GEORGE TOWN – Penang Hill Corporation has been offered a grant totalling RM192,810 from the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry (Ketsa) to initiate a documentation project under the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve (PHBR).
The announcement was made during the handing over of the Certificate of Recognition for the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve today atop Penang Hill.
Deputy Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Ali Biju, who handed the certificate to Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, said that his ministry is currently working with the Penang government through the Penang Forestry Department and Penang Economic Planning Division to enable the state to be one of the pilot projects for the Forest Conservation Certificate.
“I also want to encourage the state to apply for the National Conservation Trust Fund under Ketsa to further revitalise research and conservation activities.
“The federal government appreciates the commitment shown by the Penang government in an effort to preserve the environment with the launch of the Penang Green Agenda 2030 which is a reference document towards making Penang the first green state in Malaysia.
“The federal government has provided a financial incentive, the Ecological Fiscal Transfer for Biodiversity Conservation to help the state government take more proactive action in protecting and conserving biological diversity and protected areas.
“Ketsa is also developing the REDD Plus Finance Framework as an additional financial initiative to carry out forest conservation and management activities in collaboration with the private sector,” he said.
During his speech, Chow also expressed his hope that the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve office that will be established this year to develop the Bukit Pulau Pinang Biosphere Reserve Action Plan (PHBRAP) will perform as well as George Town Heritage World Incorporated, which is known for its exemplary work within the Southeast Asian circle.
PHBRAP will detail the management of PHBR, in addition to the establishment of a Biodiversity Research Centre in Bukit Bendera.
The private partnership planned by PBBPP will involve The Habitat Group, academics from Universiti Sains Malaysia and various state and federal government agencies.
The Penang Hill Biosphere reserve was listed as an Unesco Biosphere Reserve on September 15, 2021, during the 33rd Session of the Man and the Biosphere Programme International Coordinating Council held in Abuja, Nigeria.
The PHBR spans an area of 12,481ha and encompasses terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems. – The Vibes, June 11, 2022
