The Minister of Industry and Primary Resources yesterday highlighted the importance of youths' role in conserving and protecting forests, which is an important asset for the country.

Pehin Orang Kaya Setia Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Ahmad Hj Jumat pointed out that the destruction of forests will lead to catastrophic events such as landslides, flash floods, mudflows, depletion of the ozone layer and global warming, among others.

During the launch of the World Forestry Day at the Berakas Forest Recreation Park, the minister said that the destruction of forests is closely related to population growth which leads to increasing demand to extend farming areas and rising pressure to allocate land for infrastructure.

He said that the most important issue is how to utilise forest resources to prevent overexploitation which can affect ecological stability and damage the environment.

Pehin Dato Dr Hj Ahmad also mentioned that the Heart of Borneo (HoB) project, in which Brunei has allocated 58 per cent of its forest area to be included in the collaborative initiative with Malaysia and Indonesia to ensure that forest resources are protected.

Last year, the project had received technical and financial support to enable the production of the Implementation Framework Project (PIF) as a reference and national level guidelines to carry out and realise the vision of HoB.

The Forestry Department also aims to focus on economic development in the forestry sector, including downstream industry and eco-tourism such as the Ulu Temburong National Park and Tasek Merimbun, by providing the infrastructure for outdoor recreation.

When the Berakas Forest Recreation Park opened in 1999, the carrying capacity was only 500 visitors at a one time. However, as the park is currently undergoing some extension work and by July this year, the carrying capacity is expected to rise to 6,000 visitors at a time.

Forest recreational parks in the country are expected to accommodate 9,800 visitors and would be able to accommodate recreation for Brunei's communities over the next 10 years.

Since the inauguration of the Forestry Department in 1933, its development has been visible and its role and responsibilities now cover a wider scope. Before, its main responsibility was to control the activities of extracting forest products for economic use.

Now, the department has a wider scope of work, which includes contributing to the socio-economic development and environmental stability for the current as well as the future generations.

This year also marked the commemoration of the department's 75th anniversary.

The minister then led the rest of the participants to do their part by planting trees at the camping site.