Deforestation is severe in Borneo, says WWF

KOTA KINABALU, May 9, 2015 -   According to the World Wide Fund for Nature's (WWF) recent 2015 Living Forests Report, deforestation is severe in Borneo, one of the 11 places in the world projected to have the most deforestation in the next 15 years. 

The report projected that in a no-intervention scenario, up to 170 million ha of forests could be lost between 2010 and 2030 in the Amazon, the Atlantic Forest and Gran Chaco, Borneo, the Cerrado, Choco-Darien, the Congo Basin, East Africa, Eastern Australia, Greater Mekong, New Guinea and Sumatra.

WWF-Malaysia’s Chief Executive Officer  Dionysius Sharma announced that tangible actions are being taken to address deforestation, particularly in Sarawak and Sabah. He said that both state governments have been very cooperative and supportive towards these initiatives which generated positive results in the recent years.

Sidi: Dayak NGOs must keep up the pressure on the government until it recognises our rights

By Doris Theresa Yoong

KUCHING, May 9, 2015  - Sarawak Dayak Iban Association (SADIA) president Sidi Munan said Dayak NGOs must keep up the pressure on the State government until it recognises the natives as the indigenous people as having rights over lands, territories, and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied and acquired.

"There will be no end to the quest until the State government gives legal recognition and protection to these lands, these territories, these resources which in Iban are called pemakai menoa and pulau galau as they have done to temuda.

"There will be no end to the exercise until such recognition is concluded with due respect to the customs, traditions and land tenure system of the natives landowners concerned," he said when closing a NCR Land Forum here today.