KUANTAN: The Pahang government is in the process of gazetting 134,183 hectares of land for the Al-Sultan Abdullah Royal Tigers Reserve, an effort hoped to be completed by the end of 2028, according to State Local Government, Housing, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman Datuk Seri Johari Harun.

He said that Phase One which covers an area of 92,649 hectares involving the entire area of Gunung Aais Forest Reserve in Jerantut and its additional reserve as Wildlife Protection Forests has been gazetted by notice dated May 4 this year, while the remaining land involving Tekai-Tembeling Forest Reserve, will be gazetted in Phase Two.

"This is part of the state government's initiatives through the Forestry Department to increase the population of Malayan tigers and their wandering areas, thus avoiding conflicts between humans and wildlife.

"This reserve is the first Malayan tigers conservation initiative in Malaysia and will be part of the carbon credit projects under the Malaysian Forest Fund scheme as one of many efforts to increase forest conservation collectively," he said in his speech at the 1st Pahang Tiger Summit here today, which was graced by Pahang Regent Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah.

In his speech, Johari said he was informed that there are less than 150 Malayan tigers left in Malaysia, with 39 of them in Pahang.

Johari also noted that the state government is taking serious measures in protecting the wildlife including the Malayan Tiger through the implementation of various initiatives to preserve the forest.

"As of 2021, the forested areas in Pahang amounted to 2.04 million hectares, which represents 57 per cent of the state's area. these forested areas include permanent forest reserves, protection forests and watershed forests.

"With these, Pahang has become the largest contributor of forested areas in Peninsular Malaysia," he said.

Meanwhile, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said the Malayan Tiger population is at an alarming level and will become extinct within the next five to 10 years if extraordinary measures were not taken to protect them.

"Acting upon this, the Malaysian Cabinet in 2021, had agreed on nine extraordinary actions for the conservation of the Malayan Tiger for a period of 10 years, from 2021 to 2030.

"The extraordinary actions are based on three approaches, namely strengthening boots on the ground and the conservation of the habitat of the Malayan Tiger; improving good governance and effectiveness in the implementation of conservation efforts; and strengthening initiatives to ensure the survival of the Malayan Tiger species through the provision of innovative financial instruments and the Malayan Tiger habitat accreditation scheme," he said in his speech that was read by the ministry's Secretary-General Datuk Rosli Isa.

Nik Nazmi said his ministry has also taken strategic actions to address the crisis of the Malayan Tiger population, in collaboration with the Pahang government, including through the establishment of the National Tiger Conservation Task Force (MyTTF) last year.

Additionally, he said the Biodiversity Protection and Patrolling Programme (BP3) had also been empowered, which included the appointment of 302 Community Rangers this year with an allocation of RM9 million.

The Malayan Tiger Conservation Centre has also been established in Lanchang, Temerloh, on Feb 1 last year to carry out a more focused tiger reintroduction programme.

-- BERNAMA