KUCHING: The Forest Department Sarawak continues to prove its role as a key leader in realising Sarawak's Green Transformation agenda through sustainable forest management, digital innovation and international strategic cooperation.

Sarawak Deputy Premier, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said the Forest Department Sarawak plays a crucial role in ensuring that the state's green development is implemented in a balanced manner between economic progress and environmental sustainability.

According to him, the implementation of digital systems such as the Enterprise Forest Information Management System (EFIMS) and Sarawak Logs Tracking and Forest Revenue System (REVLOG) proves the department's ability to strengthen natural resource management in a transparent, efficient and integrity-based manner.

"Through this technology and data-based approach, Sarawak has become one of the leading states in sustainable forest management, in line with the state's green development agenda," he said.

He said this during the Forest Department Sarawak 2025 Outstanding Service Awards (APC) and Retirees Appreciation Ceremony on Monday.

Meanwhile, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah also praised the success of the Forest Department Sarawak which successfully certified 1.6 million hectares of forest under the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS), implemented the first forest carbon license in Malaysia and planted over 50 million trees under the 100 Million Tree Planting Campaign, exceeding the target earlier than expected.

The Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development stressed that the achievement was in line with the direction of the Post-COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030 and the Sarawak Sustainability Blueprint 2030, which emphasises the balance between economic development and environmental conservation.

In addition, he said, the Forest Department's strategic collaboration with international institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, Harvard University and Japan's National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) also strengthened Sarawak's position as a leader in the field of tropical forest management and climate change mitigation at the global level.

At the same ceremony, Datuk Amar Awang Tengah also expressed appreciation to retirees and recipients of the APC as a sign of recognition of their services, dedication and contributions to the department.

A total of 89 officers and staff received the APC, while 35 recipients received the Retirement Appreciation.

Also present were Permanent Secretary to the Ministry for Natural Resources and Urban Development, Datu Abdullah Julaihi, Director of Sarawak Forestry Department, Datu Hamden Mohammad, General Manager of LCDA, Datu Dr. Zaidi Mahdi, Director of Sarawak Land and Survey Department, Datu Awang Zamhari Awang Mahmood, Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NREB) Controller, Datu Jack Liam, General Manager of PUSAKA, Datu Zainal Abidin Abdullah, and General Manager of Forestry Corporation Sarawak, Abang Arabi Abang Aimran. -UKASnews