September Updates
Greetings from The Borneo Project! Here are a few updates on what's been happening this...
Category: Updates
Malaysia’s Palm Oil Expansion Ban: More Greenwashing or a Signal of Real Change?
New Greenpeace report on clearcutting by palm oil groups underscores how practice persists in tropical forests. Earlier this month, Malaysia’s Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok announced that the government is committed to maintaining at least 50 percent forest cover nationwide, and will not allow any more expansion of oil palm plantations. This...
Did Malaysia just ban palm oil expansion?
On Tuesday, Malaysia’s Primary Industries Minister Teresa Kok announced that the government is committed to maintaining at least 50 percent forest cover nationwide, and will not allow any more expansion of oil palm plantations. This was not announced as part of an official policy platform, but after Kok’s keynote address...
How many dam bursts are too many?
In a warming climate, dams and downpours make for a dangerous mix This week, a dam breach in central Myanmar forced an estimated 50,000 people from their homes and flooded the country’s main highway. The Swar Chaung dam in Bago region overflowed as the result of this year’s particularly generous...
August Updates
Here are a few updates on what’s been happening this month: Stop the Papar Dam! In Sabah, a controversial dam project that was shelved in 2015 has been resurrected by the newly elected Chief Minister Shafie Apdal despite campaign promises condemning the project. The proposed dam would cover 5.22 sq km, is...
Congratulations to new Senator Adrian Banie Lasimbang!
The Borneo Project has been informed that on Monday 27th August, Adrian Banie Lasimbang will be sworn in as a new member of the Malaysian Senate....
Stop the Papar Dam!
In Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, a controversial dam project that was shelved in 2015 has been resurrected by the newly elected Chief Minister Shafie Apdal despite campaign promises condemning the project. The affected communities who have mobilized against the proposal accuse Shafie’s Parti Warisan Sabah of breaking election promises. Diana Sipail...
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
“On this annual observance, let us commit to fully realizing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, including the rights to self-determination and to traditional lands, territories and resources.” — UN Secretary-General António Guterres Note: this article is reposted from un.org There are an estimated 370 million indigenous...
July Updates
Battle for NCR Land Rights in Sarawak Continues On July 5th hundreds of protestors and over 20 native social rights groupsgathered in Miri to express their opposition to a proposed amendment that would significantly dilute indigenous land rights. Following the rally, an amendment was passed that limits the Native Customary Rights (NCR) domain to 1,000...
Penan demand acknowledgement of their nomadic livelihood
The Penan speak out against their discrimination as hunters and gatherers: the law should not only acknowledge rights to farmland but also to forest. (MIRI / SARAWAK / MALAYSIA) The Penan from Malaysian Borneo are turning to their government requesting the acknowledgement of their right to land, on which they...