International flagship project sunk by Sarawak forestry agency

Lack of transparency and breakdown in communication cause cancellation of International Tropical Timber Organization’s (ITTO) showcase operation in Malaysian Borneo (MIRI / SARAWAK / MALAYSIA) International donors were stunned last Thursday when, minutes prior to the start of a project meeting in Miri, Malaysia, they learned that the Forest Department...

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NGOs to Anwar: fix Malaysia’s broken timber certification system

MTCS zone inside the Lana plantation

In a letter to Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, NGOs call for urgent reforms of and propose solutions to the broken Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) (KUALA LUMPUR / MALAYSIA) Today, civil society groups called on Malaysia’s Prime Minister, Anwar Ibrahim, to undertake long-overdue reforms of the Malaysian Timber Certification...

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Indigenous delegation from Borneo expects Dutch government to suspend Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme

May 13, 2022 Indigenous delegates from Malaysia visit the Netherlands, top importer of MTCS certified timber, to raise concerns about the certification scheme(THE HAGUE / NETHERLANDS) An Indigenous delegation from Malaysia is currently in the Netherlands to speak to the Dutch government about suspending its endorsement of the Malaysian Timber...

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NGOs demand MTCC acknowledge certification scheme’s shortcomings and take action

In conjunction with MTCC’s participation at PEFC International’s upcoming members meeting in Dublin, civil society organisations argue MTCC is unable to uphold timber certification standards. May 10, 2022(MIRI / SARAWAK / MALAYSIA) As the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) attends the members’ meeting for the Programme for the Endorsement of...

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NO KAIDUAN DAM!

Photo courtesy Save Ulu Papar’s Facebook page The government has approved a new, controversial dam to be built in Sabah, Malaysia – and it will be built if nothing is done to stop it. The foreseeable Kaiduan dam will obstruct the Papar River in the Ulu Papar valley, flooding some 3,000 acres...

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Indigenous Land Rights Vital to Climate Change Solutions

Malaysiakini’s article highlights the importance of government respect for indigenous land rights, particularly due to the impact of development on the Earth’s climate. Indigenous peoples in Malaysia have a longstanding history of sustainable land management, as their traditional livelihoods depend on the health of their natural environments. Before implementing laws for sustainable development...

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Borneo mega-dams risk indigenous ‘ethnocide’

Massive dams in Sarawak, Malaysia, threaten to flood over 2,000 square kilometers of the world’s oldest rainforests, displace 10,000s of indigenous people, and aggravate climate change, writes Amanda Stephenson – all to generate electricity that no one wants.     Sarawak, Malaysia, is located on the island of Borneo, the...

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Another Year of Fires, Another Year of Inaction

With a 70% chance of an El Niño this year, Indonesia could soon be facing the wrath of its near neighbors again as the dry season approaches with the ever present threat of vegetation fires. Read more below about  Indonesia is dealing with these fires. Read more on Mongabay. Read...

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