Penan Blockade Timber Roads , |
Will timber certification help Borneo’s last nomadic groups protect ancestral forests? In the late 1980's, pictures of loincloth-wearing nomadic Penan blockading bulldozers in Sarawak appeared in newspapers worldwide. For a brief period, a series of blockades shut down interior logging operations in Malaysian Borneo. However, one by one these blockades were dismantled—some by force, some by attrition—and logging continued as before. Blockading was replaced by other less confrontational techniques as the native peoples searched for ways to protect their forests. Now, for the first time since the early 1990's, Penan communities in Sarawak (one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo) have erected blockades to protect their traditional lands from logging. This time, however, the response and final outcome to blockades may be very different, thanks to the growing popularity of timber certification programs. Certification is rapidly transforming the logging industry, and is forcing the Malaysian government to reexamine its logging practices. Confrontation in the Forest On August 11th, the people of Long Kevok and three neighboring settlements lashed a wooden barrier across a new logging road entering their forests—less than ten miles from Sarawak's famous Gunung Mulu National Park. In September, both blockaders and loggers agreed to stand down from confrontation while negotiations were conducted. As of early October these negotiations are still continuing, but it is probable the negotations will fail and the blockade reactivate soon. A blockade at Long Nen was erected on October 5th. Around one hundred people from seven nearby settlements are manning the blockade. Some walked two days to reach join the blockaders at Long Nen. On October 7th, a similar blockade was erected near the settlement of Long Lunyim. More than one hundred Penan are manning this blockade. Many of the blockaders come from the neighboring settlements of Long Sayan and Long Belok. All of these blockades are in the Apoh/Tutoh region of Sarawak, a hilly area populated mostly by Penan. Many Penan in this region are semi-nomadic, living in settlements for several months of the year and following the forest's food supply for the rest. The Apoh/Tutoh is also the last refuge of four hundred entirely nomadic Penan— the last nomads in Malaysia and among the very last nomads in Southeast Asia. Two hundred of these nomadic Penan will lose their traditional forest homelands if these blockades fail. The Penan are well aware that blockades have failed to permanently stop logging in the past. They are blockading now because they are desperate and see no other way to fight the destruction of their forest. Sarawak law recognizes indigenous land rights based on ancestral history of farming the land. Because the Penan traditionally are nomadic hunter-gatherers, and have not traditionally cleared forest to farm, they have had the hardest time of any native group in Sarawak gaining recognition for their land claims. Some Penan forests have been protected by their remoteness. But now, having exploited the lowland forests, timber companies are bulldozing into the furthest interior regions, into the last primary forests where many organisms have yet to be classified. A single square mile in these forests can contain more tree species than all of North America. The Sarawak state has claimed that they recognize the special situation of the Penan. In 1990, 1993 and again in 1997 they announced with great fanfare the creation of specially protected forests for the Penan, but failed to protect these areas or enforce their boundaries. The boundaries of the parks established in 1990 and 1993 have already faded from the map due to lack of inforcement. All of the communities taking part in the Long Kevok blockade are within the Melana Protected Forest, established in 1997. Logging is illegal inside the reserve’s boundaries, but once again the logging concessions inside the reserve haven’t been revoked. The other blockades are inside a proposed Tutoh-Apoh Forest Reserve. But given the government’s track record with parks, the Penan are naturally skeptical of new promises. The blockades at Long Kevok particularly speak to the Penans’ desperate circumstances. When Penan blockades ended in the early 1990's, the government established Long Kevok as one of three “Penan Service Centers,” with a new longhouse, a school, a clinic, and other amenities. Long Kevok has been used as a showcase village for foreign VIPs and other Penan. Communities that take a stand against the government almost inevitably see an immediate drying up of politically motivated "development" largesse, so the people of Long Kevok have much to lose. Surprisingly, the Long Kevok blockade has gained local media attention. Since media outlets in Sarawak are controlled by companies that benefit from logging, they often fail to cover stories that depict them unfavorably, and the government usually blocks access to protest areas. Yet this time a local TV crew happened upon the blockade before police reached it, and broadcast the footage on the evening news. This has obliged the Sarawak media to continue coverage of the blockades. The blockades and ensuing media coverage have forced the logging companies involved to react. Rimbunan Hijau and Shin Yang have most of the logging concessions in the area. Rimbunan Hijau has expanded rapidly from Sarawak and now operates in politically sensitive areas other companies avoid, from Siberia to the Amazon. Shin Yang is considered one of the most ruthless companies within Malaysia itself, and like many other companies it hires "gangsters" to intimidate local villagers. A quickly negotiated settlement to these blockades is unlikely. The Penan demand the loggers stay out of their area, and that the government enforce their traditional forest use rights. The logging companies only want to discuss how much compensation the Penan will receive for losing their land. But the Penan, who have little experience with farming, rely on the forest more than any other indigenous group in Sarawak. Can timber certification help? As blockades continue, most villagers are unaware of the global timber certification movement, and how it may help their cause. Previously, the Malaysian government and logging companies could afford to ignore international condemnation of their rapacious logging practices. This may no longer be possible, thanks to a growing desire by consumers worldwide to buy only "eco-friendly" timber. In some European countries, demand for eco-timber already accounts for up to 50% of the market. Furthermore, as the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) timber certification program rapidly gains recognition as the worldwide certification standard, countries around the world are adjusting their practices to FSC principles. Seeing these developments, Malaysia recently launched a national timber certification standard, as the first step in gaining FSC approval. The government projects that 70% of their country's timber will need to be FSC certified within a few years. Given their terrible environmental record, timber certification has Malaysian companies concerned about future profits. Timber companies in Sarawak routinely violate Principle Number Three of the FSC's certification criteria, the principle aimed at protecting the rights of forest dwelling peoples. Malaysian officials and the FSC are currently negotiating over this issue. Crushing a blockade in a protected forest would be a major strike against the new eco-friendly reputation Malaysia is trying to cultivate. Your Action is Needed! The Borneo Project, as part of an international network of groups allied with the Penan, is making a difference. Here’s several simple ways you can make a difference too. 1. USE YOUR PURCHASING POWER • Reduce. (or better yet) Eliminate your consumption of tropical wood products. There is a high probability that wood you see in stores comes from threatened, old growth rainforests. • Buy Smart. If you purchase wood, look for FSC certified wood. At this point, the FSC is the most credible independent certifying organization out there. The Borneo Project will keep vigilant watch to ensure the FSC does not bow to corporate pressures and reduce their high standards. • Raise the Issue. If a store does not carry FSC wood products, ask why not? Ask if they plan to distribute certified wood products. Tell them you will only buy FSC labeled products. 2. LET ‘EM HEAR YOU • Write the Malaysian Timber Certification Council and the Chief Minister of Sarawak. A decade ago, blockades were broken up with tear gas and police assaults. The more the Malaysian government sees that people are aware and concerned, the less able they are the respond with a heavy hand. Let them know that you are a conscientious buyer and that you will purchase only sustainably and humanely harvested wood. Tell them politely you are appalled by Sarawak’s systematic destruction of the forest and its practice of ignoring indigenous customary land rights. Send your letters to: 3. SUPPORT THE PENAN • Send money to the blockaders. A blockade may last for months. People on blockades cannot hunt, fish, farm, collect food in the forest, nor do the other things needed to survive. Make a donation to the Borneo Project, check the box that says “Penan blockade Fund,” and we guarantee that 100% of your donation will go directly to the blockaders. Your money will provide the basics: food, shelter, medicine, communication and transportation. A little bit of money will go a long way to ensure that they can keep the blockades up as long as necessary. Send a check to:
The Borneo Project Or via secure web transaction: www.earthisland.org/borneo The lands of the Penan are the last primary forests of Sarawak. The indigenous people of Borneo have lived in harmony with the rainforest for thousands of years and have proven to be the forest's best protectors. We need to keep the pressure on and support the Penan. Once logged, these forests will never be the same again. |