Malaysia upholds 54.6% forest cover, exceeding 1992 Rio Summit pledge

Malaysia has successfully maintained over 50% of its land area as forest and tree cover for nearly three decades, according to Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change, Huang Tiong Sii. Currently, the nation’s forest cover stands at 54.6%, or 18.04 million hectares, demonstrating Malaysia’s commitment to preserving its natural environment.

This pledge was made during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, where Malaysia vowed to keep at least half of its land mass under forest and tree cover. Sarawak, a Malaysian state, is the largest contributor to the country’s overall forest cover, accounting for 42% or 7.6 million hectares of the total forested area.

The Forest Conservation Conference, a two-day event in Kuching, was recently opened by Sarawak Premier, Abang Johari Openg. The conference aims to provide a platform for stakeholders involved in the conservation and protection of threatened natural ecosystems to share their knowledge and plan future conservation efforts in Sarawak’s permanent forests.

Huang highlighted that sustainable development has always been a priority for the Malaysian government. The Malaysia Policy on Forestry and the National Policy on Biological Diversity 2016-2025 are key documents that outline the framework for ecosystem management, forest protection, and conservation.

Furthermore, Malaysia has launched a nationwide reforestation programme in fragmented areas to ensure biological connectivity. One initiative is the Greening Malaysia agenda, which features the 100 Million Tree-planting Campaign from 2021 to 2025 under the slogan “Our Trees, Our Lives.” As of May 31, over 60 million trees have been planted across the country.