Brunei Launches International Day of Forests 2014

Brunei's Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources also launched on Saturday the environmental program Greening the City, Saving the Planet: Making a Difference, One Tree at a Time to mark the International Day of Forests 2014. The new program, which welcomes the active participation of the public in forest conservation and development, offers events such as tree planting, caring, maintenance and adoption. "The continuing involvement of everyone in this program certainly gives more value to our environment and to our forests, as our priceless national treasure at the same time serves as an avenue to fulfill our individual, corporate, social and moral responsibility," said Minister Pehin Dato Haji Yahya at the launching ceremony. The minister stressed that issues of forestry and the environment, such as climate change, forests fires, and air and water pollution, have become the main focus of the media and in regional and international foray. He said his ministry has taken measures to further protect and manage forest resources in the country by focusing on the need to balance between social-economic development and environmental stability. "In addition, as a measure to ensure that the forest resources are conserved, the ministry will take a strategic action to stop timber harvesting in the production forests reserve and instead, to transfer timber harvesting to the 'non-forest reserve' or stateland forests in the Inter Riverine Zone between the Belait and the Tutong Rivers," he said "To this end, the ministry through the Forestry Department will conduct a comprehensive study to find the best and appropriate procedures to ensure the effective implementation of this Tree Farmland Program," he said.