CAMERON HIGHLANDS (March 27): Improvement of forest governance and management  must be in line with the shifts in the way of thinking and acting, while taking taking into account the economic challenges and the current global environmental development.

Regent of Pahang Tengku Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah said the state government and its agencies need to have progressive way of thinking and attitude to adapt to the current scenarios, besides improving the capability of skilled manpower and adopting viable technology and innovation.

Taking into account the current global challenges, he said forest land transformation in the name of development had become inevitable as demands for development were fast becoming a pressing matter.

“Nevertheless, for the sake of the state’s wellbeing, I hope that all development projects in Pahang will be managed in a wise, environmental-friendly manner, and taking into consideration the sensitivity of the local residents,” he said when gracing the state-level International Forest Day celebration at Terla Forest Reserve here today.

Also present was Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob.

The Pahang Regent also instructed the state government to study, scrutinise and screen all applications for development projects that would involve the revocation of permanent forest reserve status, except for projects that were greatly beneficial for the people.

He said between 2000 and 2017, the state government had approved 105,000 hectares of permanent forest reserve to be developed into forest farm.

“I hope the remaining permanent forest reserve areas in Pahang can be retained, or better still, be increased in size from time to time.

“As such, I would like to remind the state government that every approval for development project must be given in accordance to the policies set by the federal government,” he said.

Tengku Abdullah also called on the state government to look for new alternatives to reduce its dependence on land and forest resources so that pressure on timber resources could be reduced.

He also wanted the state government to set up another trust fund to collect donations, especially from companies which had obtained approval to develop forest farms in permanent forest reserve areas, at a rate of RM50 per acre per year.

The donations, Tengku Abdullah said could be used by the Pahang Forestry Department to finance the reforestation projects across the state.

He also reminded all government agencies, corporate bodies and non-governmental organisations to come forward and intensify efforts to implement restoration and forestation projects in Pahang as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes.