Wan Junaidi reaffirms Malaysia's commitment to forest conservation

MARRAKECH: Malaysia has reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable forest conservation and management at the ongoing United Nations conference on climate change here attended by heads of state and government and ministers in charge of environment from over 190 countries.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, in addressing the conference late Wednesday (early today in Malaysia), also reiterated Malaysia's strong commitment in pursuing its climate objectives through the implementation of sustainable development goals.
"One of our core strengths is in the area of forest and sustainable forest management. Our forest management records date back to 1905, including the Matang Mangrove Forest Reserve (in Taiping, Perak). Today this site has been acknowledged as one of the best-managed mangrove forests in the world," he said.
Malaysia's forest cover now stands at 54.5% and at least 50% of the total land area will be maintained as forest and tree cover.
Wan Junaidi, who leads the Malaysian delegation to the conference, said the country was also committed to the reduction of emissions from deforestation and forest degradation as well as promoting the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries, otherwise known as REDD+.
For this, Malaysia presented the latest REDD+ outcome report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat and hosted the REDD+ Day on Monday here.
"Malaysia has an ambitious REDD+ Strategy to address the holistic forest management requirement and looks forward to accessing the international finance and support required for its successful implementation," he said. — Bernama