Kota Kinabalu: Sabah has established an enactment that goes beyond environmental protection, said Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
This follows the formulation of the Climate Change and Carbon Governance Enactment 2025, which lays a strong foundation for a greener and more sustainable future, he said.
He said the landmark law establishes the Sabah Climate Action Council as a high-level decision-making body, ensuring that carbon rights belong to the State.
It also creates a Climate Registry and Inventory Centre to track carbon projects and establishes the Sabah Climate Fund to support adaptation and resilience efforts, he added.
“Most importantly, it protects the rights of indigenous and customary landowners, ensuring that carbon projects on native land are built on consultation, respect and shared benefits.
“This is climate justice in action, fairness, inclusion and sustainability walking hand in hand,” he said at the opening of the International Conference on Borneo’s Green Heart: Advancing Climate Resilience, Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC).
Hajiji’s speech was delivered by Deputy State Secretary Datuk Norlijah Danin.
Hajiji said the State Government had also amended key legislation, including the Sabah Land Ordinance, to recognise carbon storage and embed climate action across the state’s governance systems.
“Yes, challenges remain, from building institutional capacity and ensuring enforcement, to securing funding and creating real impact on the ground.
“But I believe that with strong political will, community partnership and good governance, there is no challenge we cannot overcome. Together, we can turn ambition into action and action into lasting change,” he said.
He said Sabah’s commitment to protecting the Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative remains strong and unwavering.
“To date, over 27 per cent of our land, that’s about two million hectares, has been gazetted as Totally Protected Areas (TPA). And this year, we will go even further.
“We plan to gazette another three per cent under Section 5A of the Forest Enactment 1968, bringing us closer to our 30 percent TPA target.
“This milestone reflects our determination to ensure that Sabah’s forests, rich in biodiversity and carbon value, will remain a natural legacy for generations to come,” he said.
He also highlighted one of the state’s most transformative initiatives, the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration Project, or FOLUR. Supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by the UNDP in partnership with the Sabah State Government, the FOLUR Project covers 2.38 million hectares across 12 districts, benefiting more than 54,000 people.
He said its goal is to ensure that agriculture, particularly palm oil, can coexist in harmony with forest conservation and ecosystem restoration.
Through the FOLUR Project, Sabah aims to bring over two million hectares under improved management, restore 150,000 hectares of forest and rehabilitate 50,000 hectares of degraded agricultural land.
“We will also prevent the loss of 14,000 hectares of high conservation value forests. Together, these efforts could sequester over 10 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent, a powerful contribution to Malaysia’s climate goals and a testament to Sabah’s leadership in sustainable landscape management,” he said.
Hajiji also thanked the Federal Government, particularly the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability, for its continued support of the HoB initiative since 2009, with total funding of RM60 million to Sabah.
“This partnership reflects our shared belief that protecting nature is not a burden but a responsibility and an opportunity,” he said.
Towards this end, Hajiji said the Sabah Forestry Department had also submitted a strategic project proposal under the 13th Malaysia Plan, reaffirming the State Government’s commitment to sustainable forest management and climate resilience.
“We look forward to continued collaboration with the Ministry in advancing these goals,” he said.
