Sarawak to host International Day of Forests 2025 at FRC Kuching
- BT
- Jul 7
- 2 min read
KUCHING, 7 July 2025 – Sarawak is gearing up to celebrate the International Day of Forests (IDF) 2025 on July 12 at the Forest Research Centre (FRC) here. The event will be officiated by the Premier of Sarawak, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri (Dr) Abang Haji Abdul Rahman Zohari bin Tun Datuk Abang Haji Openg and will focus on the State’s commitment towards sustainable forest management and environmental conservation.
First introduced as World Forestry Day in 1971 to promote awareness of the importance of forests and later rebranded by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 to better reflect the growing urgency of forest-related issues, IDF acts as a yearly reminder of how forests sustain lives. Forest Department Sarawak (FDS) has been championing this cause since 1973, making it one of the longest-running green awareness efforts in the region.
The theme this year, “Forests and Foods,” explores the powerful link between forests and food security, and how forest ecosystems nurture biodiversity, livelihoods, and everyday well-being. In Sarawak, forests are not only a source of timber and non-timber forest products (NTFPs). Many rural and indigenous communities still rely on them for food, medicine, tools, and traditions. With this in mind, the event will also look at the importance of involving these communities in forest management and conservation efforts.
In leading to the big day, FDS has hosted a series of sports events, from badminton and bowling to futsal, golf, and even sumpit (blowpipe) contests, to foster team spirit, wellness and engagement among stakeholders.
What’s happening on 12 July:
Opening of the Forest Resources One Stop Gallery, celebrating Sarawak’s forest heritage and research
The planting of the 50 millionth tree by the Premier of Sarawak – a major achievement that exceeds the original target of 35 million trees under the Greening Malaysia Campaign
A forestry exhibition featuring NGOs, academic institutions, government agencies, and community partners
Signing of MoUs to strengthen collaboration in sustainable forestry and climate action
This year’s celebration shows that Sarawak is still leading the way in taking care of its forests and using nature to help solve today’s challenges, such as making sure people have enough food, protecting the environment, and staying strong in the face of change, now and in the future.
