Latest news with #LenTalifSalleh
Borneo Post
23-05-2025
- General
- Borneo Post
Len Talif: Mangrove licence holders statewide will need Permit to Enter Coupe before beginning operations
File photo of a mangrove forest in Bako. KUCHING (May 23): Mangrove licence holders across Sarawak will soon be required to apply for a Permit to Enter Coupe (PEC) before they can begin operations, said Datuk Len Talif Salleh. The Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment said at present, PEC is already being enforced in the Sarikei area, particularly the Rajang Basin. He explained that the PEC is an official document issued by the Sarawak Forest Department to logging licence holders, including those with mangrove licences, before they are allowed to operate. 'The PEC is part of the management and control process for logging operations, ensuring that all related activities are carried out legally and in compliance with established regulations and standard operating procedures. 'Before a PEC is issued, licensees are required to submit a Forest Engineering Plan, which includes a General Harvesting Plan and a Detailed Harvesting Plan. 'However, for mangrove licence areas, only the General Harvesting Plan is required,' he said during the question-and-answer session in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) here today. He pointed out a PEC is valid for nine months and allows licensees to commence logging within designated harvesting blocks, ensuring that all activities are regulated and systematic. He was responding to a question from Azizul Annuar Adenan (GPS-Tanjong Datu), who had asked about PEC enforcement for mangrove licence holders. Len Talif said the Forest Department held a PEC briefing session for mangrove licence holders on Feb 10 at the Kuching Regional Forest Office. 'The renewal of mangrove licences must comply with DF Circular No. 2/2019 (Restoration Programme within Licensed Area), which requires replanting of mangrove trees in equal or greater numbers than those harvested. 'Starting from the Sarikei area, particularly in the Rajang Basin, and eventually be enforced throughout Sarawak,' he said. When responding to a supplementary question, Len Talif outlined the key benefits of PEC enforcement for mangrove areas. 'First, it ensures that mangrove wood resources in Sarawak are managed systematically and sustainably by limiting logging areas based on a reasonable harvesting cycle and enforcing a minimum cutting diameter of no less than 10cm DBH (diameter at breast height),' he explained. He noted that extraction is monitored through pre-harvest stock inventories, helping to prevent over-harvesting and ensuring long-term resource availability. 'This is also to prevent logging outside licensed areas and curbs illegal logging activities in mangrove forests,' he said. In addition, Len Talif said the PEC framework will enhance coastal conservation efforts and strengthen governance in mangrove forest management, aligning with Sarawak's climate change mitigation strategies. 'Ultimately, it ensures that mangrove logging is carried out in a controlled and orderly manner, minimising ecological impact while supporting the sustainability of the mangrove wood industry and the socioeconomic wellbeing of local communities,' he added. lead Len Talif Salleh Permit to Enter Coupe
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Bruno Manser Fonds Denies Baseless Allegations By Sarawak Minister Over ITTO Project Failure
Government policy change over logging core protection zone is the real reason for the termination of the ITTO-supported Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) in Malaysian Borneo Swiss NGO Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) today denied allegations made by Sarawak Deputy Minister Len Talif Salleh in the Sarawak State Assembly (DUN) yesterday over the reasons for the termination of a flagship sustainability project 'We are not willing to take the blame for a dodgy policy change by the Sarawak government', BMF director Lukas Straumann said. 'Len should be honest and acknowledge that Sarawak dropped the late Chief Minister Adenan Satem's plan of protecting the UBFA's core zone of 79,000 hectares of primary forest – Sarawak's last primary forest outside the totally protected areas.' Celine Lim, Managing Director of Sarawak-based NGO SAVE Rivers said:' We work with non-Penan communities and were part of the UBFA Project Steering Committee (PSC). So, it is not true that the overall communities were not well represented via the NGOs coalition. The response by YB Datuk Haji Len is intentionally divisive and incomplete to villainise the role of the NGOs, when we were only inquiring public information as per our role as rightholders in the PSC.' In 2020, Malaysia submitted a proposal to the International Tropical Timber Organization for the conservation and sustainable development of a 283,500 hectare area in Sarawak's Upper Baram region. The proposal was drafted by the renowned late botanist Dr Paul Chai and endorsed by then Forest Director Sapuan Ahmad. A key element of the proposal was the conservation of a 79,000 hectare core zone of primary forest in Upper Baram. After international funding was secured, the Sarawak authorities unilaterally changed the project design. The 79,000 hectares were no longer to be excised from the logging concessions but became part of a timber licence granted to Borneoland Timber Resources, a company controlled by the politically-linked timber tycoon Hii King Chiong. Currently, massive logging activities on the western flank of the iconic Gunung Murud Kecil are threatening this habitat of extraordinary biodiversity in the core zone of the former ITTO project. Neither ITTO nor the Sarawak state government answered NGO letters questioning the reasons for the policy change and highlightling governance failures in the ITTO project. The Swiss City of Basel, the Bruno Manser Fonds and the Japanese government had pledged to support the project with a total amount of USD 556,000.
Free Malaysia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Don't blame us for scrapping of forest project, says group
Residents during a 2024 protest against logging in the Upper Baram Forest Area. (BMF pic) PETALING JAYA : Environmental group Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) tonight denied a claim that it failed to meet conditions set by the Sarawak government, which led to the termination of a forest project. It said the claim was baseless. BMF said the Sarawak government's policy change over logging core protection zones was the real reason for the International Tropical Timber Organisation's Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) project being scrapped. 'We are not willing to take the blame for a policy change by the Sarawak government,' Lukas Straumann, the director of the Switzerland-based group, said in a statement. Earlier today, Sarawak deputy minister for urban planning, land administration and environment Len Talif Salleh told the state assembly that BMF had focused solely on the Penan community in the UBFA. He said BMF had overlooked other key indigenous groups such as the Kenyah, Kelabit, and Saban, who also have legitimate interests in the area, and that such an approach risked undermining community harmony. Separately, Celine Lim, the managing director of Sarawak-based NGO SAVE Rivers, said they had worked with non-Penan communities, adding that these groups were part of the UBFA Project Steering Committee. 'So, it is not true that the overall communities were not well represented via the NGOs' coalition,' she said. Lim accused Len Talif of villainising the role of SAVE Rivers. Len Talif had said the project's termination would not affect the well-being of local communities as various initiatives by the forest department, ministries and government agencies were being executed to improve livelihoods across multiple sectors.
Free Malaysia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Upper Baram forest project axed over BMF's ‘failure to meet conditions'
Deputy minister for urban planning, land administration and environment Len Talif Salleh said BMF's approach risked undermining community harmony. (Facebook pic) KUCHING : The failure of Switzerland-based environmental group Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) to meet conditions set by the Sarawak government has led to the termination of the Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) project under the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO). Deputy minister for urban planning, land administration and environment Len Talif Salleh said BMF had focused solely on the Penan community in the UBFA, overlooking other key indigenous groups such as the Kenyah, Kelabit and Saban, who also have legitimate interests in the area. Responding to a question from Dennis Ngau (GPS-Telang Usan) during the Sarawak legislative assembly sitting today, Len Talif said BMF's approach risked undermining community harmony. 'BMF sought to designate the area as a 'purely conservation area' solely for the Penan's livelihood, despite the existence of a TPA (totally protected area) nearby,' he said. He said the project's termination would not affect the well-being of local communities as various initiatives by the forest department, ministries, and government agencies were being executed to improve livelihoods across multiple sectors. Len Talif said the Sarawak government had collaborated with ITTO through the forest department on 16 projects since 1992 with a total value of RM68.8 million. 'The Sarawak forest department has not cancelled a single project signed with ITTO since 1992, except for this one involving the UBFA,' he said. He said the department was set to implement two new projects with ITTO this year – one in Sungai Menyang, Batang Ai, with an allocation of RM1.12 million, and another in Upper Baram, with RM645,000. 'The Sarawak government, acting through the forest department, has no issue working with any NGO, whether local or international, as long as their agenda does not conflict with state or federal government policies,' he said.
New Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Failure to meet conditions led to termination of upper Baram Forest Project
KUCHING: The failure of Switzerland-based environmental group Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) to meet conditions set by the Sarawak government has led to the termination of the Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) project under the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO). Deputy Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Minister Datuk Len Talif Salleh said BMF had focused solely on the Penan community in the UBFA, overlooking other key indigenous groups such as the Kenyah, Kelabit and Saban, who also have legitimate interests in the area. Responding to a question from Datuk Dennis Ngau (GPS–Telang Usan) during the Sarawak legislative assembly sitting today, Len Talif said BMF's approach risked undermining community harmony. "BMF sought to designate the area as a 'Purely Conservation Area' solely for the Penan's livelihood, despite the existence of a TPA (Totally Protected Area) nearby," he said. He added that the project's termination would not affect the well-being of local communities, as various initiatives by the Forest Department, ministries and government agencies are being executed to improve livelihoods across multiple sectors. Len Talif said the Sarawak government has collaborated with ITTO through the Forest Department on 16 projects since 1992, with a total value of RM68.8 million. "The Sarawak Forest Department has not cancelled a single project signed with ITTO since 1992, except for this one involving the UBFA," he said. He added that the department is set to implement two new projects with ITTO this year: one in Sungai Menyang, Batang Ai, with an allocation of RM1.12 million, and another in Upper Baram, with RM645,000. "The Sarawak government, acting through the Forest Department, has no issue working with any NGO, whether local or international, as long as their agenda does not conflict with state or federal government policies," he said. – BERNAMA
