by DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, May 23: Sarawak land rights activist Peter John Jaban claims that the conservation project in the Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA) was derailed by top-down interference, and an abrupt shift away from its original conservation-focused, Indigenous-led vision.
In a statement, Peter John pointed out that the internationally-supported project, intended to preserve primary forest and support sustainable livelihoods for the indigenous communities in the area, was compromised when authorities shifted priorities towards commercial exploitation without adequate consultation or consent from the local communities.
“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 originally agreed upon,” he said in response to reports that the UBFA project was terminated due to non-compliance by Swiss-based environmental group Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF).
He noted that the UBFA initiative, known locally as the Baram Peace Park, was championed by 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 emphasized Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) and community leadership.
However, after securing international funding, Peter John claimed that the Sarawak Forest Department and the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) changed the project’s direction.
“They excluded core conservation areas and prioritised commercial forest exploitation without adequate community consultation,” he emphasised.
“The moment the local voices were sidelined, the project began to fall apart,” said Peter John, who is also a member of IPMSDL international indigenous people movements for self determination and liberation.
He called on both the Sarawak government and the ITTO to return to the principles originally laid out: 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 stressed. – DayakDaily
