Abstract
This study examines contemporary issues on the legal rights of the sultan to state forestry land and the distribution of forest resources according to ancient Malay customary land tenure system in the State of Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia. In the Malaysian Constitution, forestry land is state property that is vested in the sultan (paramount ruler) of the state, who is the ultimate owner of the soil. Forest resources are an important economic income that has contributed a substantial amount of revenues to the state. Consequently, the sultan, Malay politicians and wealthy ethnic Chinese businessmen have formed various interest groups that influence forest resource utilization. In such a context, micropolitics and other socioeconomic imperatives have become involved with forestry matters. These ties have created problems for federal and state forest administrations in implementing sustainable forest management practices. As a result, state forest degradation has proceeded rapidly.
