Uggah (front centre) is seen with (from left) Richard, Rentap, Mohamad Razi, and Abang Mohamed at the workshop.
KUCHING (March 14): Certain Native Customary Rights (NCR) land areas have the potential to be used for Sarawak’s new economy of carbon trading, said Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.
He said this could apply to areas with a slope gradient of more than 35 degrees.
As such, he said landowners that meet the criteria should be discouraged from practising shifting cultivation so that the trees in their area remain untouched.
“When you do shifting cultivation, you will chop down and burn the trees there.
“But if you leave the land untouched, the trees will grow big after some time. And trees are known to store carbon dioxide and release oxygen into the atmosphere,” he told a press conference after officiating at the third Betong Division Development Agency (BDDA) development workshop here today.
He said Sarawak is actively going into this new area of sustainability and business opportunity.
Uggah said he had discussed with Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg on how NCR landowners could benefit from this new economy.
“I do not have the details for now but this is our suggestion,” he said.
He pointed out when former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad visited Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in 1992, he gave an undertaking that Malaysia would ensure 50 per cent of its land mass remained covered by forest.
According to Uggah, Sarawak contributed 60 per cent to this coverage.
Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu, who was also present, said Betong Division’s Bukit Sadok forest reserve, which is over 3,000ha in size, had very good potential for carbon trading.
“This can be a new income stream for the owners of NCR land there,” said the Layar assemblyman.
In his speech, Uggah, who is Bukit Saban assemblyman, had called on BDDA committee members to look at potential areas including forest areas, NCR, and non-NCR land, which could be developed for carbon storage.
The other committee members are Rentap, Saribas assemblyman Mohamad Razi Sitam, Krian assemblyman Friday Belik, Kalaka assemblyman Mohamad Duri, Beting Maro assemblyman Razaili Gapor, Lingga assemblywoman Dayang Noorazah Awang Sohor, and Kabong assemblyman Mohd Chee Kadir, as well as Betong MP Dr Richard Rapu.
On the workshop, Uggah said it was to refine BDDA projects.
“We have shortlisted an initial total of 69 projects costing RM740 million, which we hope to begin implementing soon. We really hope to be able to do this because when the people know there is this allocation, they have very high expectations.
“The government too expects us to implement them as well. For the rest, we are working out a list to ensure that we can implement them within the next two to three years so that we can spend the RM1.5 billion allocation given to us,” he said.
Among those present were BDDA chief executive officer Abang Mohamed Abang Turkey and Betong Resident Richard Michael Abunawas.