Malaysian Borneo’s last primary rainforests under threat despite international conservation promises A new logging operation in Sarawak’s Upper Baram region poses an immediate threat to the Malaysian state’s last primary rainforests in the Heart of Borneo. Community sources say operators linked to Malaysian tycoon Hii King Chiong (“Hii”) have started...
Opposition mounts in Layun Forest Management Unit, while Long Pakan community blames Samling’s logging operations for destruction of an HCV protected salt lick People from the Penan village of Long Pakan in the Baram region have reported that timber giant Samling’s operations have resulted in the destruction of a salt...
Dear friends, I recently returned from Sarawak, where I once again experienced the breathtaking beauty of this region alongside the stark reality of ongoing deforestation. On this trip I was able to visit the very remote Tekewit Waterfall, an astonishing site in the Upper Baram River Basin. Unfortunately, my visit was...
Human Rights Watch calls for environmental groups and Indigenous communities to be included at the Malaysia and Indonesia EU anti-deforestation task force meetings. (Brussels, May 31, 2024) – press release via Human Rights Watch The European Commission should include independent civil society groups in ongoing key talks with Malaysia and...
Report via RimbaWatch Executive Summary This supplement report supports the general findings of the original State of the Malaysian Rainforest 2023 Study. This report uses three baselines to predict a future reduction in forest cover; using the Vancutsem et al., 2021, Official Data, 2020 and Gaveau, 2022 forest cover statistics...
Timber giant Shin Yang begins questionable Social Impact Assessment process for carbon project as questions about Sarawak’s carbon initiatives are put to Sarawak’s parliament (BARAM & KUCHING / SARAWAK) Critical questions were put to the Sarawak State Assembly yesterday about the state’s carbon market initiatives. At the same time, timber...
We hear a lot about how tropical rainforests are cleared for logging and palm oil at extraordinary rates, and how devastating this is for the climate. But in the last few years we have heard the seemingly fantastic news that Indonesia and Malaysia — the world’s two biggest palm oil...
With talk of new dams in Sarawak going gangbusters in the media, we have fact-checked some of the claims that are being thrown around. When it comes to cascading dams, like the ones Premier Abang Jo wants to build on the Tutoh/Apoh rivers, they’re pitched as a less harmful alternative...
After various complaints from civil society, the Dutch government asks PEFC International to demonstrate accountability and prove that the Malaysian timber certification scheme is compliant (THE HAGUE / NETHERLANDS) The Dutch government expects PEFC International to conduct an investigation into the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS) following growing concerns about...
Many consumers want to make responsible choices when it comes to their purchases, but sometimes it’s hard to know what the safer, more ethical choice is. Certification schemes are a tool that many people (understandably) use to help them make those choices. Unfortunately, the credibility of these schemes is not...
