KOTA KINABALU:The Sabah Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment is to  receive an allocation of RM6 million under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) to continue with the declaration of  the Heart of Borneo (HoB), a biodiversity conservation initiative, said its Minister Datuk Jafry Ariffin.

He said the allocation is very important for sustainable forest management and efforts to preserve biodiversity through the state forest network where 4.2 million hectares of HoB forest area is located in Sabah out of a total of 6.8 million hectares of HoB forest area nationwide.

"The government is committed to increasing fully protected areas to 30 per cent or at least 2.1 million hectares by 2025 as well as restoring destroyed forests through forest restoration programmes," he said in a statement today.

HoB was implemented as a result of the cooperation of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei in a 2007 declaration to conserve biodiversity in Borneo which in turn benefits those who depend on the biodiversity.

Jafry said Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Datuk Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah had approved RM11.26 million to implement the HoB project and of that amount Sabah had received RM6 million to continue the HoB declaration initiative.

He said since the implementation of HoB in Sabah in 2008 in the 9MP to the 11MP, a total of RM54 million has been channeled to Sabah Forestry Department.

He said the proud achievement so far in the implementation of HoB is an addition of 22 outdoor field posts built at hot spots and increase of protected area to 1.1 million hectares, besides creating forest recreation areas such as Tawai Rainforest Camp and Centre of Sabah.

"Public awareness programmes such as Environment Education and HoB Roadshows involving teachers, students and villagers in the HoB areas are also held," he said.           

-- BERNAMA