management in a sustainable manner and aims for all forest management areas to be certified under any scheme at an international level by 2025.
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So far, he said 280,616 hectares of forest management areas have received certification and next is the Standard Sabah Timber Legality Assurance System that will be strengthened and revised as a due diligence system in line with the requirements of the European Union Deforestation Regulation to deal with commodity trade regulations.
“To support more efficient and effective forest management, the State Government has developed the Forest Resources Geospatial Database and Technology and the Round Log Royalty Inspection and Assessment System (SPPR).
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“Meanwhile, in the aspect of increasing enforcement to ensure that the flora and fauna of the forest are always preserved, various programmes were carried out to improve enforcement, especially in forest reserves. Efforts to increase the level of awareness on the protection of forest areas have also been implemented such as carrying out community outreach programs in each district,” Tun Juhar said.
This year, he said the State Government in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will implement the ‘Integrated Landscape Management of Heart of Borneo Landscapes in Sabah’ under the funding of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Impact Program (FOLUR IP) to intensify the transformation of land use planning and management in Sabah.
“As a measure to deal with climate change issues, the role of the Climate Change Unit under the Sabah Climate Action Council (SCAC) which has been established to set the direction and coordinate climate change mitigation and adaptation projects at the Sabah level would continue to be strengthened.
“Two main work components that will be carried out by the unit this year, namely the Greenhouse Gases (GHG) Inventory and the Impact, Vulnerability and Adaptation Study of Climate Change in Sabah,” he said.
Moreover, Juhar said the State Government will continue conservation efforts under the Heart of Borneo Initiative Strategic Action Plan 2021-2030 to improve the conservation and management of the Heart of Borneo landscape in Sabah.
He said forest restoration efforts will also continue involving silvicultural treatment activities and carrying out enrichment plants, and focus would be placed on efforts to increase the growth of key productive sectors such as forest plantations, eco-tourism and research to boost the development of the forestry industry.
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