WELCOME TO FOREST DEPARTMENT SARAWAK

Sarawak has a total land area of 12.4 million hectares. Based on the Sarawak Land Use Policy Statement, a total of 7 million hectares of the State forested areas are being allocated for sustainable forestry and conservation purposes. This figure comprises 6 million hectares of Permanent Forest Estates (PFEs), for sustainability and timber production and 1 million hectares as Totally Protected Areas (TPAs) for conservation. Four million hectares were allocated for agriculture, while the remainder is for other development purposes.
 
Sarawak has 62% of its landmass, or approximately 7.65 million hectares, under forest cover. Within this expanse, 3.95 million hectares are gazetted as Permanent Forest Estates (PFEs).  Continuous efforts are being made to gazette more areas to achieve our target of 6 million hectares of PFEs. Notably, Sarawak also contributes the most to Malaysia’s overall forest cover, which is 42 percent out of the nation’s 18.05 million hectares of forest cover. 
 
Forest Department Sarawak aims to be globally recognized in Sustainable Forest Management (SFM), which is instrumental in balancing economic, social, and environmental well-being. It is crucial for enhancing local livelihoods, creating employment opportunities, safeguarding the environment, and boosting the overall economy by increasing forest productivity and ecosystem services while mitigating climate change impacts. 
 
Meanwhile, Forest Management Certification (FMC) is a crucial tool for ensuring our forest operations adhere to international sustainability standards and minimize environmental impacts. Sarawak is committed to certifying all our long-term forest timber licenses. To date, 26 Forest Management Units (FMU) and 8 Forest Plantation Management Units (FPMU), encompassing 2.38 million hectares and 122,800 hectares respectively, have achieved FMC certification under our FMC Policy.
 
Sarawak has emerged as a leader in the Greening Malaysia Campaign, a comprehensive national initiative focused on environmental restoration and sustainability with a 100 million tree planting target set for 2025. Sarawak, through its own Greening Sarawak Campaign, has set an even more aggressive goal of planting 35 million trees by 2025, and has subsequently exceeded this target by a year earlier. This achievement underscores Sarawak’s pivotal role in Malaysia's broader green initiatives.
 
In 2022, the Sarawak government amended the Land Code and Forests Ordinance to enable carbon activities and Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) initiatives. Meanwhile, in 2023, the Sarawak government approved the Environment (Reduction of Greenhouse Gases Emission) Bill, 2023, the first of such law in the country, to further strengthen environmental sustainability in Sarawak.
 
By integrating sustainability into every aspect of Sarawak’s development plans, this approach aligns with the principles of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria, aiming to transform Sarawak into a sustainable and future-proof region. These strategies are thoroughly outlined in Sarawak’s Post-Covid Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030.