Forestry in Sarawak: an overview of economic contribution and forest management

Abstract

Forests cover one third of the land area of the world and over half that of developing countries. A major part of the forests in developing countries consists of the humid tropical evergreen forests which straddle the equator in South America, Africa and Asia. The forests of Sarawak constitute a part in this environment. Ecologically the forests of Sarawak are considered to be the oldest and complex ecosystem in the world. most Expansion of international trade and economic recovery after the World Wars, entailing demand for raw materials from the developed countries, had led to commercial exploitation of the naturally endowed resources such as forest resources. Economic justifications for exploitation of the natural resources in under developed/developing economic are obvious and self-explanatory, especially so for the inflow of foreign exchange required for take-off stage in domestic growth and development. The tangible benefits and the vital roles attributed to exploitation of the resources had been the major consideration for the need to efficiently manage the resources. This serves as an introductory paper on forestry in Sarawak with general overview on its economic contribution and current management practices.