KUALA LUMPUR, July 3- The overall size of permanent forest reserve areas in the peninsula should be expanded to five million hectares from the current 4.7 million hectares, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk G.Palanivel said.
“The forest is an important element for the country, not only as a source of income, but also for the protection and conservation of flora and fauna.
“Effective efforts must be taken to ensure sustainable forest management and to prevent poaching and illegal killing of endangered animals,” he said after presenting certificates to 74 participants of Forest Rangers Course at the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) here yeterday.
Meanwhile, Palanivel said the government had also agreed to double the number of forest rangers to help manage, monitor and protect forest resources.
At present, he said Malaysia only had approximately 2,000 forest rangers stationed in permanent forest reserve areas across the country.
“This is vital to protect forest resources for the next generation,” he said. Palanivel also rapped certain quarters who caused the fire that destroyed about 40 hectares of forest reserve in Dengkil, near here last month.
He said during his visit to the location last Saturday, the firefighters had yet to be able to put off the fire completely.
“We have stationed five water pumps that can pump water for 10 hours daily to help put out the fire,” he said.
On the haze that hit the country recently, the minister said the same problem would occur every year following the open forest burning activity in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Officials from Malaysia and Singapore would discuss the issue at the Asean haze committee meeting in Kuala Lumpur scheduled for July 15 to 17.
– BERNAMA
