UMS to plant 200k trees by 2025 as part of 12MP Greening programme

 By Olivia Miwil - September 29, 2021 @ 2:59pm

UMS vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Taufiq Yap Yun Hin. - Pic courtesy of UMS.

KOTA KINABALU: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) is targeting to plant 200,000 trees by 2025.

Its vice chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Taufiq Yap Yun Hin said the varsity had always been supportive of positive efforts by supporting the 12th Malaysia Plan to plant 100 million trees from 2021 until 2025.

"During the said five year period, Sabah government has also targeted about 36 million trees involving five categories which are forest farms, forest restoration, rubber plantation development and fruit trees.

"Through the varsity-level of tree planting campaign, we aim to get each staff and students at the main campus here, the Labuan International campus and the Sandakan campus to plant one tree this year," he said, adding they would plant two trees each next year until 2025.

Taufiq was speaking during the virtual launching of Malaysia's Greening programme: 100 million Tree Planting Campaign at UMS-level on Facebook page "Fakulti Perhutanan Tropika (FPT) UMS".

He also added that the collaboration with industrial partners was essential to make the campaign successful.

"The theme of the 100 Million Tree Planting Campaign, "Our Tree is Our Life", clearly shows the government's seriousness in raising awareness among the community of the importance of forests to the well -being of human life.

"Preserving and caring for forests as well as the environment is not the job of the government alone, but also the role of all quarters including the private sector, institutions of higher learning, non-governmental organisations, village communities and individuals," said Taufiq.

He also hoped that the campaign would raise awareness and the spirits of all staff, students as well as stakeholders at the university in furthering the efforts to plant trees for the benefit of future generations.