Perak Sultan opens International Day of Forests
IPOH: The Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah officiated at the national-level International Day of Forests 2024 celebration at the Sultan Azlan Shah Roundabout in Meru Raya yesterday.
The Raja Permaisuri of Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, the Raja Muda of Perak Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa, the Raja Puan Besar of Perak Raja Nazhatul Shima Sultan Idris Shah and the Raja Di Hilir of Perak Raja Iskandar Dzurkarnain Sultan Idris Shah were in attendance.
Sultan Nazrin was welcomed upon arrival at 11.10am by Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad and Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
His Royal Highness then watered a Cerupu plant (Garcinia Prainiana) as a symbolic gesture to launch the celebration.
The Perak Ruler also presented the Malaysian Criteria and Indicator for Sustainable Forest Management (MC&I SFM) Forest Management Certification to the state Forestry Department director Datuk Mohd Basri Abdul Manaf.
Earlier in his address, Saarani reported that as of March 31, the permanent forest reserve area in Perak had increased to 988,826.98ha, covering 96.4% of the state’s forested area.
He noted the successful gazetting of 4,655.55ha of new permanent forest reserve last year, which comprised 4,520.75ha of land forests and 134.80ha of mangrove forests.
“This additional area also helps Perak to maintain its status as the state with the largest permanent forest reserve area in Peninsular Malaysia, with 47%.”
Saarani said the provision of the MC&I SFM Forest Management Certification proved that forest resource management in Perak is based on best forest practices, in line with international standards.
He highlighted that as of March 31, a total of 7.88 million trees had been planted throughout the state, exceeding the six million target set by the federal government.
The International Day of Forests is celebrated on March 21 every year to raise awareness of the importance of forests and their conservation and restoration. This year’s theme is Forests and Innovation.