KUCHING, Nov 28: The usage of drones has proven effective since its induction seven years ago in the Sarawak Forest Department to assist forest rangers effort to protect and combat illegal logging activities.
And enhanced the supervision and management of its natural resources.
“We now have drone rangers, not forest rangers, to monitor our forests from the sky and see things clearly on the ground.
“As such, drones have helped us manage our natural resources efficiently for sustainable timber management. As a result, supervision of our resources statewide is enhanced,” said Universiti Teknologi Mara (UITM) Sarawak branch’s rector Professor Dato Dr. Jamil Haji Hamali at the opening ceremony of the 3rd International Conference on Computer and Drone Application (IConDA) 2022 here, today.
Jamil also pointed out that usage of drones is beneficial in mitigating climate change and environmental protection through better data gathering and efficient enforcement to tackle illegal activities.
“With drones, a total of 2.5 million hectares were declared for the Heart of Borneo (HoB) initiative and with such innovation, it will help the state to monitor the area more effectively.
“Last year, the Sarawak Forest Department inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bintulu Development Authority (BDA) for collaboration on restoration activities that include plantation, conservation, and protection of trees in the area under BDA’s supervision for the Bintulu town beautification,” he added.
He further noted that several highly valued species of local trees have been identified for replanting in the state through the drone seedlings project.
Meanwhile, Jamil pointed out that the conference provides opportunities to highlight the most recent innovation in science and technology developments and to identify emerging future areas of growth as well as collaboration in drone technology.
He asserted that drones have been proven useful in various sectors namely military, agriculture, energy, infrastructures, and tourism.
“There is a lot of untapped potential in commercial drones that can be used in our economy.
“This is in line with the Malaysian Drone Technology Action Plan 2022-2030 (MDTAP30) that will be developed as a national agenda to support the drone ecosystem espoused by the former Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob last September,” he said.
He further stressed that the drone industry in Malaysia has the potential to generate growth of RM50.71 billion to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and is capable of creating 100,000 job opportunities by 2030. – TVS
