maintained that oil expansion has not taken place at the expense of natural forest in Malaysia."> maintained that oil expansion has not taken place at the expense of natural forest in Malaysia.."/>

About | Contact | Mongabay on Facebook | Mongabay on Twitter | Free newsletter

Malaysian government says forest reserve 'plundered' for oil palm development

mongabay.com
February 03, 2009

Responding to allegations by the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) that indigenous people have been forced from their lands (a charge it denied), the Sabah Forestry Department said that more than 30 percent of Mt. Pock And Tanjong Nagos Forest Reserves were "plundered" by "people with means to plant illegal oil palm including companies" up until 2001. The statement is noteworthy in that leaders of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council, the marketing and lobbying arm of the Malaysian palm oil industry, have maintained that oil expansion has not taken place at the expense of natural forest in Malaysia.

The Forestry Department statement noted that oil palm companies spent million of ringgit "to develop the illegal oil palm including the recruitment of illegal workers to destroy forests and intimidate Forestry Department staff on the ground." It said that 202 people were arrested in the reserves between 2003 and 2006. Statewide, 732 were apprehended for illegal encroachment. 471 of these were illegal immigrants.

"The illegal workers were paid by the illegal local entrepreneurs," said the statement. "These figures reflect the gravity of the role of illegal immigrants, as hired hands, to plunder conservation areas, in Sabah."

Oil palm plantation abutting tropical rainforest.

Oil palm plantation abutting logged over forest in Borneo.

The Forestry Department said that settlements established prior to the gazetting of the forest reserve "are left on their own with the proviso that they do not expand the settlement and occupation."

"The communities therein are also engaged in community forestry projects," it said.

The Forestry Department added that the illegal oil palm plantations in the reserves have been turned over to a subsidiary of Saham Amanah Sabah (SAS), a state-run company, to manage until the crop reaches the end of its rotation, when it is to be replaced with trees.

"The cost of destroying illegal oil palm and re-establishing with trees is very high, up to RM6,000.00/ha which the department cannot afford on its own. As SAS is owned by Sabah investors in the thousands, they will benefit from this venture and not just any privately owned company."

The statement ended with reaffirmation of the need for the Forestry Department to uphold the laws of Malaysia.

"The rule of law must prevail and mob rule cannot dictate public policy," it said.

Sabah, a state in the Malaysian part of Borneo, is renowned for its biodiversity, including a wealth of rare and endangered species like pygmy elephants, Borneo rhino, and orangutans. But the state has seen intensive logging and widespread conversion of rainforest for industrial oil palm plantations for the past 20 years.

SOURCES:

Jaswinder Kaur. Indigenous people are not forced out of their land: Sabah Forestry. New Straits Times 3-Feb-2009
Sabah Forestry Department. PRESS STATEMENT FROM THE FORESTRY DEPARTMENT ON ALLEGATIONS BY SUHAKAM ON VARIOUS FORESTRY ISSUES.

View Larger Map

CITATION:
mongabay.com (February 03, 2009).

Malaysian government says forest reserve 'plundered' for oil palm development.

http://news.mongabay.com/2009/0203-sabah_oil_palm.html

Tags:
borneo malaysia forestry palm oil plantations illegal logging rainforests forests law enforcement Environmental Law asia

print

Environmental news index | RSS | News Feed | Twitter | Home

Advertisements:

T-shirts, shopping bags, calendars, and more.

DON'T LIKE ADS? Become a mongabay supporter

WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

RECENT FEATURES

		Looking for a yeti? Use leeches
		Cinderella animals
		Uncontacted tribes spotted in Colombia
		17 celebrated scientists on how to make a better world

Photos

Brazil	China	Colombia
Costa Rica	Deforestation	Gabon
India	Indonesia	Kenya
Madagascar	Peru	Rainforest

ABOUT
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)

Help support mongabay.com when you buy from Amazon.com

BOOKS BY MONGABAY AUTHORS

Conservation in an age of mass extinction

FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

HIGH RESOLUTION PHOTOS / PRINTS

Copyright mongabay 2010

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions generated from mongabay.com operations (server, data transfer, travel) are mitigated through an association with Anthrotect,
an organization working with Afro-indigenous and Embera communities to protect forests in Colombia's Darien region.
Anthrotect is protecting the habitat of mongabay's mascot: the scale-crested pygmy tyrant.