Awang Tengah delivers his ministerial winding-up speech during the DUN sitting today. – Penerangan photo
KUCHING (May 20): Sarawak is strengthening its forestry sector through digital and advanced technologies, including electronic timber tracking, drone-assisted restoration and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR)-based forest assessment, to improve transparency, efficiency and sustainable forest management, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan.
The Second Natural Resources and Urban Development Minister said the Sarawak Forest Department is intensifying the digitalisation of forestry operations to enhance overall forest management, with the Electronic Removal Pass (ePASS) system in central Sarawak strengthening digital and transparent traceability in the timber supply chain up to the logging site.
“The implementation of the ePASS system in the central region of Sarawak has successfully strengthened digital and transparent traceability in the timber supply chain up to the logging location, thus meeting compliance requirements under the Internationally Recognised Timber Legality Assurance System (TLAS),” he said during his ministerial winding-up speech at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting on Tuesday.
Awang Tengah said the department is also adopting technology-driven approaches in forest restoration through the Drone Seeding Ecosystem Restoration System, a collaboration with Universiti Putra Malaysia Sarawak (UPMS).
“The innovation in the implementation of the Drone Seeding Ecosystem Restoration System has successfully increased the seed germination rate and reduced operational costs by up to 60 per cent,” he said.
He added that the drone seeding initiative had also produced five intellectual properties registered with the Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO).
In addition, he said the department is implementing several projects using LiDAR technology to assess the productivity of natural forest stands and forest plantations.
The technology is also being used to measure forest biomass and carbon stock, supporting science- and spatial data-based forest management.
“One of these projects has been implemented at Sabal Forest Reserve to obtain biomass information for carbon stock assessment,” he said.
Awang Tengah said technology is being complemented by ongoing forest restoration efforts, with 57.75 million trees planted throughout Sarawak from 2021 to 2026 to strengthen ecosystems and raise public awareness on environmental conservation.
He said the state government had also gazetted three new Permanent Forest Estate (PFE) areas as of May 2026, namely Data Julan Protected Forest, Suro-Tutoh Protected Forest and Ulu Trusan Protected Forest.
“The three areas cover 25,501 hectares, 17,117 hectares and 111,717 hectares respectively, bringing Sarawak’s total PFE area to 4,149,010 hectares across 123 PFE areas,” he said.
Moreover, Awang Tengah also said scientific research remains important in supporting data- and evidence-based conservation.
He said the department had carried out numerous scientific research expeditions throughout Sarawak since 2008, including recent expeditions at Sabal Forest Reserve and Simunjan Forest Reserve.
“The findings were presented at the 2026 Scientific Expedition Seminar and successfully recorded the discovery of two new species, namely Sulettaria kimiana, a type of ginger known as Tepus Kimi, at Sabal Forest Reserve and Hemiplecta gambut, a type of land snail known as Siput Gambut, at Simunjan Forest Reserve,” he said.
He added the discoveries reflected the richness of Sarawak’s forest biodiversity and the importance of continuous research to ensure the sustainability of natural resources for present and future generations.
The post Sarawak strengthening forestry sector through digital technologies appeared first on Borneo Post Online.