As of April 30th 2013, a total of 191,851 hectares of native customary rights (NCR) land in Borneo have been raised for palm oil plantations by various joint-venture companies and smallholders. Read more below. Read more from: Borneo Post Learn more about forest and climate policy in Borneo As of April 30 2013, a total…
Updates
Addressing Sustainability and Justice in Rural Indonesia
Indonesia’s Constitutional Court recognizes the rights of customary communities to their forests and traditional lands. Read more below. Read more from: The Jakarta Post Read more about Forest and Climate Policy Last week Indonesia took a major step in a multi-decade struggle to address unsustainable forest and land use practices and the widespread injustices and…
Plague of Deforestation Sweeps Across South-east Asia
Illegal logging and unchecked economic development are taking a devastating toll on forests. Read more from the Guardian Environment Network Read more about Forest and Climate Policy and Stopping Timber Corruption in Malaysia In 1968, during the six-month siege of Khe Sanh — one of the most bitterly fought battles of the Vietnam War — a special U.S.…
Biosphere Conservation: Monumental Action is Critical to Avert Global Environmental Crisis
On the day after the UN’s designated International Day for Biological Diversity, it’s important to reflect on all that makes this planet beautiful, and what’s at stake should we choose to not take action to protect it, and inevitably, ourselves. Read more below. Read more from Mongabay Read more about forest and climate policy…
300 Indigenous Protest at IHA World Congress in Kuching
On May 22nd, 300 indigenous in Sarawak protested at the front gates of the International Hydropower Association’s meeting in Kuching, Mayalsia. Read more below on this impressive act of united resistance. Read more from The Borneo Post Learn more about corruption in Borneo KUCHING: More than 300, mostly indigenous people, staged a peaceful demonstration near…
Proposed Malaysia Dams Raise Transparency, Livelihood Fears
The International Hydropower Association (IHA) and the Sarawak government come under criticism from activists denouncing the development of 12 dams, for which the process has not been transparent regarding social and environmental concerns. Read more from Thomson Reuters Foundation Read more about the Borneo Project’s Campaign to Stop the Dams in Sarawak Activists in Sarawak, one…
Malaysia: Authoritarian Leader Lures Investors With Promise of “Responsible” Dams
The expansion of dams in Sarawak, Malaysia is costly to the indigenous people they will affect as well as the environment. But to avoid addressing these social and environmental concerns, Sarawak’s leader has resorted to his well-polished tactics of corruption and personal control, with the support from industry and without consideration of human rights. Read…
Peter Kallang Denied Entry into IHA Pre-Congress Workshop
Peter Kallang, an important indigenous leader and the SAVE Sarawak Rivers network Chairman, was denied entry into an IHA pre-congress workshop. Read more below from the Bruno Manser Fonds and SAVE Rivers. Learn more about corruption in Borneo The International Hydropower Assocation’s World Congress to be held in Kuching, Sarawak/ Malaysia, from 21 to 24…
EXCLUSIVE: Sarawak Dams to Flood 2,300 km2 of Rainforests, Displace Tens of Thousands of Natives
30,000 to 50,000 indigenous people to pay the price for Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s excessive dam plans in Malaysian Borneo. Read more from Bruno Manser Fonds Read more about the Borneo Project’s Campaign to Stop the Dams in Sarawak Also: View a high resolution version of the Sarawak dams map A new map released by the…
Indonesia’s Constitutional Court Returns Customary Forests to Indigenous Peoples
Yesterday, Indonesia’s Constitutional Court ruled that indigenous peoples’ customary forests should not be classed as “State Forest Areas”. This is a landmark ruling and an important step for the recognition of indigenous peoples’ rights in Indonesia. Read more below. Read more from redd-monitor.org Learn more about Forest and Climate Policy in Borneo In March 2012, Indonesia’s…