230,000ha Pahang carbon sink

Regina Lee, New Straits Times 20 Feb 10;

PUTRAJAYA: Soon, peat swamp forests in southeast Pahang will be covered with plants to offset carbon footprint.
In a memorandum of understanding signed between the Pahang government and the Natural Resources and Environment ministry, the 230,600ha forest will act as a "carbon sink" to absorb carbon from the air.

In the voluntary carbon offset scheme (VCOS) initiated by Malaysia Airlines, 12,000ha of the forest will also be replanted with various species of plants.

This is part of efforts to offset carbon emission by the airline industry, which accounts for two per cent of emissions globally.

The ministry's secretary-general, Datuk Zoal Azha Yusof, said the VCOS in Pahang was a long-term plan that would be monitored for the next 30 years.

"The peat swamp forest in Pahang is the largest contiguous forest of its kind in Asia.

"Six years of research was poured into identifying the perfect place for such a project," he said after the signing ceremony yesterday.

He also said that there were other trickle-down effects from the project such as eco-tourism opportunities.

"The forest is home to several species of migratory birds. Avid bird watchers can have a whale of a time there."

Also present at the event was Pahang state secretary Datuk Muhammad Safian Ismail.