The Forestry Ministry is planning this year to rehabilitate at least 500,000 hectares of damaged forests, Forest Affairs Minister Zulkifli Hasan said.
The minister said here on Saturday that in addition to rehabilitating forest and land, his ministry would develop timber industry area (HTI)and smallholders timber estate (HTR) on a 500,000 hectares of land.
A further 500,000 hectares would be developed as societal forest and village forest with another 50,000 hectares of smallholders partnership forest.
“Empowerment of people in the surrounding forest areas is key to the success of the people’s participation in maintaining and preserving forests and other natural resources,” the minister said.
The minister said a total of 400.8 million tree seeds (KBR) were developed in 8,016 villages in 2010.
And for 2011, a total of 10,000 KBR units or 500 million tree seeds would also be built.
He said that by 2014 all villages which are included in the critical river stream areas (DAS) would have been provided with KBR to support the tree planting program.
