IC-CFS Presented 9 Initiatives That Have Been Implemented Throughout The Year 2021-2022

November 30, 2022

IC-CFS Presented 9 Initiatives That Have Been Implemented Throughout The Year 2021-2022

[KUALA LUMPUR, 30 November 2022] The Improving Connectivity in the Central Forest Spine (IC-CFS) project held a showcase program at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) to present all its initiatives that have been implemented under this project. Nine (9) presentations were made throughout the showcase summarizing all activities done throughout the years 2021 and 2022.

These were the topics presented:

1st Presentation:
Preservation and Conservation of Biological Diversity in Forest Management: Challenges and Directions by the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia

2nd Presentation:
Ecological Network Master Plan by Central Forest Spine of PLANMalaysia

3rd Presentation:
Gazetting of Government Land Forests as Permanent Forest Reserves in the Central Forest Spine Ecological Network by the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia and Dr. Christine Fletcher.

4th Presentation:
Biodiversity, Ecosystem Services and Carbon Stock Monitoring Tool and Ecological Corridor Management Plan by the Forestry Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM)

5th Presentation:
Enforcement through SMART Patrolling and Empowerment of Forestry and State Park Officers Under the Wildlife Conservation Act 2010 by the Department of Wildlife Protection and National Parks (DWPN)

6th Presentation:
Community Involvement in the Social Forestry Project of Nursery and Seedling Sale by the Perak State Forestry Department

7th Presentation:
Community-Based Organization Programme – Fish Sanctuary and Fly Fishing by Perak State Park Corporation

8th Presentation:
Development of a Community-Based Ecotourism Program Module in the CFS Ecological Corridor Area by UiTM Technoventure

9th Presentation:
Model of Sustainable Financing Options for Biodiversity Conservation by the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia.

The showcase was officiated by the Director General of Forestry Peninsular Malaysia, Dato’ Indera Mohd Ridza bin Awang accompanied by the Deputy Director General (Policy & Planning) of Forestry Department Peninsular Malaysia, IC-CFS National Project Director, Dato’ Haji Zahari bin Ibrahim together with the IC-CFS Project Manager, Dr. Samsudin bin Musa.

Among the main achievements of this project are:
● Gazettement of an area of 32,783 hectares of forest land on government land to permanently reserve forests / Hutan Simpan Kekal (HSK);
● Implementation of SMART system-based integration patrols in enforcement activities by the State Forestry Departments of Pahang, Perak and Johor;
● Improvement in the standards of living of the forest communities such as indigenous communities through projects (Tualang Honey & Beeswax Production, Fish Sanctuaries, Hornbill Watching Program, Social Forestry Program, and many more);
● Formation of Ecological Network Management Plan.

In the officiating speech by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources, Dato’ Haji Rosli bin Isa, read by the Director General of Forestry Peninsular Malaysia, Dato’ Indra Mohd Ridza bin Awang, he said: “The IC-CFS project has been implemented since 2014 and has received fundings from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) amounting to USD 10.86 million. Following the success of this project, IC-CFS has been approved to be extended until 31 December 2023. This is the result of the hard work of various parties in ensuring that all targets are achieved and are in line with the ‘Strategic Result Framework’ in supporting the national project – Central Forest Spine.”

National Project Director of IC-CFS, YBhg. Dato’ Haji Zahari bin Ibrahim, who is among the individuals responsible for all IC-CFS project planning and implementation added that: “In carrying out a large-scale project like this, every detail is emphasized to ensure the continuity and smoothness of this project. This project has been divided into 3 main components namely:

a) Planning, compliance monitoring and enforcement framework for integrated forest landscape management;
b) Sustainable forest landscape management for the three main forest landscapes in the Central Forest Spine;
c) Diversity of funding sources for biodiversity conservation.

Through this showcase program, the presentation made today is to highlight the successes of the three mentioned components as well as the improvement measures that have been identified ” The implementation of this showcase can become a platform for the dissemination of useful information to stakeholders. At the same time, the showcase will also provide a space for feedback between IC-CFS and the parties involved in ensuring that the objectives of this project are achieved.