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Borneo Post
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Activist slams ‘misleading' claims over Baram forest project collapse
Peter John Jaban MIRI (May 24): Sarawak land rights activist Peter John Jaban has criticised the state government's narrative blaming civil society groups for the termination of the Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) project, calling it 'misleading'. He was responding to Deputy Minister Len Latif's clarification during the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting, where it was claimed that non-governmental organisations (NGOs) including Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) and SAVE Rivers failed to meet project conditions by not taking into account the interest of indigenous groups apart from the Penan. 'These claims are misleading and ignore the actual reasons behind the project's collapse. 'The truth is that the project was derailed by a lack of transparency, top-down interference, and an abrupt shift away from the conservation and indigenous-led vision that was originally agreed upon,' he said in a statement. The UBFA initiative – known locally as the Baram Peace Park – was championed by the indigenous communities to protect over 79,000 hectares of primary forest, with the broader goal of ensuring sustainable livelihoods and forest stewardship across 283,500 hectares. Backed by international donors including the Japanese government and the City of Basel, the project emphasised Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and community leadership. Peter claimed that after securing international funding, the Sarawak Forest Department and the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) changed the project's direction and excluded core conservation areas, prioritising commercial forest exploitation without adequate community consultation. He said the government's narrative was now an attempt to 'deflect from reality' and that this project was compromised from the top. He also pointed to the controversial logging activities commencing in the area shortly after the expiration of previous concessions, as a new concession was granted to Borneoland Timber Resources Sdn Bhd. 'On the other hand, civil society groups had consistently advocated for transparency, FPIC and the inclusion of indigenous perspectives, while being scapegoated by the authorities.' The activist called on both the Sarawak government and ITTO to return to the principles of true indigenous leadership, conservation over profit, and full transparency. 'If Sarawak is serious about sustainable development, it must start by listening to the people who have protected these forests for generations,' he said. lead misleading Peter John UBFA Upper Baram Forest Area
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Bruno Manser Fonds Denies Baseless Allegations By Sarawak Minister Over ITTO Project Failure
Government policy change over logging core protection zone is the real reason for the termination of the ITTO-supported Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) in Malaysian Borneo Swiss NGO Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) today denied allegations made by Sarawak Deputy Minister Len Talif Salleh in the Sarawak State Assembly (DUN) yesterday over the reasons for the termination of a flagship sustainability project 'We are not willing to take the blame for a dodgy policy change by the Sarawak government', BMF director Lukas Straumann said. 'Len should be honest and acknowledge that Sarawak dropped the late Chief Minister Adenan Satem's plan of protecting the UBFA's core zone of 79,000 hectares of primary forest – Sarawak's last primary forest outside the totally protected areas.' Celine Lim, Managing Director of Sarawak-based NGO SAVE Rivers said:' We work with non-Penan communities and were part of the UBFA Project Steering Committee (PSC). So, it is not true that the overall communities were not well represented via the NGOs coalition. The response by YB Datuk Haji Len is intentionally divisive and incomplete to villainise the role of the NGOs, when we were only inquiring public information as per our role as rightholders in the PSC.' In 2020, Malaysia submitted a proposal to the International Tropical Timber Organization for the conservation and sustainable development of a 283,500 hectare area in Sarawak's Upper Baram region. The proposal was drafted by the renowned late botanist Dr Paul Chai and endorsed by then Forest Director Sapuan Ahmad. A key element of the proposal was the conservation of a 79,000 hectare core zone of primary forest in Upper Baram. After international funding was secured, the Sarawak authorities unilaterally changed the project design. The 79,000 hectares were no longer to be excised from the logging concessions but became part of a timber licence granted to Borneoland Timber Resources, a company controlled by the politically-linked timber tycoon Hii King Chiong. Currently, massive logging activities on the western flank of the iconic Gunung Murud Kecil are threatening this habitat of extraordinary biodiversity in the core zone of the former ITTO project. Neither ITTO nor the Sarawak state government answered NGO letters questioning the reasons for the policy change and highlightling governance failures in the ITTO project. The Swiss City of Basel, the Bruno Manser Fonds and the Japanese government had pledged to support the project with a total amount of USD 556,000.
Borneo Post
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Swiss NGO blames govt policy change for Upper Baram Forest Area project's termination
BMF claimed government policy change over logging core protection zone was the real reason for the termination of the ITTO-supported UBFA. — Photo from Facebook/Bruno Manser Fonds MIRI (May 21): Swiss non-governmental organisation (NGO) Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) has claimed that policy change by the Sarawak government is to blame for the failure of the Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) project. In a statement, BMF director Lukas Straumann dismissed the state's stance that the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) project was terminated because it failed to comply with several conditions. Deputy Minister of Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh said in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) yesterday that BMF had focused solely on the Penan community even though other communities such as the Kenyah, Kelabit, and Saban also have significant interests in the area. 'We are not willing to take the blame for a dodgy policy change by the Sarawak government. Len should be honest and acknowledge that Sarawak dropped the late chief minister (Pehin Sri) Adenan Satem's plan of protecting the UBFA's core zone of 79,000ha of primary forest – Sarawak's last primary forest outside the totally protected areas,' Straumann said. BMF claimed neither ITTO nor the Sarawak government answered letters questioning the reasons for the policy change and highlighting governance failures in the ITTO project. In the same statement, Celine Lim, managing director of Sarawak-based NGO SAVE Rivers said it worked with non-Penan communities and they were part of the UBFA Project Steering Committee. She claimed the Len Talif's statement in the DUN was 'intentionally divisive and incomplete to villainise the role of the NGOs'. According to the statement, the Swiss City of Basel, BMF, and the Japanese government had pledged to support the project with a total amount of US$556,000 (RM2.376 million). BMF and SAVE Rivers claimed after international funding was secured, Sarawak authorities unilaterally changed the project design and this area was no longer to be excised from the logging concessions but became part of a timber licence granted to a company. The NGOs claimed logging activities on the western flank of Gunung Murud Kecil are threatening biodiversity in the core zone of the former ITTO project. Yesterday, Len Talif said the ITTO agreed to UBFA being terminated during the Steering Committee Meeting on Oct 10 last year. He blamed BMF's focus on the Penan community, which risked undermining harmony among the communities. He pointed out the Sarawak government has signed four Project Agreement Letters of Consent with the ITTO – two projects on March 20, 2023 and another two on Sept 9, 2024 – with three of the projects being in Ulu Baram, while the fourth project is in Sungai Menyang, Lubok Antu. Since 1992, Len Talif said the Sarawak Forest Department has not cancelled any project signed with ITTO except for UBFA.
Free Malaysia Today
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Upper Baram forest project axed over BMF's ‘failure to meet conditions'
Deputy minister for urban planning, land administration and environment Len Talif Salleh said BMF's approach risked undermining community harmony. (Facebook pic) KUCHING : The failure of Switzerland-based environmental group Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) to meet conditions set by the Sarawak government has led to the termination of the Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) project under the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO). Deputy minister for urban planning, land administration and environment Len Talif Salleh said BMF had focused solely on the Penan community in the UBFA, overlooking other key indigenous groups such as the Kenyah, Kelabit and Saban, who also have legitimate interests in the area. Responding to a question from Dennis Ngau (GPS-Telang Usan) during the Sarawak legislative assembly sitting today, Len Talif said BMF's approach risked undermining community harmony. 'BMF sought to designate the area as a 'purely conservation area' solely for the Penan's livelihood, despite the existence of a TPA (totally protected area) nearby,' he said. He said the project's termination would not affect the well-being of local communities as various initiatives by the forest department, ministries, and government agencies were being executed to improve livelihoods across multiple sectors. Len Talif said the Sarawak government had collaborated with ITTO through the forest department on 16 projects since 1992 with a total value of RM68.8 million. 'The Sarawak forest department has not cancelled a single project signed with ITTO since 1992, except for this one involving the UBFA,' he said. He said the department was set to implement two new projects with ITTO this year – one in Sungai Menyang, Batang Ai, with an allocation of RM1.12 million, and another in Upper Baram, with RM645,000. 'The Sarawak government, acting through the forest department, has no issue working with any NGO, whether local or international, as long as their agenda does not conflict with state or federal government policies,' he said.
New Straits Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- New Straits Times
Failure to meet conditions led to termination of upper Baram Forest Project
KUCHING: The failure of Switzerland-based environmental group Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF) to meet conditions set by the Sarawak government has led to the termination of the Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) project under the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO). Deputy Urban Planning, Land Administration and Environment Minister Datuk Len Talif Salleh said BMF had focused solely on the Penan community in the UBFA, overlooking other key indigenous groups such as the Kenyah, Kelabit and Saban, who also have legitimate interests in the area. Responding to a question from Datuk Dennis Ngau (GPS–Telang Usan) during the Sarawak legislative assembly sitting today, Len Talif said BMF's approach risked undermining community harmony. "BMF sought to designate the area as a 'Purely Conservation Area' solely for the Penan's livelihood, despite the existence of a TPA (Totally Protected Area) nearby," he said. He added that the project's termination would not affect the well-being of local communities, as various initiatives by the Forest Department, ministries and government agencies are being executed to improve livelihoods across multiple sectors. Len Talif said the Sarawak government has collaborated with ITTO through the Forest Department on 16 projects since 1992, with a total value of RM68.8 million. "The Sarawak Forest Department has not cancelled a single project signed with ITTO since 1992, except for this one involving the UBFA," he said. He added that the department is set to implement two new projects with ITTO this year: one in Sungai Menyang, Batang Ai, with an allocation of RM1.12 million, and another in Upper Baram, with RM645,000. "The Sarawak government, acting through the Forest Department, has no issue working with any NGO, whether local or international, as long as their agenda does not conflict with state or federal government policies," he said. – BERNAMA
