For over 30 years, Taib Mahmud has been a political figure in Malaysia. During this time, he has been the recipient of numerous corruption, human rights abuse, and environmental abuse allegations. Despite several protests from people around the world, Taib was sworn in as Sarawak’s Governor earlier this week. Read more...
Wilmar, the palm oil giant, has denied the claim that they will stop buying all crude palm oil from Sarawak due to it’s no deforestation policy. Read more below to find out why a large volume of the palm oil produced in the state of Sarawak is effectively exempt from Wilmar’s...
Despite the fact that impact assessments have not been completed and the proposed Baram Dam has yet to receive any official go-ahead, Samling, a timber company, has started stripping bare reserved native timber areas in Baram. Read more below to find out how Sampling is getting away with this and how...
The Bruno Manser Fund recently released a platform that allows us to see the large-scale destruction of Sarawak’s rainforests, peatlands, and traditional lands for use in palm oil plantations, timber concessions, and other environmentally damaging industries. Read more below to find out how they created this platform and how it works....
Rising demand for sustainably produced palm oil has caused Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standard certificate premiums to rise. Read more below to find out how much the price has been marked up and what this means for “sustainably” grown palm oil. Read more at Mongabay. Read more about palm...
A new report published by several environmental groups argues that unless governments and multilateral institutions significantly scale up financial commitments to REDD+, it may fail. Read more below to find out how much more institutions have to increase their financial contributions by and what the program hopes to achieve. Read more...
A powerful chief minister bows out—or does he? Abdul Taib Mahmud, who has lorded over the Malaysian state on Borneo for over 30 years, recently announced his retirement at the end of this month. Read more below to find out just how much Taib has influenced the development of Sarawak...
Asia Pulp and Paper recently committed themselves to a zero deforestation policy. Despite previous, failed deals, Rainforest Alliance has agreed to reengage with APP and independently evaluate the company’s progress. Read more below to find out how this deal came about and what both sides have to say about it....
Paleoecologists have found sparse but strong evidence showing that humans in Southeast Asia have been actively managing forests for over ten thousand years. Read more below to find out how these findings may help indigenous people fight against evictions from their native lands by major companies. Read more on Mongabay....
WikiLeaks has released a draft text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership that strips away many key environmental safeguards and has angered several environmental groups. Read more below to find out what is being negotiated and how environmental groups have to say on this issue. Read more on Mongabay. Read more about...
