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."
