By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: The further expansion of protected forest areas (TPAs) marks a significant step in safeguarding the state's forests, biodiversity, and natural resources, said Danau Girang Field Centre.
"It creates larger and more secure habitats for wildlife.
"We are securing vital 'home ranges' for our iconic species. This means more room for Bornean elephants to roam and safer canopy bridges for Bornean orangutans.
"TPAs aren't just about trees; they protect our water catchments.
"Those forests act as natural sponges, preventing floods and ensuring clean water flows to our towns and villages," the Kinabatangan-based tropical forest research and conservation facility said on its Facebook page.
Recently, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor announced that the state has achieved a major conservation milestone, with more than 30 per cent of its land now designated as Totally Protected Areas (TPAs).
As of February 2026, 30.06 per cent of Sabah's land, or about 2.227 million hectares, is now fully protected.
The milestone was achieved following the gazettement of an additional 216,000ha of protected land, placing the state ahead of the global conservation benchmark.
The details of the new areas have yet to be released to the public.
The centre also said the massive expansion is expected to strengthen Sabah's contribution to global climate action by preserving forests that store large amounts of carbon.
"By protecting our primary forests, we ensure that our eco-tourism industry remains the best in the world, supporting local jobs and communities."
On Monday, Sabah received an RM22.75 million grant from the federal government under its Ecological Fiscal Transfer (EFT) initiative to support the state government's environmental conservation efforts.
The grant, which now totals RM126.36 million since 2019, was presented to Hajiji by Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup.
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