KOTA KINABALU: Sabah government has re-activated the Illegal Logging Crackdown Committee to tackle forestry issues that are in violation of the state regulations.
Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, in a statement today, said the committee’s establishment under the Chief Minister Department was in accordance with the provisions in the Forestry Enactment 1968.
The efforts, he said, would further strengthen the implementation and enforcement of laws in protecting forestry resources in the state from being exploited.
Shafie said the move was aligned with the concerns on several forestry issues including illegal logging.
“This does not mean illegal logging activities are still rampant in Sabah. The state government is actually concerned with illegal logging, leakage, and other forestry crimes that might take place.
“The forest is an important and valuable natural resource to Sabah. It not only contributes to the state revenue collection and opens up job opportunities but is also vital as wildlife habitat, apart from having an aesthetic value, which attracts tourism,” he said,
In order to achieve the objectives, Shafie said the government needed to take pro-active action to improve the government’s efforts so forest management can be more effective and comprehensive for the benefit of Sabah people.
With the re-activation of the committee, he urged all logging companies operating in the state to comply with the logging licence requirement under Forestry Enactment 1968 provisions and Forestry Rules 1969.