Logging Conflict Escalates In Sarawak As Penan Take A Stand
Indigenous Penan communities in Sarawak's Upper Baram region have recently set up blockades against large-scale logging activities by Borneoland Timber Resources Sdn Bhd ('Borneoland'), a politically-linked Malaysian logging company. Groups of locals fighting the encroachment have established blockades at Ba Olé (within the boundaries of Ba Data Bila), Long Benali and Ba Pengaran Kelian. Some of these blockades have since been dismantled by timber workers.
In April alone, 162 logging trucks with an estimated load of 25 metric tons each left the forests of Ba Data Bila. This amounts to approximately 4,000 tons of timber, valued at around MYR 9 million (US$ 2.1 million), in just one month.
The logging concession, granted last year without public tender, encompasses protected forest within the Upper Baram Forest Area. According to Sarawak Forest Director Hamden Mohammad, «the primary purpose of a protected forest is to preserve and safeguard the ecological integrity of the land, ensure environmental protection of soils and water, and in some cases, support productive forest activities.»
Despite sustainability promises, Borneoland's timber operation lacks any kind of certification or publicly available social and environmental impact assessments. The area was part of a sustainability showcase project under the auspices of the International Tropical Timber Organization ITTO. The project collapsed last year after Sarawak's authorities unilaterally terminated the project.
Earlier this year, eleven community leaders took legal action and applied for a judicial review in the High Court in Sabah and Sarawak, demanding the immediate recall of the 170,000-hectare timber license granted to Borneoland.
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