This joint statement was originally published by Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and SAVE Rivers.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) and SAVE Rivers, express their solidarity with the indigenous communities from Logan Entasan, Lobang Kompeni and Sungai Brit who are affected by the Marudi Forest Conservation and Restoration Project. The two organisations thoroughly support the communities’ rejection of this forest carbon project and their call for the strengthening of their native customary rights (NCR), as expressed in their statement.
The Marudi Forest Conservation and Restoration Project is a forest carbon offsetting project regulated under the Sarawak Forests (Amendments) Ordinance 2022. The project is located within the LPF/0008, a monoculture plantation concession that has been licensed out to Samling. The size of LPF/0008 itself stands at 55,818 hectares, of which 9,189 hectares have reportedly been developed as of March 2023. Out of the original size of LPF/0008, approximately 25,675 hectares will be allocated to the forest carbon project.
Currently, this project is under validation by Verra, the international carbon credit standard body. During Verra’s public consultation process, SAM and SAVE Rivers(both environmental NGOs) submitted written comments expressing their objections and concerns about the proposed forest carbon credit project.
Firstly, the support for the communities is rooted in the NGOs’ concern that this proposed project violates their NCR. The communities’ objections are based on factual assertion that the proposed project does encroach into their customary territories. Furthermore, they have also conveyed to SAM that they are left confused by the consultations and surveys conducted in respect to the project. As such, this project lacks the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) process as required by international law. Second, despite its name, the Marudi Forest Conservation and Restoration Project is not a conservation project.
Celine Lim, Save Rivers’ managing director explains: “Forest carbon credit projects allow big polluters who purchase these carbon credit units to continue polluting and perpetuate the climate crisis. A carbon credit unit essentially is a permit to pollute. It gives the buyer the right to pollute and to release a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere”.
Moreover, according to NASA, once emitted, carbon dioxide can remain in our atmosphere for up to 1,000 years. As carbon dioxide accumulates, temperatures will continue to rise, worsening the global climate crisis. Therefore, the only way to stop global warming is to stop the continued release of carbon dioxide. This is why carbon offsetting projects serve to only perpetuate the climate crisis while benefiting big polluters.
The purchase of carbon credits allows buyers like oil and gas companies, aviation, industrial food and agribusinesses or rich countries to continue emitting and doing business as usual, while claiming that they have achieved their net zero targets or have done something to help address climate change.
Meenakshi Raman, president of SAM adds: “Carbon markets are not a solution to the climate crisis. They are fraught with fundamental problems that can never guarantee environmental integrity and violate the rights of indigenous peoples”.
Both NGOs call on the Sarawak and federal governments to strengthen the rights of indigenous peoples and simultaneously call off the Marudi Forest Conservation and Restoration Project in view of the above.