Navin Kumar Perianen
Sarawak forest cover stands at 7.64 million hectares, or 62% of its land. Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said so in Kuching, DayakDaily reported on 5 November. He also asked Putrajaya to promote the state’s heritage and nature record overseas.
He spoke at the state’s 2026 National Environment Day event. The Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) also launched the Sarawak Environmental Policy there. Moreover, the figures give a fresh look at the state’s conservation record.
Overall, here is what the figures show, what the new policy covers and what the minister asked for.
What the figures show
Awang Tengah said 71 Totally Protected Areas are gazetted in Sarawak. They cover 870,000 hectares. Therefore, protected areas make up a small share of the 7.64 million hectares of forest.
He also cited the Greening Sarawak initiative. Under it, 65 million trees were planted from 2021 to 2026. The first target was 35 million. As a result, the state says it has almost doubled its goal.
A further 50 million trees are planned by 2030. The report does not say where they will be planted. Likewise, it gives no breakdown by species or by district.
The deputy premier also said Sarawak has done a great deal for the environment. He added that more needs to be done. Furthermore, he said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had praised the state’s resource management. The praise covered haze handling as well.
What the new policy covers
The NREB Controller, Datu Jack Liam, launched the Sarawak Environmental Policy. It links growth with nature and social inclusion. In addition, it has four strategic areas, 11 pillars, 41 targets and 111 action plans.
The policy is aligned with the state’s 2030 development strategy. It also follows the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. However, the report gives no budget for it. It also gives no timeline for each action plan.
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Jack Liam also said the board built Phase One of a greenhouse gas system this year. It supports the state’s net-zero aspiration for 2050. Meanwhile, an online system called e-PALS now handles grants and status checks. It also handles activity reports.
School clubs are part of the push. Environmental Awareness Clubs in schools rose to 1,098 as of October 2026, up from 675 in 2025. The target is 1,466 clubs across all schools by 2027.
What the minister asked for
Awang Tengah said Sarawak’s work on forests and wildlife is not well known abroad. He cited netizens, mostly in Europe, who think the state is destroying its forests. Therefore, he asked the federal government to promote Sarawak’s achievements overseas.
He said the state does well in some areas. In his words, it does even better than some European countries. However, those comparisons are his own claims, and the report gives no data for them. Readers who want to judge them should look for independent figures.
The week’s programme also included other events. These were an Environmental Education Conference with 450 international participants and a Sarawak Youth Green Programme with 120 participants. In addition, community leaders’ seminars were held in Limbang, Lawas and Tanjung Manis.
In short, the state says Sarawak forest cover is 62% of its land. It also says 65 million trees have been planted since 2021. Watch for details on where the next 50 million trees will go and on the policy’s action plans.
Maran Perianen
Yalinie Mathan
Amirull Salihing
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