SEREMBAN, Sept 18 — All hiking activities at Gunung Besar Hantu and Trans Naning Trail must use the services of Mountain Guides registered under the Negeri Sembilan Forestry Department (JPNS) starting October 1.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said the move aligned with efforts to improve climber safety while ensuring more systematic and orderly management of hiking or climbing trails.
“A total of 77 Forestry Mountain Guides have been registered under the JPNS this year. This registration also enables the department to work more closely with them, including trail management.
“It also makes them the eyes and ears of the department in ensuring that eco-tourism areas are preserved,” he said during his speech at a dinner event on eco-tourism publicity for Negeri Sembilan forests here last night.
The event was also held in conjunction with the 45th Conference of State Forestry Directors in Peninsular Malaysia (PPNSM), which is taking place over four days starting yesterday. Also present was Director-General of Forestry for Peninsular Malaysia, Datuk Zahari Ibrahim.
Aminuddin said that forest-based eco-tourism products were among the contributors to the state revenue, recording 383,961 visitors involving a collection of RM807,560 in 2024 and as of July this year, 278,512 visitors generated RM608,440.
Aminuddin, who is also Port Dickson MP, said the government had approved the Sky Walk Project in the Pasir Panjang Forest Reserve in Port Dickson costing RM3 million, which was implemented this year, and expected to be completed in 2027.
Meanwhile, he said forest-based ecotourism products in Negeri Sembilan also received national recognition, including an entry in the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR) for the Sungai Menyala Forest Reserve under the Science and Technology category.
On another note, Zahari said the PPNSM conference this time presented 12 working papers related to current issues in the forestry sector, including the mining of Non-Radioactive Rare Earth Element (NRREE) mining in Permanent Forest Reserves (HSK) as well as enforcement and licensing of Mountain Guides Association.
He also said Malaysia’s forested areas covered 18 million hectares or 54.58 per cent of the total land area, while in Peninsular Malaysia, it amounted to 5.74 million hectares (44 per cent) to date.
“Of that total, 4.85 million hectares have been gazetted as HSK, which is sustainably managed by the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia and the respective Forestry Departments,” he said. — Bernama
