IPOH: As of June 30 this year, Perak has gazetted 988,722.22 hectares of Permanent Forest Reserves as part of its efforts to combat the impacts of climate change.
State Science, Environment, and Green Technology Committee Chairman Teh Kok Lim said this constitutes 47 per cent of the state's total area and represents 96.4 per cent of the forested area in the state.
"The state government has also implemented the gazettement of areas into permanent forest reserves as a measure to address the impacts of climate change," he said.
Teh (DAP-Aulong) said this in response to Mohd Akmal Kamaruddin (PAS-Selama) at the state assembly sitting in Bangunan Perak Darul Ridzuan here today.
Under the Malaysia Greening Program's 100 Million Tree Planting Campaign, he said the Perak Forestry Department is targeting the planting of 10 million trees across Perak over five years, from 2021 to 2025.
In addition to increasing forested green cover and biodiversity, particularly in Perak, he said the implementation of this program also aims to raise public awareness about community well-being and the importance of ecosystem quality, especially air quality, which can help reduce the impacts of climate change.
"The department, in collaboration with various government agencies, private sectors, non-governmental organizations, students, and the general public in Perak, has carried out tree planting activities using various methods and in various locations.
"Between 2021 and October 31 of this year, a total of 9,552,767 trees have been planted, covering an area of 19,165 hectares in the state," he added.
Teh said that the state government also encourages industry players, the business community, and residential areas to adopt solar energy for electricity generation.
He said this initiative is important and aligns with the policies set by the Federal Government through the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR), which aims for the country to achieve net-zero carbon emissions as early as 2050.
"There are 21 large-scale solar farms in Perak. A total of 18 solar farms are operational, while three are still under construction. The combined solar energy capacity amounts to 532 megawatts (MW)," he said.