Latest news with #ForestEnactment1968
New Straits Times
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Sabah to carve 23ha out of Serudong forest reserve to build CIQS complex, military post
KOTA KINABALU: A 23ha piece of land will be carved out of the Serudong Forest Reserve Class I to develop security facilities in Kalabakan, Tawau. This is possible with the passing of the Forests (Constitution of Forest Reserves and Amendment) Enactment 2025 at the Sabah Legislative Assembly. The Serudong Customs, Immigration, Quarantine and Security Complex will be built on 20ha of land and a military control post will be built on 3ha of land. A 20ha piece of forest land in Serudong, to be named Sungai Serudong (Extension) Forest Reserve Class I, will replace the portion used for development. Serudong is set to become a key transit point connecting Malaysia and Indonesia. Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Titingan tabled the bill. The amended enactment will also allow the carving of a portion of the Sungai Tiagau (Extension), Trus Madi, Sipitang, Umas-Umas and Bengkoka Peninsula forest reserves for village development. A 3ha piece of land from the Kudat Forest Reserve Class V will be excised as the area overlaps with the land titles for a silica plant project in Kudat. During the tabling, Nizam said the state government was gazetting several forest reserves and state land areas as protected areas. With the gazettement of protected areas under Section 5A of the Forest Enactment 1968, Totally Protected Areas (TPA) in Sabah will increase to about 2.227 million hectares, or about 30.06 per cent of Sabah's total land area. "Once this process is completed, it will fulfil the state government's target under the 2018 Sabah Forest Policy, which aims to gazette 30 per cent of the state's land as TPAs by 2025. "This achievement will enhance Sabah's reputation as a state with the largest protected area coverage in Malaysia."
The Sun
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Sabah degazettes 16,000 ha forest reserve for development
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah state assembly has passed the Forest Enactment (Amendment) Bill 2025, degazetting 16,728.9 hectares of forest reserves to facilitate socioeconomic development. The bill, tabled by Assistant Minister to the Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, was approved by a majority voice vote after deliberation by seven assemblymen. The affected reserves include Sipitang Forest Reserve (15,978 ha), Safoda Kinarut (320.9 ha), Sungai Tiagau (162 ha), Bengkoka Peninsula (158 ha), Trus Madi (55 ha), Umas-Umas (28 ha), Sungai Serudong (23 ha), Kudat (3 ha), and Tawau (1 ha). Nizam clarified that the degazettement aims to settle 12,012 residents from 40 villages across districts like Sipitang, Tenom, and Tawau, while also supporting the Serudong-Simanggaris ICQS Complex construction. He assured that the state government has identified replacement land to maintain forest reserve coverage, resulting in only a 0.47% reduction. Sabah retains 3.55 million hectares of forest reserves. Nizam emphasized that the decision prioritizes rural welfare, with thorough evaluations ensuring minimal ecological impact. The state is also gazetting new protected areas under Section 5A of the Forest Enactment 1968. - Bernama
The Star
08-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Sabah passes Bill to degazette 0.47% of forest reserves for rural settlements, development
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah State Legislative Assembly has passed a Bill that clears the way for over 16,700ha of forest reserves to be degazetted for rural settlements and strategic development. The Forest Enactment (Constitution of Forest Reserves and Amendment) (Amendment) 2025 Bill, tabled by Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, was approved by voice vote on Tuesday (July 8). It seeks to legalise long-standing village communities, provide space for the construction of the Serudong-Simanggaris Immigration, Customs, quarantine and security (ICQS) complex near the Malaysia-Indonesia border, and support the state's broader socioeconomic development goals. It will affect parts of 10 forest reserves in seven districts, namely Sipitang, Tenom, Kemabong, Tawau, Kalabakan, Ranau and Pitas, impacting 40 villages with a combined population of over 12,000. 'These communities have occupied these areas for years, and this amendment is crucial to formalise their settlements and enable them to receive infrastructure support,' Nizam said when tabling the Bill. Among the areas affected is a 15,978ha portion of the Sipitang Forest Reserve (Class II), the largest to be degazetted under the amendment. Other affected reserves include those classified as protection (Class I), commercial (Class II), amenity (Class IV), mangrove (Class V), and virgin jungle reserves (Class VI). The Bill also facilitates the administration of a forest area in Kinarut by the Sabah Forestry Development Authority (Safoda) and makes provisions for other areas already used for settlements, schools and livelihood activities to be formally removed from forest reserve status. To allay environmental concerns, the government stressed that the degazettement would not significantly affect Sabah's forest cover, reducing the total gazetted forest reserve area by only 0.47%, from 3.575 million hectares to 3.558 million hectares. It also pledged to gazette new forest reserves of equivalent size and quality to maintain Sabah's commitment to keeping 50% of its land under forest cover, in line with its 2018 Forest Policy and international environmental obligations. Additionally, the government said it is on track to designate 30% of the state as Totally Protected Areas (TPAs) by the end of this year, through separate gazettement efforts under Section 5A of the Forest Enactment 1968. During the debate, Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob (GRS-Sindumin) voiced support for the Bill, calling it a long-awaited solution that addresses decades of uncertainty faced by rural communities living in forest reserves. 'For too long, these villagers lived in fear, not knowing if they could stay, build homes or develop infrastructure. With this Bill, that fear ends,' he said, describing the amendment as a 'gift' to the people of Sipitang. Yusof also urged the government to ensure that villages such as Kampung Pakiak, Tunas Baru, Meligan, Long Pasia, and others in his constituency were included in the gazetted areas, along with provisions for structured planning. He called for the land to be properly divided into residential lots, public amenities and agricultural plots to support sustainable livelihoods. Datuk Jannie Lasimbang (PH-Kapayan) supported the Bill in principle but urged the government to expedite the gazetting of affected villages to prevent land grabs or disputes. She called for more clarity on land allocation and greater collaboration with local communities in developing the areas. 'We must ensure that those who truly deserve the land are not pushed out by outsiders. "The process must be transparent and inclusive,' she said, while requesting a detailed list of affected villages and their respective land sizes. Datuk Masiung Banah (GRS-Kuamut) backed the Bill but stressed that effective implementation is key. He cautioned that past degazettements had led to frustration when villagers found their homes left out during land surveying exercises. 'What we approve in the state assembly must match what happens on the ground. In the past, villagers found their homes were still left out even after the forest reserve was degazetted,' he said, urging the government to allocate special funds for proper land measurement before the current term ends. He also raised the case of Kampung Pinangah, a large village with limited land surrounded by Yayasan Sabah-owned land, and asked whether such land could also be considered for redistribution to meet growing population demands.
The Star
02-07-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Time running out for Sabah to take control of its carbon sovereignty, activists and state reps warn
KOTA KINABALU: Environmental groups and state leaders want Sabah to assert its rights before the Climate Change Bill is tabled in Parliament this year or risk losing control of its carbon assets, just as it did with oil and gas. They warn that without firm state legislation in place, Sabah may be forced to comply with federal climate policies drafted without its full input, repeating past mistakes that cost the state control over petroleum, palm oil, and its territorial seas. The state does not have a clear carbon policy even after the Sabah Climate Action Council was set up last year, they noted. Concerns are also mounting that Putrajaya may fast-track national climate laws that override state jurisdiction, weakening Sabah's ability to manage its own forests – the very ecosystems that make it Malaysia's largest carbon sink. Environmental NGO Future Alam Borneo chairman Anton Ngui said Sabah must act decisively before it is too late. "If we fail to assert our rights over our carbon resources, we risk losing control over one of our most valuable assets. 'Sabah is a net carbon sink, and we should be in a leadership position when it comes to national climate decisions and international representation,' he said in a statement on Wednesday (July 2). Anton said Sabah's ecological advantage is also an untapped economic opportunity that could push the state forward in climate finance, green technology and sustainability-linked investment. 'There is an opportunity here for Sabah to be in a globally significant position. This can complement our labour-intensive agriculture sector and sputtering industrialisation plan,' he said. He urged Sabah leaders to be 'on the ball' and insist on strong state representation at the federal level. 'Once again, we are staring at the possibility of Sabah being legislated out of its own forests if we remain slow or silent," he said. Earlier this year, Sabah Climate Change adviser Datuk Darrel Webber, when speaking at the Carbon Sovereign Sabah (CSS) briefing, said Sabah's decades-long forest conservation efforts have made it a vital carbon sink that offsets emissions from other regions. 'It is crucial that Sabah does not lose its ability to manage these resources. Once control is lost, it is very difficult to reclaim,' he warned. Tungku assemblyman Assaffal Panglima Alian echoed these concerns and called for stronger, state-led legal frameworks to protect Sabah's interests. Senator Datuk Nelson Wences Angang said that while federal climate efforts are commendable, Sabah must have a seat at the table to ensure its rights are not sidelined. WWF-Malaysia's head of conservation for Sabah, Dr Robecca Jumin, noted that Sabah had already taken a step forward by amending its Forest Enactment 1968 to pave the way for carbon governance. 'But delays in building on that momentum could weaken Sabah's position, especially once federal laws are in place,' she said. Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Dr Jeffrey Kitingan also addressed the issue in the state assembly in June last year, warning that Sabah must move quickly to pass its own carbon legislation or risk being boxed in by national policies.
Daily Express
19-06-2025
- Daily Express
Encroaching mangrove in Lahad Datu: Man held
Published on: Thursday, June 19, 2025 Published on: Thu, Jun 19, 2025 By: Azmie Lim Text Size: The house as well as crops planted by the suspect. LAHAD DATU: A 59-year-old local was detained for allegedly encroaching into a forest reserve here, Tuesday, during an Op Bakar by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the Forestry Department. Lahad Datu Maritime Zone Director, Maritime Commander Dzulfikhar, said they discovered that about five acres have been trespassed and opened illegally. Advertisement Among the activities conducted included cutting down mangrove trees, open burning and planting of oil palm trees, fruits and vegetables. 'A house and a building structure for bird nests were also built in the area without permission. 'The man, suspected of committing an offence under the Forest Enactment 1968, was handed over to the Forestry Department for further investigation,' he said. According to Dzulfikhar, the implementation of integrated operations such as the Op Bakar is an important step in ensuring forest reserves, coastal areas and waters remain protected without any invasion. 'The collaborative approach not only aims at protecting the natural ecosystem but also ensuring the safety and wellbeing of our national waters,' he said. He added that the Lahad Datu Maritime Zone will further strengthen strategic cooperation with other enforcement agencies in efforts to intensify security and enforcement control. He urged the public to channel any information to the Lahad Datu Maritime Zone via Whatsapp at 016-9305727 or 999. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
