Illegal Encroachment Affects Over 38,000 Hectares of Malaysia's Permanent Forest Reserves*

KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 19 — Malaysia's Permanent Forest Reserves (PFR) have been illegally encroached upon in over 38,000 hectares of land, an area more than 400 times the size of Titiwangsa Lake Gardens, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad revealed.

The encroachment, involving activities such as illegal agriculture, mining, construction, and aquaculture, has occurred across 1,074 locations in Peninsular Malaysia. Despite penalties under the National Forestry Act, these illegal activities continue. 

To tackle the issue, the government is using advanced monitoring tools like satellite imagery, remote sensing, and state-specific systems like COMOS in Sarawak and iForSabah in Sabah. 

The federal government has also allocated RM100 million for forest restoration, including replanting 731,176 trees across 1,235 hectares of degraded land. The response was given to Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim (PN-Arau) in a parliamentary session.