The government of the state of Sarawak announcement In February, he will no longer give provisional leases to palm oil companies is extremely significant for indigenous peoples and their forests.
Previously, the government of the State has granted “provisional” leases to palm oil and wood companies to develop plantations before the state questioned the ground. Despite its name, these leases can last up to 60 years. With such permits, companies could take over the territories of indigenous communities that live in a rental area that had not been interviewed. The communities then faced a difficult battle to extract their ancestral lands from the lease.
There is a story at the recent announcement of Sarawak.
In 2018, the Malaysian federal government closed the expansion of oil palm plantations across the country. He also ordered each plantation to comply with the Malaysian standard of lasting palm oil, which has provisions on the rights of indigenous land. But ultimately, states are responsible for the application of these directives. Sarawak’s announcement almost seven years later points out, finally, a desire to comply.
But there is a catch.
The hood of oil palm plantations will not be enough to put an end to the tropical forest of Sarawak and indigenous territories because wooden plantations have now become the largest threat to the tropical forest and its indigenous residents.
According to Rimbawatch, an environmental organization based in Kuala Lumpur, nearly 1.5 million hectares of forests across Malaysia are likely to be replaced by tree plantations. It is more than three times the size of oil palm concessions provided in the country. The overwhelming majority of planning of wood planned are in Sarawak.
Unlike the oil palm, the Sarawak government appears committed to developing aggressively its wooden plantations. Although it refers to them as “planted forests”, the establishment process implies freeing a natural forest to make way for a particular type of tree, in many cases a non-native species.
At least 207,762 hectares Land claimed by Aboriginal communities in Malaysia overlap with wooden plantations. These territories are likely to be claimed by wood companies.
The federal government should approach this situation by also establishing a national ceiling on wooden plantations and making the certification of sustainability compulsory for wooden leases.
The Sarawak government has started to go in this direction. It required that wooden plantations be accredited by the end of 2024 in the context of certification programs which contain provisions on the rights of indigenous peoples and prohibit the conversion of natural forests into trees, with some very narrow exceptions.
However, only 122,800 of more than 2 million hectares Wooden plantations in Sarawak have been certified. The Sarawak forest department has not yet clarified how it will deal with plantations that have not been certified by the deadline, and those which will not be certified because they are unable to comply with standards. Sarawak can make a major leap towards deforestation stopping by permanently revoking permits that do not meet standards.
This decision does not need to be made to the detriment of state economic development. Sarawak could question seriously degraded or skillful land and hierarchize these areas for plantations, rather than cleaning new areas. The same could be done for the rest of Malaysia. The generation of this data would also help the federal government respect its commitment to keep 50% Malaysia under forest cover.
The wood industry reforms will also pursue Malaysian exports following stricter commercial laws, such as the anti-deformity regulations of the European Union. Four EU countries are among the Top 10 Buyers of certified Malaysian wood products. Anti-dedication regulations require wooden products without deforestation and respect the law of indigenous peoples to release, anterior and enlightened. The latter requires communities to be consulted on decisions on their land and resources.
The indigenous peoples in Malaysia have witnessed for decades of encroachment and devastation for their forests. There is a movement in the right direction, but wood plantations – the greatest threat of deforestation and priority today – must be an urgent priority for regulators.