New Straits Times 8 Jun 11;
KOTA KINABALU: A "green economy" may reap huge economic benefits for Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei, according to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report.
Entitled "Forests in a Green Economy", the report was recently released in collaboration with this year's World Environment Day, with the theme "Forests: Nature at Your Service".
The economies of the three Asean countries would gain hugely as they cover a vast 22 million hectares of a biologically-diverse equatorial rainforest called the "Heart of Borneo".
World Wildlife Fund's Heart of Borneo Initiative team leader Adam Tomasek said: "The UNEP report represents a welcome sign for investing in forests as a means to protect ecosystem services, tackle climate change and expand economic growth.
"The green economy approach is supported by heads of state and senior government officials in Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia," he said, citing the Global Science and Innovation Advisory Council for Malaysia, convened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, as an example on delivering science and innovation for a green economy.
A recent study has shown that 10 million jobs are expected to be created in tandem with the increase in small and medium-sized enterprises, which make up the bulk of forest industries. Currently, these enterprises provide more than 50 per cent of forest sector employment in many countries.
The Heart of Borneo was established with the signing of the Heart of Borneo Declaration in 2007 between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. The area covers 22 million hectares of transboundary forest where animals roam freely.
