Development projects result in slight decrease in forest cover

DEVELOPMENT initiatives of the national government contribute to the decrease of Brunei's forest cover, a senior officer from the Forestry Department, Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources told The Brunei Times yesterday.

Senior forestry officer Linda Ibrahim said for the year 2010, preliminary estimation for Brunei forest cover amounted to 75 per cent compared to 76 per cent in 2005.

The decrease in forest cover, equivalent to 5,765 hectares out of the 576,532 hectares of total land area of Brunei, "is very insignificant and might be among the lowest in the region".

In an email response to The Brunei Times , department officials said: "The strong and committed forestry leadership has brought Brunei Darussalam an international prestige for having a world-class tropical rain forest, majority are still in pristine condition and protected by legislation."

The 2005 Global Forest Resource Assessment of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nation ranked Brunei Darussalam within the top-five nations with high forest cover percentage.

Linda said: "Technically, all forests in Brunei are under protection condition. Forest activities are regulated and shall be within the bounds of existing forest laws, rules and regulations."

"Such decrease in forest cover may be attributed to forest conversion to pave the way for development initiatives of the government of national interests," said Linda.

The 1989 National Forest Policy has targeted 55 per cent of the country's total land area to be gazetted as Forest Reserves for forest purposes only.

At present, 40 per cent have already been gazetted pending formal allocation of the Inter-Riverine Zone (15 per cent) as Forest Reserve to meet the National Policy Target.

"Each district has considered forest land and its resources, as part of their management planning towards sustainable development. At present, each district is already in their final stage of developing their individual Master Plan," Linda said.

Brunei marks World Forestry Day (WFD) today, a day designated to commemorate the vital role of forests in sustaining life. At the same time, it is the day to publicly show the Sultanate's commitment to protect and be responsible to its forests.

A number of activities to foster public awareness, appreciation, and involvement have been lined up for the celebration.

Linda said: "The WFD objectives and activities reflect the commitment and admiration of the Forest Department in fulfilling its official mandate and towards attaining excellence in tropical forestry."

The 2010 WFD theme "Forests: Source of Biodiversity Wealth" is relevant to the country since Brunei is an active member of the Convention of Biological Diversity.Year 2010 is also the International Year of Biodiversity, and its importance will be celebrated along side the 2010 WFD, said Forestry Officer, Alex Cheng.

Cheng pointed out that: "Brunei and all other countries have benefited from biodiversity in terms of the direct harvesting of plants and animals for food, medicine, fuel, construction materials, and other uses to aesthetic, cultural, recreational, and research values."

"Benefits to the ecosystem include among others, climate and water regulation, protection of soil, reduced floods and soil erosion, shoreline protection and natural control of agricultural pests and diseases," added Cheng.

This year's WFD celebration main focus is a mass tree planting activity all over Brunei.

The Forestry Department has allocated around 60,000 tree seedlings to be planted by different stakeholders who share the same objective of maintaining a green Brunei. "Several initiatives have already been incorporated into the National Development Plan, which include the establishment of the Tropical Biodiversity Centre, rehabilitation of degraded areas, enrichment planting, development of timber plantations, and upgrading of forest recreational facilities for public enjoyment," Cheng said.

In addition to a thanksgiving ceremony and the recital of Surah Yaasin on March 18 at Jame Asr' Hassanil Bolkiah, the official launching of WFD 2010 will be held at the Berakas Forest Reserve today. The event will be the official opening of the new park and recreation facility inside the Berakas Forest Reserve to the public.

The celebration will also feature an inauguration of a monument as a reminder of Brunei's commitment to enhancing the country's biodiversity in conjunction with the celebration of year 2010 as the International Year of Biodiversity.

Other activities include a Nature Camp for Brunei youth being organised by the Forestry Department starting March 20-25, which is being held at the Berakas Forest Reserve, a nature excursion tomorrow, at the Belait districtand the annual Bukit Shahbandar Challenge. The Brunei Times