Abang Johari (right) watering the belian tree sapling he just planted in conjunction with the state level World Forestry Day at the Bukit Siol Lake Park near Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) in Petra Jaya, Kuching. – Photo by Chimon Upon
KUCHING (Mar 26): The Sarawak government has agreed in principle to gazette the 45-hectare Bukit Siol Lake Park into a nature reserve, Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said today.
He said the place has potential to become a great attraction spot for nature lovers, and even has the potential to become a filming site.
“When I see the trees and hills here, I imagined the Hindustan films, as this place is a good location for filming.
“We can create a drama featuring this location and show it on television, then many people will become attracted to this place,” said Abang Johari.
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He was speaking during the World Forestry Day state-level celebration at the Bukit Siol Lake Park near Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) here today.
Earlier, Abang Johari said after the Covid-19 pandemic, the state government was committed towards investing in the replanting of trees in areas which have been logged.
He said that affected areas would be planted with fast-growing trees to be utilised for downstream industries in the state.
“Now the Sarawak Forestry Department and industry players are drafting a policy to make Sarawak a green state. We want to preserve our environment while ensuring the state’s development and transformation,” he said.
On another development, Abang Johari also noted that Sarawak has been the biggest contributor to Malaysia’s forest coverage, which was at 42 per cent or 7.7 million hectares.
At the same time, he said, the state government had approved RM62 million for the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) for the Sarawak Forestry Department to carry out replanting of trees, and restoration of forests and landscapes in the state.
On top of that, he said, the state also targeted to plant 100 million trees over 1 million hectares by the year 2025 for industrial forest.
To date, Abang Johari said Sarawak has planted about 3 million trees in 500,000 hectares of land that have been planted in the state.
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