Last November author Bill Bevis was in Berkeley to read from his new book Borneo Log. The event was sponsored by the Berkeley Borneo Big Home Project and Easy Going Books. Bill's reading and discussion of the issues surrounding the struggle for Sarawak's forests reflected meticulous research, genuine humanity, and a commitment to constructive change in the region.

Taking advantage of having this respected scholar and author in Berkeley, BBBHP members met Bill for a breakfast brain-storming session. The discussion progressed from shared memories of the Baram River region and our native friends to how we can best channel our energies to effect positive change in this tragic, but not hopeless, situation. We had a frank, uncensored discussion, which is vital to address these issues.

Asked "What should be done?", Bill responded that somehow the political and economic forces that are behind the logging must be challenged. This must take place not only at the local level, but at state, national, and global levels as well. At the local level, the peaceful blockades of logging roads since 1987 raised awareness of the native struggle against the logging industry, but also brought about tremendous hardships. With large numbers Dayak men imprisoned, the already struggling communities had difficulty surviving. Since that time, some villages -- including our sister-community of Keluan -- have initiated constructive ways to sustain their way of life. However, continued pressure from the government and logging and plantation companies has led to a worsening situation.

Throughout our breakfast discussion, we reiterated the point that we cannot come in from the outside and impose change. Decisions must come from within the Dayak communities that are on the front lines. We can, however, provide ideas and support the course of action they determine to be most appropriate. The mapping program we initiated on our recent visit is an example of this. By teaching practical skills needed to produce accurate maps of Dayak land and resources, we were able to provide a tool which the local communities can use as they see fit.

The workshop participants, including some representatives of the local chapter of Save the Earth, Malaysia (SAM), have enthusiastically taken their newly acquired mapping skills into neighboring longhouse communities since our trip in July. In addition to producing useful maps for the local communities, this effort also presents the opportunity to build an information base of native knowledge for the region.

Bill pointed out the need for increased legal and political clout in the battle for native land rights and the preservation of Sarawak's forests. It is particularly difficult to inform the public in a place where the government controlled-media is decidedly one-sided. Maps can be an influential form of documentation to demonstrate the injustices and wanton destruction that are taking place. One option currently under investigation by BBBHP is that of developing a low- cost geographic information system (GIS) to store, analyze and display land and resource data. While such a venture requires capital (computer equipment, etc) and some technical expertise, a properly planned project could have dramatic effects. Such a system could be used by local non-profit organizations for interactive demonstration of native forest and land rights issues and for the production of high quality maps.

As our waffles, eggs, hash browns, and fruit were served, and our coffee cups refilled, our discussion shifted to the larger political and economic system that is driving the devastation of Sarawak's forests. The fact that 80% of the timber is going to Japan points to that nation as an obvious target for protest. Thus far, however, campaigns such a Rainforest Action Network's Mitsubishi campaign have brought about little change. Bill did point out that some Japan corporations, who are concerned with long term planning, are aware that it is not in their best interest to continue current logging practices. Unfortunately, the globalized capitalist economic model is driving a sort of global resource feeding frenzy, where short-term economic gain outweighs any long-term resource stewardship.

Recently Bill attended a Pacific rim forestry conference in which historians and business people alike, not just environmentalists, agreed that the current rates of forest consumption are absolutely senseless. So what can be done about it? One thing is to realize that all of us bear some responsibility as participants in a society that consumes an excessive and unnecessary volume of wood and paper products. As individuals who care about these issues we must begin to make change in our own lives.

In addition to our practical discussions, we also mused on a more philosophical level. Our Western concepts of ownership, of individual advancement and accumulation of wealth, are in no small part contributing to what is happening in this remote forest in Borneo. Perhaps as the Buddhists say we must work to dispel the fantasy of 'private ownership. Didi noted that the Dayaks have a term "titipan" which means to sustain, or to keep something in perpetuity for future generations. This idea of stewardship is one in which personal ownership is inconsistent with the goals of sustainability for the future. While this may be an alien concept in the over-developed world, perhaps the solution to some of our social, psychological, spiritual, and ecological ills lies in the simple wisdom of our native brothers and sisters.