Will timber certification help Borneo’s
last nomadic groups protect ancestral forests?
In the late 1980's, pictures
of loincloth-wearing nomadic Penan blockading bulldozers in Sarawak appeared
in newspapers worldwide. For a brief period, a series of blockades shut down
interior logging operations in Malaysian Borneo. However, one by one these
blockades were dismantled—some by force, some by attrition—and logging continued
as before. Blockading was replaced by other less confrontational techniques
as the native peoples searched for ways to protect their forests.
Now, for the first time
since the early 1990's, Penan communities in Sarawak (one of two Malaysian states
on the island of Borneo) have erected blockades to protect their traditional
lands from logging. This time, however, the response and final outcome to blockades
may be very different, thanks to the growing popularity of timber certification
programs. Certification is rapidly transforming the logging industry, and is
forcing the Malaysian government to reexamine its logging practices.
Confrontation in the Forest
On August 11th, the people
of Long Kevok and three neighboring settlements lashed a wooden barrier across
a new logging road entering their forests—less than ten miles from Sarawak's
famous Gunung Mulu National Park. In September, both blockaders and loggers
agreed to stand down from confrontation while negotiations were conducted.
As of early October these negotiations are still continuing, but it is probable
the negotations will fail and the blockade reactivate soon.
A blockade at Long Nen was
erected on October 5th. Around one hundred people from seven nearby settlements
are manning the blockade. Some walked two days to reach join the blockaders
at Long Nen. On October 7th, a similar blockade was erected near the settlement
of Long Lunyim. More than one hundred Penan are manning this blockade. Many
of the blockaders come from the neighboring settlements of Long Sayan and Long
Belok.
All of these blockades are
in the Apoh/Tutoh region of Sarawak, a hilly area populated mostly by Penan.
Many Penan in this region are semi-nomadic, living in settlements for several
months of the year and following the forest's food supply for the rest. The
Apoh/Tutoh is also the last refuge of four hundred entirely nomadic Penan— the
last nomads in Malaysia and among the very last nomads in Southeast Asia. Two
hundred of these nomadic Penan will lose their traditional forest homelands
if these blockades fail.
The Penan are well aware
that blockades have failed to permanently stop logging in the past. They are
blockading now because they are desperate and see no other way to fight the
destruction of their forest. Sarawak law recognizes indigenous land rights
based on ancestral history of farming the land. Because the Penan traditionally
are nomadic hunter-gatherers, and have not traditionally cleared forest to farm,
they have had the hardest time of any native group in Sarawak gaining recognition
for their land claims.
Some Penan forests have
been protected by their remoteness. But now, having exploited the lowland forests,
timber companies are bulldozing into the furthest interior regions, into the
last primary forests where many organisms have yet to be classified. A single
square mile in these forests can contain more tree species than all of North
America.
The Sarawak state has claimed
that they recognize the special situation of the Penan. In 1990, 1993 and again
in 1997 they announced with great fanfare the creation of specially protected
forests for the Penan, but failed to protect these areas or enforce their boundaries.
The boundaries of the parks established in 1990 and 1993 have already faded
from the map due to lack of inforcement. All of the communities taking part
in the Long Kevok blockade are within the Melana Protected Forest, established
in 1997. Logging is illegal inside the reserve’s boundaries, but once again
the logging concessions inside the reserve haven’t been revoked. The other blockades
are inside a proposed Tutoh-Apoh Forest Reserve. But given the government’s
track record with parks, the Penan are naturally skeptical of new promises.
The blockades at Long Kevok
particularly speak to the Penans’ desperate circumstances. When Penan blockades
ended in the early 1990's, the government established Long Kevok as one of three
“Penan Service Centers,” with a new longhouse, a school, a clinic, and other
amenities. Long Kevok has been used as a showcase village for foreign VIPs
and other Penan. Communities that take a stand against the government almost
inevitably see an immediate drying up of politically motivated "development"
largesse, so the people of Long Kevok have much to lose.
Surprisingly, the Long Kevok
blockade has gained local media attention. Since media outlets in Sarawak are
controlled by companies that benefit from logging, they often fail to cover
stories that depict them unfavorably, and the government usually blocks access
to protest areas. Yet this time a local TV crew happened upon the blockade
before police reached it, and broadcast the footage on the evening news. This
has obliged the Sarawak media to continue coverage of the blockades.
The blockades and ensuing
media coverage have forced the logging companies involved to react. Rimbunan
Hijau and Shin Yang have most of the logging concessions in the area. Rimbunan
Hijau has expanded rapidly from Sarawak and now operates in politically sensitive
areas other companies avoid, from Siberia to the Amazon. Shin Yang is considered
one of the most ruthless companies within Malaysia itself, and like many other
companies it hires "gangsters" to intimidate local villagers.
A quickly negotiated settlement
to these blockades is unlikely. The Penan demand the loggers stay out of their
area, and that the government enforce their traditional forest use rights.
The logging companies only want to discuss how much compensation the Penan will
receive for losing their land. But the Penan, who have little experience with
farming, rely on the forest more than any other indigenous group in Sarawak.
Can timber certification help?
As blockades continue, most
villagers are unaware of the global timber certification movement, and how it
may help their cause. Previously, the Malaysian government and logging companies
could afford to ignore international condemnation of their rapacious logging
practices. This may no longer be possible, thanks to a growing desire by consumers
worldwide to buy only "eco-friendly" timber. In some European countries,
demand for eco-timber already accounts for up to 50% of the market. Furthermore,
as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) timber certification program rapidly
gains recognition as the worldwide certification standard, countries around
the world are adjusting their practices to FSC principles.
Seeing these developments,
Malaysia recently launched a national timber certification standard, as the
first step in gaining FSC approval. The government projects that 70% of their
country's timber will need to be FSC certified within a few years. Given their
terrible environmental record, timber certification has Malaysian companies
concerned about future profits.
Timber companies in Sarawak
routinely violate Principle Number Three of the FSC's certification criteria,
the principle aimed at protecting the rights of forest dwelling peoples. Malaysian
officials and the FSC are currently negotiating over this issue. Crushing a
blockade in a protected forest would be a major strike against the new eco-friendly
reputation Malaysia is trying to cultivate.
Your Action is Needed!
The Borneo Project, as part
of an international network of groups allied with the Penan, is making a difference.
Here’s several simple ways you can make a difference too.
1. USE YOUR PURCHASING
POWER
•
Reduce. (or better yet) Eliminate your consumption of tropical wood products.
There is a high probability that wood you see in stores comes from threatened,
old growth rainforests.
• Buy Smart. If you purchase
wood, look for FSC certified wood. At this point, the FSC is the most credible
independent certifying organization out there. The Borneo Project will keep
vigilant watch to ensure the FSC does not bow to corporate pressures and reduce
their high standards.
• Raise the Issue. If a
store does not carry FSC wood products, ask why not? Ask if they plan to distribute
certified wood products. Tell them you will only buy FSC labeled products.
2. LET ‘EM HEAR YOU
• Write the Malaysian Timber
Certification Council and the Chief Minister of Sarawak. A decade ago, blockades
were broken up with tear gas and police assaults. The more the Malaysian government
sees that people are aware and concerned, the less able they are the respond
with a heavy hand. Let them know that you are a conscientious buyer and that
you will purchase only sustainably and humanely harvested wood. Tell them politely
you are appalled by Sarawak’s systematic destruction of the forest and its practice
of ignoring indigenous customary land rights. Send your letters to:
3. SUPPORT THE PENAN
• Send money to the blockaders.
A blockade may last for months. People on blockades cannot hunt, fish, farm,
collect food in the forest, nor do the other things needed to survive. Make
a donation to the Borneo Project, check the box that says “Penan blockade Fund,”
and we guarantee that 100% of your donation will go directly to the blockaders.
Your money will provide the basics: food, shelter, medicine, communication and
transportation. A little bit of money will go a long way to ensure that they
can keep the blockades up as long as necessary.
Send a check to:
The Borneo Project
1171 Alcatraz
Avenue
Berkeley,
CA 94703
Or via secure web transaction:
www.earthisland.org/borneo
The lands of the Penan are
the last primary forests of Sarawak. The indigenous people of Borneo have lived
in harmony with the rainforest for thousands of years and have proven to be
the forest's best protectors. We need to keep the pressure on and support the
Penan. Once logged, these forests will never be the same again. | 
