Hiking boom turns deadly with 63 fatalities and over 1,000 accidents, govt moves to tighten trail safety

KUALA LUMPUR, June 23 — A total of 1,059 accidents involving hiking activities, including 63 fatalities and 87 injuries, were recorded nationwide between 2021 and 2025, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh said statistics from the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM) highlighted the need to strengthen safety measures amid the growing popularity of hiking and forest recreational activities in recent years.

To ensure that recreational activities in Permanent Reserved Forests (HSK) are managed systematically, he said the Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department (JPSM), with funding support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), had developed the Mountain Risk Assessment and Management Guideline (MoGRAM) as a technical reference for risk mitigation and the management of hiking trail carrying capacity.

“JPSM has also made it mandatory to engage Forestry Mountain Guides (MGP) in 189 high-risk hiking areas. These certified guides support hiker safety, emergency response and compliance with hiking practices.

“To date, 2,322 individuals from local communities, including indigenous communities, have been certified as MGPs through the MGP skills development programme,” he said during Ministers’ Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a question from Datuk Mohd Isam Mohd Isa (BN-Tampin) on the number of accidents and fatalities linked to hiking activities over the past five years, as well as the government’s efforts to establish a national safety standard for hiking trails nationwide.

Elaborating, Syed Ibrahim said the ministry, through the JPSM, is developing a hiking trail management system based on geospatial technology, geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, in collaboration with the Malaysian Space Agency (MySA).

He said the system would support the mapping and monitoring of hiking trails, centralised management of trail information, and enhance search and rescue (SAR) operations through more accurate and comprehensive spatial analysis.

At present, he said, the registration of hiking activities in HSKs is carried out either manually or through online platforms managed by state forestry departments, in line with the jurisdiction of state governments, which are responsible for issuing permits to enter such areas.

“However, the ministry is of the view that establishing a national digital hiking registration log system has the potential to strengthen the safety, monitoring and management of hiking activities,” he said.

“Such a system could help record hikers’ movements more systematically, speed up the tracing process in the event of an emergency, and support the implementation of SAR operations more effectively,” he said.

Meanwhile, Syed Ibrahim said the ministry also places serious emphasis on the skills and welfare of MGPs and nature guides, who serve on the front line in ensuring the safety of hikers.

He added that various training and certification programmes are conducted regularly, covering hiking safety, risk management, first aid, survival skills, and search and rescue techniques. — Bernama