The Land We Lost

This publication is the outcome of our research on the socio-environmental impacts of large pulp and paper, timber tree and oil palm plantations in Sarawak. It contains two case studies on plantation affected indigenous communities in Batu Niah and Bakong in the Miri Division. It stresses on the importance of understanding the context of large monoculture plantations in Sarawak accurately, as it entails two destructive factors. First, it involves deforestation, as it is clearly a post-logging development. This began in the late 1990s, as a result of the depletion in natural timber resources caused by the excessive logging in the previous decades. Second, it involves the violations of the NCR. Both factors are caused by various systemic weaknesses in governance, policy and law, which have failed to ensure sustainable forestry management and provide land tenure security for the NCR. It also provides analysis on the law and forestry and plantation statistics in Sarawak, oil palm smallholders and certification and ends with a set of policy and legal recommendations. The Malay version of the publication will be made available soon.

Penerbitan ini merupakan hasil penyelidikan kami tentang kesan-kesan perladangan besar monokultur ke atas komuniti orang asal dan hutan di Sarawak. Ia menegaskan perlunya kita memahami konteks perladangan monokultur besar di Sarawak dengan tepat, kerana ianya melibatkan dua buah faktor kemusnahan. Pertama, ia telah melibatkan kemusnahan hutan, kerana ia merupakan sebuah perkembangan pasca-pembalakan. Ianya bermula pada lewat 1990an, setelah sumber kayu balak semakin berkurangan akibat dari pembalakan tidak terkawal yang dilakukan pada dekad-dekad terdahulu. Kedua, ia telah melibatkan pencabulan hak tanah adat. Dua buah faktor ini berlaku akibat dari pelbagai kelemahan sistemik dari sudut kepemerintahan, polisi dan perundangan yang gagal memastikan pengurusan hutan yang lestari dan memberikan jaminan pegangan tanah terhadap NCR. Ia juga memberikan analisis tentang undang-undang dan statistik perhutanan dan perladangan di Sarawak, pekebunan kecil, pensijilan dan disudahi dengan sekumpulan syor polisi dan perundangan. Versi Bahasa Melayu akan diterbitkan di dalam masa terdekat ini.