PETALING JAYA: An environmental watchdog has called for the governments of Sabah and Sarawak to probe the land listings of over 80,000ha of forested land in East Malaysia on social media and on a website.
In a statement, RimbaWatch said it had identified nine land listings, six of which were located in Sarawak.
Based on RimbaWatch’s findings, which was published in its Rapid Response report today, a total of 54,629ha of these lands can be classified as "undisturbed forest", while 30,476ha were "degraded forest"..
Combined, it encompasses 85,105ha, an area which is larger than Perlis, and even Singapore, and it could be under threat if the sale of these forested lands is successful, the group said.
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And while the commodity or sector-specific threats are unknown and unspecified in the listings, some listings mention the suitability of the land for agriculture, it said.
RimbaWatch claimed that some maps attached to listings appear to be official surveys conducted by the relevant Land offices, and other listings have land titles, official letters, project proposals and other details attached to them.
“The Sabah and Sarawak state governments should investigate these findings, given the presence of government-sanctioned maps and detailed concession information attached to some of the listings.
"Further, they should prioritise the protection of biodiversity and human rights in their development planning, and ensure that forested lands are managed with these priorities in mind and not sold to private enterprises,' the group said.
RimbaWatch also called for any plan to trade these lands to be canceled to help maintain Malaysia’s forest cover at the maximum possible level.
Real estate websites, including Facebook Marketplace, should adopt policies to ensure that deforestation is not facilitated on their platforms.
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