Hamden Mohammad
KUCHING: The state Forest Department is ready to share its technology and expertise in research and development (R&D), specifically on forest management, with other states.
According to acting Forest Department Sarawak director Hamden Mohammad, the sharing of expertise and technology with other states can be implemented once Sarawak has acquired its first fixed wing aeroplane – expected around May this year.
“This asset (aeroplane) would be stationed in Kuching. It’s purchased under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP), under the (federal) Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
“The aircraft is fitted with high-fidelity surveillance and hyper-spectral sensors. Based on Forest Department Sarawak’s expertise and experience in operating the hyper-spectral sensors, we can share this knowledge with other states in the future,” he said in an interview yesterday.
Hamden disclosed that the aeroplane, manufactured in Austria, would also have other sophisticated equipment, adding that the cost of the four-seat aircraft, plus equipment, would reach RM35 million.
On the things that Sarawak could share its expertise with other states, he said one of it would be its success in planted forest or reforestation.
Hamden, who took over from Sapuan Ahmad in January, also expressed his hope that the federal government would continue to be supportive of the state’s efforts to acquire more assets to monitor its rich natural resources.
He disclosed that final details of the acquisition of the fixed wing aeroplane would involve its maintenance and fine-tuning. The four-seat DA42M-NG Diamond special mission aircraft will be configured for aerial surveillance and also for mapping purposes. It is able to take two technicians and two pilots on board for each mission. The twin-engine, propeller-driven airplane is developed and manufactured by Austrian company, Diamond Aircraft Industries.
With the acquisition of this aircraft, the state’s aim to eliminate illegal logging could be achieved by 2020.
At present, the move to eradicate illegal logging is highly challenging due to the vastness of the area, as well as the perpetrators getting more cunning in their methods of preventing detection.
When contacted, Minister of Natural Resource and Environment Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the federal government had always been supportive of the state’s efforts in ensuring that it could manage its resources well, especially its forests.
In this regard, he gave his assurance to all that the federal government would continue to assist Sarawak in safeguarding its forests.
“That’s why we have been giving financial assistance, such as the acquisition of the fixed wing plane for Sarawak’s forest management efforts. On top of that, we also have been putting a lot of money into the Heart of Borneo (HoB) project based in Sarawak because we want it to have quality environment.
“This way, we also contribute to the betterment of global environment,” he said.