FOMISS-SAMLING Pilot Area

Development and Implementation of a Sustainable Forest Management System

In pursuance of the objective of the Government of Malaysia and the commitment of the State of Sarawak to achieve sustainable forest management by the year 2000, the Forest Department Sarawak, supported by the Deutsch Gesellschaft f�r Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH and the Samling Strategic Corportation Sdn. Bhd. has embarked on a Project which is described as the following:

Project Objective

"A Sustainable Forest Management Concept is elaborated on a pilot area through exemplary state-of-the-art forest resource assessment, management planning, implementation and monitoring of forest operations."

FOMISS-Samling Pilot Area

The pilot study area (green as seen in the map) is within the licensed areas of Samling Plywood (Baramas) Sdn. Bhd. under Licence Nos. T/0411 and T/0412. The areas are located in the Upper Baram region of the State of Sarawak, Malaysia. It has been agreed upon that both areas shall be managed as one Forest Management Unit under a combined Forest Management Plan. The combined gross licensed area comprises a total of 168,099 ha including some non-forested areas which are affected by shifting cultivating activities.

Research Status of Pilot Study Area

The pilot area shall, therefore, be classified as "Research Area" with the following benefits for SAMLING.

• clear licence boundaries, conducive to more economic monitoring and control,
• a detailed database for sustainabale forest management, including resource dependent Annual Allowable Cut,
• a forest management plan which is economically viable as well as environmentally sound and socially acceptable,
• necessary preconditions for a performance-based certification of forest product are met,
• transfer of knowledge and technology related to sustainable forest management,
• log production from compartments subject to harvesting trails shall be excluded from the log quota (as long as the quota systems is in place).

Scope of the Project

The Project shall be implemented in line with the Malaysian Critieria and Indicators (MC&I) for sustainable forest management but should comply with the Principles and Criteria of ITTO, ISO and FSC.

Activities in the FSPA

Management Planning

Achieve sustainable forest management through application of a comprehensive resource-planning tool, the Sustainable Forest Management System (SFMS).

Environmental and Technical

Identify and effectively control conservation areas, such as water catchment, steep slopes, biodiversity / wildlife conservation areas, scenic landscape features. Demonstrate the technical feasibility of the SFMS in the production forest through application of "best practice" management standards and technologies, such as

- improved forest infrastructure

- Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) and Low Impact Logging (LIL) methods

- promotion of forest regrowth with silvicultural treatment and rehabilitation methods.

Participatory
Balance the multiple interests of different stakeholders through participation in forest management activities.

Social
Enable hunting, gathering and fishing of forest dependent people.

Recreational
Develop and introduce eco-/ethnotourism related activities in cooperation with private sector and local people.

Economic
Strive for economic viability through financial support mechanisms, timber certification and improved market access.