The Sabah state government has reduced the number of short-term timber concessionaires in a pro-active step to promote sustainable forest management (SFM) in the state, its Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman said Tuesday. "Currently, The Sabah state, reserved 15 timber concessionaires, which have signed Sustainable Forest Management Licence Agreements (SFMLAS) covering a combined area of two million hectares and a period of 100 years, to ensure that timber production in the state would be based on sustained yield and Reduced Impact Logging (RIL) techniques for harvesting logs," he said. "We have no choice but to do it for a better forest tomorrow despite the slow progress," he said in his speech at the workshop on Sustainable Forest Management organised by the Organisation of Asia Pacific News Agencies (OANA) here. Bernama, the national news agency of Malaysia, is the current chairman of OANA. His speech was read out by Datuk Masidi Manjun, Sabah's Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment, as Musa is away in Bandar Seri Begawan accompanying Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on a visit to Brunei. --MORE
