KOTA KINABALU: The federal government is allocating RM8.46 million in 2026 to appoint 225 Community Rangers in Sabah under a nationwide biodiversity patrol programme.
Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup said the rangers are key to stopping illegal logging, poaching, and encroachment, warning Malaysia could lose iconic wildlife without urgent action.
Since 2019, the Integrated Khazanah Operation has led to over 1,100 arrests, RM413 million in seizures, and the destruction of 2,838 animal traps.
Sabah has 217 rangers across 18 patrol posts, including an all-women forest crime analysis team.
An additional 15 rangers will be deployed to Pagalungan and Pensiangan, with biodiversity enforcement now part of the minister’s 100-day KPI.