Dear Friends, When I joined The Borneo Project over a decade ago, we were a small but determined team—it was just me, an intern, and our dedicated board. Our main partner organization in Sarawak, SAVE Rivers, was run by a handful of volunteers. Our coalition was small, but we were...
This article was originally posted in Eco-business Asia We wind our way through a maze of logging roads in Sarawak, heading toward some of the state’s so-called reforestation projects. Sarawak claims to be at the forefront of Malaysia’s green revolution, planting millions of trees and launching its first carbon offset...
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...
Save our forest and stop the logging – Baram Penan communities send clear message from the forest to Sarawak’s capital (KUCHING & BARAM / SARAWAK / MALAYSIA) Today, a delegation of Penan from the Upper Baram River Basin delivered a petition with over 500 signatures to government representatives at the...
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...
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...
Penan communities are dismayed that Samling’s forest certificate was reinstated even though serious problems remain unresolved. They demand a no-logging zone in their territories. (LIMBANG / SARAWAK) This week some of the last nomadic Penan communities submitted documentation to timber giant Samling to assert their ancestral land rights. The Penan...
