MIRI – The indigenous communities of the Baram River basin in Sarawak’s northern interior have launched a signature campaign to stop forest logging under the social activist non-government organisation Gerenai Community Rights Action Committee.
At the moment, they are gathering signatures from natives who have been affected by timber harvesting in the area.
The committee vice-chairman Boyce Ngau said the locals are against the “misleading sustainability” certification of logging activities on their ancestral land.
“A preliminary batch of signatures was sent to the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes (PEFC), the international body that endorses the Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme (MTCS).
“The ongoing timber extraction was certified for sustainable logging by MTCS in 2020.
“In the petition letter, the signatories demand the immediate stop of all industrial-scale extractive activities in the area by timber companies as the logging activities are conducted without the consent of the whole community,” he said in a press statement.
The Gerenai Community Rights Action Committee comprises representatives from the communities within the logging concession zone in the villages of Long Moh, Long Tungan, and Tanjung Tepalit.
Ngau said the committee members are going to collect more signatures in the villages over the upcoming weeks as long as the Covid-19 situation allows it.
“We have repeatedly voiced our concerns with regards to the MTCS and PEFC certification.
“We expect PEFC to immediately issue a stop-work order for all activities within our areas until all issues are resolved,” he said.
Last month, the committee submitted a complaint to PEFC addressing the lack of consultations. – The Vibes, December 22, 2021
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