Brunei mulls using technology to curb illegal logging: official

Brunei is looking to use technology to better manage its forest resources and curb illegal logging activities, local press reported on Sunday.

Brunei's acting director of Forestry Department Hj Faizal said Brunei government is seeking to deploy a number of technological equipment to find out the current state of the country's forest resources and map out an inventory through aerial photographs.

"By doing that, we'll be able to assess whether there is any illegal activities within our forests through this aerial satellite imagery," he was quoted by the Brunei Times as saying.

He said efforts are under way to measure, report and verify forest resources, enabling the Forestry Department to compare as well as detect changes in Brunei's forest cover and condition using data collected in the inventory.

"A few months down the road, we'll be able to see if there is any degradation or if there is any deforestation being done illegally within a particular area," he added.

While there have been no new reported incidents, the acting director said illegal logging still poses a threat along the Brunei-Malaysia border with fears that depletion of neighbouring forest resources could spill over to the sultanate's territory.

"From Brunei's side, we don't have illegal logging, so we are mostly trying to make sure there's a reduction or no encroachment at all from across the border," he said.

He added that the authorities were closely monitoring a number of sites particularly in the Temburong district, where logging activities in Malaysia have reportedly occurred within close proximity to Brunei over a range of 100 to 300 metres. Endit