TerraSphere is restoring forests in Sarawak

KUCHING, 6 Oct: The Sarawak Forest Department (JHS) has developed TerraSphere technology to speed up forest restoration efforts especially in remote, dry and difficult-to-reach areas using conventional cultivation methods.

JHS Forest Keeper, Norzaliza Johan said that the technology developed since 2023 combines five key components to improve seed growth efficiency in target areas.

"The TerraSphere contains five combined components: Terraseeder, Terratreat PLA, Growsphere, Terrapod and Terragel which each have the functions of ensuring seed growth or tree trunks in field areas, with our primary targets being degraded areas.

"The climate is really dry and less fertile", he said when meeting TVS after the inaugural JHS 2026 Innovation Month Meeting, here today.

According to him, formulations in the Growsphere were developed to help seed grow, while Terragel functioned to maintain moisture and Terrapod was used to carry and release seeds into the field.

He said the Terrapod was then released using a Terraseeder, which is a drone, thus enabling the cultivation process to be carried out in areas that are hard for humans to reach.

"For now, our research is more focused on the Similajau Forest Reserve area in Bintulu and we plan to expand further. We are also planting in Sampadi area, Lundu", he said.

Norzaliza said the development of TerraSphere was a result of some of JHS's previous innovations, including projectsseedballand sewing using drones that were then added to produce a more efficient restoration method.

He said that the use of technology is essential to help Sarawak achieve the target of recovering 200,000 hectares of land in the post-COVID-19 Development Strategy (PCDS) 2030, especially mountainous and terrain shaped areas which make it difficult to cultivate manually.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Forest Director Datu Hamden Mohammad said that JHS forest restoration technology continues to develop through the Sarawak Greening Campaign, from the supply of native species plant materials andSeed bombingto useSeedball Blaster, drone searches and now TerraSphere.

"This trip brought the ICQCC 2023 gold medal in Beijing, Environmental Sustainability Award (DEA 2025), Malaysia Technology Expo 2026 gold medal and recognition of Green Organization of the Year 2025 through the project Greening Sarawak Campaign", he explained.