Malaysia Still Retains 50 Per Cent Land Area As Green Cover - Uggah

PUCHONG, May 14 (Bernama) - Malaysia still retains 50 per cent of its total land area as green cover, as affirmed at the Earth Summit Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, 19 years ago. Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas said, as forests across the globe slowly converted to other uses, Malaysia could consider itself fortunate as the government had taken severals steps to ensure conservation of forest ecosystems. "Malaysia pledged to maintain at least 50 per cent of land area as green cover at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and with efforts from all stakeholders, Malaysia currently maintains more than 50 per cent of its land under forest covers.

"In fact, at the end of 2010, the total land area under forests in Malaysia was 18.48 million hectares or 56.4 per cent of its total land area," he said in his speech when opening the 2011 Exxonmobil-University Putra Malaysia (UPM) community project on forest restoration of riparian areas at the Ayer Hitam Forest Reserve here Saturday. His speech was read by ministry deputy secretary-general (II) Dr Abdul Rahim Nik. Also present was UPM Deputy Vice-Chancellor Industry and Community Relations Prof Dr Tai Shzee Yew and Exxonmobil Subsidiaries (Malaysia) chairman Hugh Thompson.

On the event, Uggah said, the cooperation between UPM and Exxonmobil was an important endeavour towards greening the earth and the ministry was glad that an educational institution and multi-national corporate body were able to collaborate in helping the government and public to sustainably manage and conserve the country's natural resources. He also congratulate UPM on being ranked sixth among 95 universities in the world in green-metric world university ranking last year. The Exxonmobil-UPM Community Project which was started in 2007, is aimed at restoring the lowland-riparian landscape of the Ayer Hitam Forest reserve, among others.

-Bernama.