Indigenous Baram communities celebrate timber company’s withdrawal from their lands

a group of community members gathers around the MTCC and PEFC delegation

Indigenous communities in Sarawak win a landmark victory as the Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) and international timber certifier visit Sarawak to inspect timber operations. [SARAWAK / MALAYSIA] – In a major victory for Indigenous communities defending their customary lands, Samling has withdrawn several of its timber concessions from the...

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How does dirty timber from Sarawak get to the USA?

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...

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Baram Penan villages reject forest certification

The Penan villages of Long Lamai and Ba Lai refuse to participate in the ongoing forest certification process and ask timber giant Samling to respect their territories (LONG LAMAI & BA LAI / BARAM / SARAWAK) The Penan communities of Long Lamai and Ba Lai have expressed their complete rejection...

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Land rights defenders refute assemblyman’s claims 

Contrary to Dennis Ngau’s claims, local organizations highlight widespread opposition to logging in the Ulu Baram (Miri/Sarawak/Malaysia) On 8th March, Free Malaysia Today published a report quoting Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau as saying that logging poses no threat to Indigenous communities in the Baram. Ngau told FMT that, “After...

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Forest Stewardship Council FSC called on to drop Samling Group

Coalition submits complaint to FSC during General Assembly, calling on the body to withdraw Samling’s certificates (BALI, INDONESIA / MIRI, MALAYSIA) This week, a coalition of civil society organizations are calling on the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to drop Sarawak timber giant Samling and withdraw its FSC Licence Agreement under...

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Timber giant Samling enters forest earmarked for conservation, satellite images show

JOINT PRESS RELEASE by KERUAN, Bruno Manser Fund, The Borneo ProjectFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Logging company Samling extracts timber near culturally important site – Penan communities outraged (LONG AJENG / BARAM / SARAWAK) Logging company Samling is currently extracting timber from an area earmarked for community-led conservation and community development under...

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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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