Awang Tengah, who is also the state natural resources and urban development minister II, said Sarawak aims to maintain at least six million hectares as permanent forest reserves, with an additional one million to be gazetted as totally protected areas.

“Of Sarawak’s total land area of 14.2 million hectares, more than 62% remains forested through sustainable forest management practices,” Borneo Post reported him as saying in Miri today.

Awang Tengah, who is additionally the state international trade, industry and investment minister, said Sarawak’s rich biodiversity presents opportunities in carbon economy initiatives, ecotourism, carbon trading, bioeconomy and biomass energy.

“Sarawak is also focusing on downstream timber industries, including furniture manufacturing, engineered wood products and modern construction materials, to strengthen export value and economic returns,” he said.

He said Sarawak remains committed to combating illegal logging through stricter monitoring, modern technology, and coordinated enforcement involving multiple agencies.

He urged local communities and leaders to report encroachment or illegal logging to the forest department.