Harvesting the eucalyptus

The eucalyptus planted by Advance Agro Public Company is a hybrid of the Australian species, and were developed over 25 years to best suit Thai soil and climate. The fast-growing trees can be harvested in three years compared with seven to eight years for other eucalyptus breeds.

All across the fertile farmland of Thailand, a new crop is sprouting amidst traditional ones such as rice and cassava.

Stories by TAN CHENG LI

A LINE of soaring trees fringes the plot of rice field, breaking the monotony of the green, grassy sprawl. Though not a scene typical of rural padi farms in Thailand, it nevertheless is becoming commonplace as more of such trees are sprouting up in the country’s agriculture sites.

Some 1.5 million Thai farmers are growing eucalyptus trees on empty spaces around their crops, under contract with Advance Agro Public Company, maker of the Double A brand of office paper and Thailand’s biggest pulp and paper manufacturer.

The farmers, scattered over the central plains, south, north and north-east of the country, nurture some 300 million eucalyptus trees to be used for paper-making.

In the village of Chiangtai in Chachoengsao province in eastern Thailand, farmer Patchai Kanpawa first planted eucalyptus on unused land in his 9ha rice fields four years ago and has since harvested 3,000 trees.

“It is easy to grow these trees. Apart from the occasional pruning, they need little attention. If I plant during the dry season, I need to water only when I plant the seedlings. During the wet season, I don’t even have to water them,” he says.

While Kanpawa, 67, utilises rice field embankments for his eucalyptus trees, other farmers grow them in bigger parcels of land among their plots of rice, sugarcane, cassava, corn and other crops. Such small-scale tree-farming is said to be less ecologically damaging than vast industrial tree plantations.

Kanpawa says eucalyptus cultivation has not adversely affected his rice yields. He cuts the trees when they reach a diameter of 6.5cm – the minimum for pulp production. The first 1,000 trees felled earned him 100,000 bahts (RM10,000). That drew the attention of other villagers and now, half of the 150 families in Chiangtai, about an hour’s drive from Bangkok, are cultivating eucalyptus trees.

Advance Agro senior executive vice-president Thirawit Leetavorn says by engaging farmers to plant the trees, the company need not set up industrial tree plantations, which are beset with a host of ecological and social woes.

“We avoid cutting down natural rainforests and there are no displacement of farming communities. In plantations of thousands of hectares, there is only one species of trees. This affects biodiversity and the soil of the area,” he explains.

Advance Agro processes the logs at its two pulp and two paper mills in Thatoom in Prachinburi province, east of Bangkok. Leetavorn says the company buys the logs based on world market price but does not pay less than a base of 1,200 bahts (RM120) per tonne. He says a farmer can earn 8,000 bahts (RM800) a year for every 100 trees harvested. The farmers produce more logs than Advance Agro can process, so they sell them to the pole and fibreboard industries.

To assist farmers with planting advice, Advance Agro has 500 branches nationwide. It sells the seedlings at 5 bahts (50 sen) each, but often donates them. A hybrid of the Australian eucalyptus, they were developed over 25 years to best suit Thai soil and climate. The fast-growing trees can be harvested in three years compared with seven to eight for other eucalyptus breeds.

The eucalyptus-farming scheme has proven so successful that the company contracted an additional 500,000 farmers since 2005. Some 300 schools have also joined in, growing seedlings donated by Advance Agro in school compounds and selling the trees when they mature.

Protests over pulp

But things were not always so green for eucalyptus farming and the pulp and paper industry in Thailand, which have had a troubled history. In the late 80s and through the 90s, Thai villagers and activitists marched against expanding eucalyptus plantations which have taken over natural forests, farms and settlements.

Advance Agro emerged from this tumultuous past; its parent company Soon Hua Seng Group (SHS), which started planting eucalyptus commercially in 1986, was previously mired in controversy. In 1990, over 150 employees of SHS subsidiary Suan Kitti Company were arrested for illegally logging a forest reserve in Chachoengsao province to make way for a plantation.

Suan Kitti Reforestation faced a similar charge in the neighbouring Prachinburi province. Allegations over the use of intimidation in the sale of farmland trailed Suan Kitti’s plantation programme in eastern Thailand through the 90s.

Reports say the SHS mill which came up in 1989, was originally to be the Suan Kitti Pulp Mill but was renamed Advance Agro in order to detract from the critical public sentiment towards Suan Kitti.

Green groups, including the World Rainforest Movement, claim that Advance Agro still relies on industrial tree farms for its pulp. They say while the company owns no tree farms, it sources wood from SHS subsidiary Agro Line, which gets supplies from its own extensive industrial plantations, SHS-owned plantations and farmers.

Leetavorn asserts that the company has always sourced for logs from contract farmers and “did not want to do industrial plantation because of environmental concerns.” He says the parent company of Advance Agro had tree plantations earlier on but they were for trials to find trees suitable for Thailand, and were not commercially viable for pulp and paper production.

Leetavorn says 90% of the pulp used in the company’s paper production came from logs harvested by farmers. Eucalyptus, like another fast-growing tree, acacia, produces only short fibre pulp. This is mixed with long fibre pulp (processed from temperate trees such as birch and pine) imported from New Zealand and Scandinavian forest plantations that have been certified as sustainably managed.

Advance Agro currently produces more pulp than its paper mills can handle, thus the excess is sold. Its new US$200mil (RM620mil) paper mill with a 200,000-tonne capacity that will come up in 2009 is expected to absorb the surplus pulp.

As for the use of recycled and alternative fibres, Advance Agro has not pursued this course like some other paper producers as such fibres do not produce good quality paper, says Leetavorn. He says globally, pulp is now mostly sourced from farmed trees, with Indonesia and Brazil being the major producers.

Despite concerns over deforestation and the ecological hazards posed by commercial tree plantations as well as pulp and paper mills, global demand for paper continues to soar, particularly in China, eastern Europe and Asia-Pacific. Each Malaysian and Thai now consumes 3kg of paper annually, compared with 400g for a Chinese, 6kg for a Singaporean, and 80kg for an American.

The growing demand for pulp compels the industry to look for sustainable options and fortunately, there is a source of raw material that meets this criterion – trees grown by farmers.

Paper trail

1.Logs are cut to even-sized wood chips.

2. Wood chips are cooked with caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) at high temperature to separate lignin (the natural glue which holds wood fibres together) from cellulose in the pulp. A liquid residue, black liquor, is recovered to retrieve used chemicals and burned to generate steam and power.

3. Unbleached pulp is refined in a series of washers and screens.

4. Pulp is bleached in a sequence of treatments lasting as long as 15 hours. The Elemental Chlorine Free bleaching process uses oxygen, chlorine dioxide and hydrogen peroxide to whiten the pulp.

5. Bleached pulp is blended with various additives and chemicals.

i. Fillers and coatings: Clay, calcium carbonate (chalk) and titanium oxide are added to enhance paper opacity, whiteness and smoothness.

ii. Sizing agents: Starch, resin, alum, gelatine or latex are used to increase water repellence, prevent ink blotting and reduce fibre dust, which can clog printing machinery.

iii. Biocides: To prevent bacterial growth in the pulp and finished paper products.

6. Blended wet pulp is drained through a moving belt of woven nylon mesh to form thick mats. Next, a series of presses remove more water and thins the sheets. Steam-heated dryers dry the sheets.

7. The paper sheets are rolled into bales, sprayed with starch to obtain a smooth, glossy surface and then passed through a calender to be scrubbed into even thickness.

8. Jumbo reels of white paper are cut to size.

A cleaner paper industry

Eucalyptus logs are trucked to the chipping site at the Advance Agro pulp and paper mill in Thatoom, Prachinburi province in Thailand. The logs are cut into even-sized chips before they are cooked into a pulp.

THERE is good reason why calls to reduce, reuse and recycle paper resonate so loudly: that sheet of super white office paper reaches your table only with a trail of environmental woes behind it.

Paper production starts wreaking ecological harm right from the source of the raw material itself: trees. Natural forests have been cleared to obtain wood pulp and to make way for vast industrial tree plantations. Such monoculture farms suck the land dry and severely impact biodiversity, land rights and livelihoods.

Pulp and paper mills are among the most polluting industrial plants. At the mill, chipped wood undergoes a lengthy process to be broken down into pulp, bleached, pressed and dried to form jumbo reels of smooth, white paper. The whole production devours lots of water, energy and chemicals, and leaves behind lots of noxious effluent.

Criticisms against the industry now sees newer pulp and paper mills adopting new and cleaner technology.

Advance Agro Public Company’s integrated facility in Thatoom in Prachinburi province, about 120km from Bangkok, houses two pulp mills, two paper mills, a power plant and a seedling nursery within 104ha. The facility started production in 1995 and now produces 600,000 tonnes of pulp and a similar amount of paper annually.

Senior executive vice-president Thirawit Leetavorn says the plant relies on machineries that run on less polluting chemicals and water. He says the pulp bleaching process uses Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) methods and thus is acid- and chlorine-free.

(Fears over emissions of toxic chloroform, dioxin and furan have prompted newer mills to use Totally Chlorine Free (TCF) and ECF processes.)

To avoid straining local water supplies, the company built a 192ha reservoir to harvest rainwater. Water stored during rainy spells, as much as 30 million cu m, is enough to last the facility until the next rainy season. To conserve water at the mills, the pulp washing plant uses wash presses with high pressure to squeeze out water from the wet pulp, which has to undergo several rounds of washing to separate cellulose fibres from dissolved materials and chemicals.

Foul mill effluent is treated to comply with anti-pollution rules, then used to irrigate surrounding tree farms. Leetavorn says an online monitoring system allows the Thai environmental agency to know measurements of pollutants at all times.

Like most new pulp and paper mills in Asia, the Advance Agro facility is energy-independent. Bark and lignin wastes as well as black liquor, a residue of pulp-processing, are burned to generate electricity. This saves the equivalent of 340 million litres of diesel oil annually. Of the 100MW generated annually, 70MW is used to power the facility and the rest is sold to the utility.

Leetavorn points out that the environmental harm caused by different paper-making techniques has been largely ignored in the pricing of paper products.

“The market’s failure to fully reflect the environmental costs in the price of paper has given rise to a wide range of environmentally damaging, but ‘cost effective’ paper-making practices, such as illegal logging and unsound waste disposal.”

Stressing the industry’s needs to responsibly manage its ecological impact, he says paper must be sourced from environmentally sustainable supplies and manufacturers must better manage their resource consumption and carbon emissions.

“Consumers too have a role to play,” he adds, “by understanding where paper comes from and exercising their right to choose paper products which do not adversely impact the environment.”

Cops grilled in Kalimantan illegal logging

Jakarta, Indonesia - More than a dozen senior police officers have been grilled for their alleged roles in illegal logging in West Kalimantan province on the Indonesian portion of Borneo island, local media reports said Wednesday.

National police chief General Sutanto had vowed to take legal action against any police officer involved in illegal logging or log smuggling in the country.

"We want to deal with illegal logging activities conclusively. Whoever is suspected to be involved will be investigated," the state-run Antara news agency quoted Sutanto as saying.

At least 14 police officers in West Kalimantan province were being held at the national police headquarters in Jakarta for questioning, he said.

"The investigations are being conducted by the National Police general supervisory inspector," Sutanto said, adding that they were questioned on suspicion of having colluded with log smugglers in West Kalimantan.

Sutanto, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name, said he supported the forestry ministry's plan to cooperate with neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia, in an attempt to stop log smuggling from the country.

West Kalimantan police last month named 26 people as suspects in illegal logging cases, including 14 boat crew members, six officers of the Ketapang transportation service, eight illegal log owners - with two of them still at large - and one mediator between illegal logging financiers and loggers.

© Borneo Bulletin (Brunei)

$26.8 million to lead global fight against deadly wheat plague

Black stem rust fungus, Puccinia graminis.

Gates Foundation awards Cornell $26.8 million
to lead global fight against deadly wheat plague

By Linda McCandless

Cornell has been awarded a $26.8 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to launch a broad-based global partnership to combat stem rust, a deadly wheat disease that poses a serious threat to global food security.

Wheat, which is one of the world's primary food staples, accounts for about 30 percent of the world's production of grain crops. Scientists estimate that 90 percent of all wheat varieties planted around the globe are susceptible to the virulent new wheat stem rust type, known as Ug99. More than 50 million small-scale farmers in India rely on wheat for their food and income; other vulnerable regions include Pakistan, East Africa, China, the Middle East and North Africa.

The Gates Foundation-funded partnership, the new Durable Rust Resistance in Wheat project, will bring together 15 institutions to combat the emergence of deadly new variants of stem rust that can spread quickly, reducing healthy wheat to broken, shriveled stems. The partners will focus on developing improved rust-resistant wheat varieties to protect resource-poor farmers as well as consumers from catastrophic crop losses.

Ronnie Coffman, a Cornell professor of plant breeding who is director of international programs at Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, announced the grant at a meeting at wheat research facilities in northwest Mexico used by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT). Coffman will direct the consortium of global partners while Rick Ward, previously a wheat breeder with CIMMYT and Michigan State University, has been hired by Cornell as the project coordinator.

"The rust pathogens recognize no political boundaries, and their spores need no passport to travel thousands of miles in the jet streams. Containing these deadly enemies of the wheat crop requires alert and active scientists, strong international research networks and effective seed supply programs," said Nobel laureate Norman E. Borlaug, who developed the "green revolution" wheats beginning in the 1940s and is credited with bringing radical change to world agriculture and saving hundreds of millions of lives.

King of the road

This lorry is being used for transporting logs to the log pond.

Log Pond

Logs are temporarily stocked here before being transported by river.

Malaysia PMs future uncertain after poll

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia's ruling coalition rallied behind the prime minister Sunday, while his spokeswoman said he would not resign despite unprecedented electoral losses that gave the opposition control of one-third of the Parliament.

Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi shepherded the National Front to its worst performance ever in general elections Saturday.

Former longtime leader Mahathir Mohamad called for Abdullah's resignation, saying he had "apparently made the wrong choice" when he hand-picked Abdullah to succeed him in 2003.

"My view is that he has destroyed" the National Front coalition, Mahathir told reporters Sunday. "It's shocking. ... We have now a very weak government, and a weak government in a multiracial country will find great difficulty in running the country."

But dozens of National Front officials gathered at Abdullah's official residence in the administrative capital, Putrajaya, to "express their support for the boss," said Abdullah's spokeswoman, Wan Esuriyanti Wan Ahmad.

Wan Esuriyanti said Abdullah would be sworn in Monday as prime minister at the national palace. "I can confirm that he is not going to resign," Wan Esuriyanti said.

The National Front won only 140 of 222 seats, losing its two-thirds majority for the first time since 1969 and slumping from its 2004 landslide victory when it won 91 percent of the seats. It also lost control of five states.

The result reflected a huge protest vote sparked by disillusionment among minority ethnic Chinese and Indians who have long complained about discrimination. Ordinary Malaysians, including Malays, were upset over rising prices and crime.

Coalition leaders huddled in meetings Sunday to contemplate their next step, but they sought to show a united stance. Deputy Information Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said "there is no doubt or question at all in the top ranks" that Abdullah should continue to lead the coalition and country.

"The prime minister has a full mandate. He will appoint a new Cabinet," Ahmad Zahid told The Associated Press. "There is no one person to blame for what happened. We all are taking the collective responsibility."

Analysts, however, said Abdullah appeared to have made a political blunder by seeking a fresh mandate amid surging public anger against his administration.

The 68-year-old ignored Malaysia's widening poverty gap and increasing cost of living, analysts said. And corruption appeared to get worse even though he had promised to eradicate it, while charges of nepotism fizzed around his government.

"He misread the signs," said Malik Imtiaz Sarwar, a human rights lawyer and political commentator. "He became the face of the mismanagement of the country. People were beginning to really, really dislike him despite his affable demeanor."

A three-group opposition alliance of the People's Justice Party, the Democratic Action Party and the Islamic Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party won 82 seats. The opposition had 19 seats in the outgoing Parliament.

Simultaneous ballots for 12 state legislatures culminated in the National Front losing control of the assembly in northern Penang, the only state where ethnic Chinese are a majority. It also lost control of Selangor, Kedah and Perak states for the first time, and failed to wrest Kelantan state back from the opposition.

"This is a defining moment, unprecedented in our nation's history," said opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim. "The people have voted decisively for a new era where the government must be truly inclusive and recognize that all Malaysians, regardless of race and color, culture and religion, are a nation of one."

Coal

Ready to be transported

Power Plant

Using Coal

When the River bleds

I'll be back

Log Transporting

One of the ways of transporting logs by river.

Malaysian police detain 53 activists

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia—Malaysian police detained 53 activists Saturday in a crackdown on a planned opposition-led protest over inflation ahead of national elections expected within weeks.

Opposition groups wanted to hold the rally Saturday outside Kuala Lumpur's landmark Petronas Twin Towers to demand that the government forego a likely fuel price hike and prevent the cost of essential goods from rising.

Authorities said organizers had not applied for the legally required permission to hold a public demonstration. Opposition leaders said their application would probably have been rejected, noting that police had prevented several street demonstrations since November.

Police and a truck with a water cannon stood ready Saturday as more than 100 demonstrators tried to gather near the towers. Some shouted "Reformasi," the Malay word for "reform."

Kuala Lumpur Police Chief Muhammad Sabtu Osman said 1,300 police had been deployed to maintain order, and 40 men and 13 women were arrested for illegal assembly. They were expected to be held at least overnight while police decide whether to charge them.

Other would-be demonstrators lingered in the area for more than an hour before dispersing peacefully.

Agroforestry Venture : An Alternative for Sungei Maong Community

Sungai Maong is situated in Machan, a sub-district of Kanowit, between 50 and 60 kilometers from Sibu. Community agroforestry was first initiated in 1998. The programme involves some 20 families from 4 longhouses in planting tree. Over the last 5 years over 20,000 trees and several hundreds of rattan vines have been planted and grown successfully in their respective farmland. The species include various kinds of local fruits such as durain, dabai (black date), kakus, keranji, sibau, empelan, lengsat, temedak (jack fruit), mak, esau, isu, rangil, several types of timber and legume trees, and a large numbers of rubbers, which could be treated as a cash crop or timber species.

To date there are 8 families continued with tree planting and a total of 6000 were planted in 2002.

Three families were engaged in gardening with the method of the Sloping Agricultural Land Technology (SALT, developed by the Baptist Rural Life Center of the Philippines). However,only one family got the plot fully established amounting to about one acre. The family modified the technology to suit their needs and local conditions. They are planting rice for the 2nd year at the plot. If this technology is successful, the farmer could reduce the need for traditional rotation farming (swidden agriculture) of slash and burn.

Illegal logging: New fines for Samling in Guyana

2008-01-21 | Additional fines raise doubts if investors were properly informed on risks related to Samling’s logging operations – Samling shares fall to all-time low

Several logging companies are being collectively fined 275 million Guyana Dollars (1.35 million US Dollars) for breaches of Guyana’s forest regulations, newspapers in the South American state have reported over the weekend. Barama Company Limited, the Malaysian Samling group’s wholly-owned subsidiary, is once again among the companies in breach of Guyana’s forest laws. The exact amount of the fine imposed on Samling has not been revealed.

With two logging concessions over 1.65 million hectares of tropical rainforest, Barama is the largest forest concession holder in Guyana. In October 2007, additional “harvesting rights” claimed by Barama over an additional 230’000 hectares were found to be against the law and suspended with immediate effect. At the time, the Samling subsidiary was fined with a penalty of 96.4 million Guyana Dollars (474’000 US Dollars).

Doing their part

These Ulu Baram Penan kids are helping out in this traditional way of crushing the rice husk to leave just the rice.

Face of determination

This Penan family and others from Ulu Baram have been struggling against the destruction and death brought about by continuous logging for over a decade now.

The future is here

Penan children from Ulu Baram.

Hut Home

This hut home indicates the still nomadic tradition of the Penan even though this family in Ulu Baram is considered �settled� (and thus development - sic)by the authorities. The elderly man has been an active advocate of the Penan struggle for their land rights and against logging.

Gone

This scene will be submerged under water when the Bakun Dam is completed.

Direct to you

Indigenous communities selling their farm produce direct to the public in one of the markets, thus cutting away middlemen in a win-win situation.

Another face of nature

Facing rapids in the interior of the mighty Rejang River can be challenging at best and dangerous at the other end.

PENAN CULTURE III

Spiritual Beliefs
The Penan have been converting to Christianity since the 1930s. The Penan were often told that Christianity was a religion of protection, and for them it is often the act of prayer that counts (which mirrors the invocation of spirits), not the belief itself. Belief in myths and spirits are still very strong in some places, although traditional creation myths and concepts of heaven and hell are seldom discussed.

Festivals are not part of traditional Penan culture, but blood pacts were once undertaken, usually as part of political agreements between Penan leaders and neighbouring tribes. Rituals varied, but in some cases leaders would shed blood onto tobacco and then smoke it together, thus consuming each other's blood and preventing future conflict. A breach of this pact was believed to cause the vomiting of blood and a violent death.

Similar rituals relate to banishing bad luck in hunting trips or to end a period of unsuccessful hunts. By smearing their blood onto a sago leaf, folding it and burying it some hunters believe they can change their fortune.


Trade and Forest Products
Three or four times a year during colonial times the British government arranged trading missions called tamu close to the forests of the Penan. These tamu were supervised by a colonial official who regulated trade and insured fair treatment for the Penan. For this reason the British are remembered fondly for protecting the forest.

At the tamu they offered forest products like damar (now used in eco-paints), rattan mats and baskets, rhino horn, gaharu wood (or eagle-wood), wild rubber, monkey gallstones (for Chinese medicine), bills of hornbills, skins, deer antlers and of course meat. These were traded for manufactured good like knives, cooking pots and shotguns – some Penan still own colonial era shotguns.

None of these forest products are now abundant, but many Penan will sell surplus meat to logging camps, make rattan items and collect gaharu wood when they find it. This dark, scented wood is found as a special growth in the trunk of the Aquilinia gaharu tree. The growth is triggered in response to injury, a fungal infection or possibly insect activity. Many unsuccessful efforts have been made to domesticate the process.

Gaharu is used as incense, for medicinal and religious purposes, and as a perfume in the Middle East, China, Taiwan and Japan. The Penan can get very good money for a kilo of high quality gaharu, but that can take years to accumulate.

PENAN CULTURE II

Blowpipes
Penan blowpipes, called keleput, are about 6 feet long and made from one solid piece of hard wood, often iron wood, in about 2 weeks. The hole is made using a long metal bar with a screwdriver-like tip, which is simply driven into the wood and turned, over and over. The Penan often build a jig for this.

Attached to the end of the blowpipe is a metal spear head, attached with rattan and rubber-like resin. This is used for finishing off large wounded animals and offers protection from wild beasts. Many Penan clans had a blacksmith once, but now these spears are bought from outsiders. Much shorter blowpipes are sometimes made for hunting at close range in dense forest.


Poison Darts
The bark of the tajem tree is cut to extract a milky latex that is warmed over a fire to produce the poison for Penan darts. Sometimes a new batch is started with a little of an old one or other ingredients like chilli. Tajem interferes with the functioning of the heart, causing lethal arrhythmias. There are a number of antidotes to the poison, the most common being drawn from a type of tree creeper.

Blowpipe darts are made from palm fronds with a lightweight stopper to make an air-tight seal. Darts with metal tips (cut from tin cans) are used for big game like deer and bearded pig, whilst those for small game are simply sharpened before being dipped in poison.


Knives
The Penan carry two knives. The first, a poeh, is large and machete-like and used frequently. The second, much smaller knife, is a called a darhad and is used for cutting meat, whittling blowpipe darts and fine work. Both knives are carried close together in separate sheathes, sometimes wooden, now often plastic.


Forest Sign Language
The Penan like their secrets and have a complex sign language for use in the jungle. A bent twig stuck in the trail may simply say 'we went this way', but complex arrangements of cut twigs, sticks and folded leaves can tell the Penan anything from the state of the hunting locally to whether the person leaving the sign is in a good mood.


Sago
Making sago flour is a communal activity, with men, women and children all taking part. Sago palms can grow up to 12 metres high producing a number of trunks. These are rolled down to a water source, split and their cores pummelled with wooden tools. The pulp is then tipped onto rattan mats supported by a wooden frame and stamped on, much like pressing grapes. Eventually the filtered and condensed starch juice forms a thick paste and can be transported back to camp where it is dried in blocks above a fire before being shared out.

PENAN CULTURE

Groups of nomadic Penan move through distinct clan territories, some groups are just a family of five or six, others have up to 30 people.

Every month or so the Penan leave their old selap (huts) and exhausted sago supplies and move to another patch of forest, where a fresh camp is established. Possessions are few and everything is carried in simple, strong backpacks made from rattan (which is taken from palm leaves). Even small children have packs to carry. Selap are made from thick poles tied together with rattan strips. Typically the floors are four feet off the ground. Above a hearth of mud are two wooden racks for storing cooking equipment and drying fire wood. Each family usually has one hut for living and a smaller one for sleeping. The roofs are no longer made from giant palm leaves, which are now apparently scarce, but tarpaulins.

More nomadic Penan are now setting up semi-permanent settlements to which they return after visiting satellite sago harvesting camps for a few weeks at a time. Some communities are experimenting with farming, but this accelerates the move away from a nomadic life in the forest: the more farming you do, the less time is spent hunting and gathering and the more farming you need to do. Nomadic Penan are not natural farmers and failures can lead to increased hunger. Disease in settled communities can also leave the Penan vulnerable.


Material Culture
Only Penan elders dress in anything approaching traditional dress, with chawats (loin cloths), bands on their legs and wrists and large holes in their earlobes (but often nothing plugging them). Traditional tattoos are now uncommon, but crude DIY tattoos (almost like prison tattoos) are not. Few Penan now go barefoot, most wear cheap, plastic football boots with rounded studs, which are perceived to be the best thing in the jungle, but don't keep the leeches out.

Despite their western looks Penan bush craft is immediately apparent. The forest is utilised incredibly quickly to provide, cups, water containers, repairs to carriers, food and shelter when the need arises.


Hunting
The Bornean bearded pig bears the brunt of Penan hunting activity. In the past widespread fruiting of forest trees would lead to an explosion in the bearded pig population, but the loss of these trees and opening up of the forest to hunters from outside has led to a population decline. Barking deer is another popular game animal, as is the long-tailed and pig-tailed macaque, but the Penan will eat just about any animal including small birds and squirrels, which are thought of as delicacies.

Many Penan often use blowpipes to hunt, but killing a bearded pig with a blowpipe is very difficult and requires strong poison unless you want to track it for days before it falls (more difficult in secondary forest). Shotguns are obviously more efficient, but are far more expensive to own and permits are needed.

Penan hunt by tracking, but February through to April they sometimes use a hunting technique called mejong. A hunter hides in a tree close to a fruiting tropical oak and waits for the evening when he can prey upon feeding bearded pigs. The meat of the animals feeding on these nuts has great flavour, not unlike expensive Spanish and Italian hams.

The rhino is long gone from Sarawak, but the Penan are still wary of other wildlife. Borneo's clouded leopard (recently declared a 'new species') is shy and seldom seen, but to the Penan, the sun bear is the most dangerous animal thanks to its ability to roll into a ball and bounce down hills to chase after them.

The Penan

The nomadic hunter-gatherer Penan are one of the last such groups in South East Asia. Out of the 10,000 Penan living in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, Borneo, only 200 nomadic people are left.

Small groups of nomads move through a land of dense forest, narrow steep-sided valleys and fast flowing streams in the north-east of the state. Penan material culture is changing (western clothing is dominant, everyone has plastic tarpaulins), but the nomads still rely on the forest to provide most of what they need, from blowpipes to flour.

The Penan are a gentle and softly spoken people with a highly egalitarian society and little gender division. There's a headman, and respect is given to elders but there is no real hierarchy, just a strong communal bond, which manifests itself in a meticulous process of sharing. Nomadic Penan move in groups of up to 40 people, but groups form and split regularly as sago palm flour and game is sought from different areas in their territory (roughly 100 sq miles on average).

The nomadic Penan have been greatly affected by large-scale selective logging, in the late 1970s. More recently the creation of palm oil and acacia wood plantations has caused concern. Since the 1980s various Penan groups, both settled and nomadic, have campaigned against the logging - erecting blockades and sometimes being arrested. A well-orchestrated media campaign, originally led by passionate activist Bruno Manser (who went missing in Sarawak during 2001) meant that their plight was raised at the UN General Assembly and the Rio Earth summit. Penan leaders have also met Al Gore and Prince Charles.

A few concessions were made, but as the media spotlight moved on the logging continued. It's been estimated that at least 70% of Sarawak's primary forest has been licensed for logging and in some places there have been two or three logging passes in 25 years. The forest to which the Penan are perfectly adapted, has been radically altered. They have a deep emotional response to the change in light, sound, smell and temperature of the forest, nuances that outsiders over look. Everything from hunting to collecting medicinal plants and clean water is becoming much more difficult.

Penan chief found dead, foul play suspected

January 3rd, 2008

The Borneo Project extends our greatest sympathies and condolences to our friends in Long Kerong and Penan allies across Sarawak for the loss of a great community leader and inspirational elder, Kelesau Naan.

Source: www.malaysiakini.com, 2 January 2008

Penan chief found dead, foul play suspected
Fauwaz Abdul Aziz | Jan 2, 08 7:24pm

Penan villagers of Long Kerong in Sarawak will file a police report at the Miri police station tomorrow after the recent discovery of the body of their headman Kelesau Naan - who had been missing for over two months.

The villagers suspect foul play.

Kelesau (right) had not returned home since Oct 23, after having told his wife, Uding Lidem, that he was going to check on an animal trap he had set near their hut - which is situated near the Sungai Segita river about two hours walk from their Long Kerong long-house.

Since his disappearance, the villagers had feared that their chief - who was one among the leading figures in the Upper Baram Penan communities of Sarawak to oppose the logging of their rainforests - had been murdered.

On Dec 17, their worst fears were confirmed after finding Kelesau’s skull and the bones of his thighs, ribs and hands near Sungai Segita.

According to his relative Matin Bujang, there was evidence Kelesau had been assaulted.

“His hand was broken and looked as if it had been hit by a sharp object,” he told Malaysiakini when contacted while en route to Miri - which is about 100 km from Long Kerong - to lodge the police report.

“Uding had recognised the bones as being that of her husband because, among other things, of the watch that was still on a wrist-bone,” he said further.

Not completely surprised

While shocked at the gruesome finding, Matin said the villagers were not completely surprised as tensions had escalated in recent months over the issue of logging in the Upper Baram region.

Last September, Matin pointed out, disturbances broke out near Ba' Lai which led many to fear further troubles.

This is in addition to earlier reports that Penans from the nearby village of Long Benali had in April and August 2007 been subjected to intimidation by local security forces seeking to break up their logging blockade.

In an interview conducted in 2004, Kelesau was reported to have said the village’s defiance had proven its worth and asked for the Sarawak state government to finally recognise the Penan’s land claim.

“With Kelesau gone, it is as if the villagers have lost all their power to continue struggling,” said Matin.

“I hope the government and the police can look into this case and resolve this problem very soon,” he added.

According to an earlier statement by indigenous people’s advocacy group Bruno Manser Fonds (BMF), two Penan villagers involved in the 1990s disputes with logging companies had similarly disappeared.

BMF also noted that Kelesau was one of four plaintiffs and a key witness in a major Penan land rights claim that has been awaiting trial since 1998.

Bruno Manser

No Evidence to Show Swiss Environmentalist Dead: Police
Malaysiakini
December 19th, 2001
The Malaysian government recently announced that they have not discovered any evidence to indicate Swiss activist Bruno Manser is dead inside Sarawak. On the other hand, they haven't found any evidence to show that he's still alive.

Without a Trace
by Simon Elegant with Long Adang , Time Magazine Asia
September 3rd, 2001
Swiss activist Bruno Manser was passionate, quirky and determined to save the habitat of the Penan tribe of Borneo. His journey brought him to jungles, boardrooms—and an unknown fate

Penan defender Bruno Manser believed to be dead: friends, family
by Eileen Ng, Malaysiakini
August 28th, 2001
The family and friends of Swiss environmental activist Bruno Manser, who disappeared on Borneo island 15 months ago, believe he may have perished, a Swiss official said today. John Kunzli, secretary of the Bruno Manser Fund in Basel, said a second search expedition to Sarawak state, led by Manser's brother earlier this month, failed to find any trace of him.

No Sign of Borneo Forest Crusader
by Rohan Sullivan , The Associated Press
August 5th, 2001
Bruno Manser, one of the world's most prominent rain forest crusaders has been missing for more than a year, and there is no official search for him. The embassy of Switzerland, Manser's country, says searching Sarawak would be fruitless. Meanwhile, Malaysia's government shows no interest in mounting a search.

Totem for Bruno Manser
Bruno Manser Fonds website
May 23rd, 2001
It has been exactly one year since Bruno Manser disappeared and still no sign of him. A group of Swiss citizens have erected a totem pole to help keep him in our memories.

In Remembrance of Bruno
by Mutang Urud, Bruno Manser Fonds website
May 20th, 2001
All of missing Swiss activist Bruno Manser's friends and family wrote their thoughts on Manser for a ceremony in Bern marking the one year anniversary of his disappearance. These are Mutang Urud's thoughts. Mutang is Kelabit, and a longtime activist based in British Columbia.

Swiss Activist Missing in Borneo
by Andrew M. Mudge, Cultural Survival
April 1st, 2001
This article takes a good look at Bruno Manser's Penan experience, as well as his disappearance.

Lost in the Borneo Jungle
by Ken Stier, Newsweek International
December 18th, 2000
This Newsweek article focuses on some of Manser's heroic activism.

Message by 17 Penan Leaders on Bruno Manser
Tong Tana, the Bruno Manser Fonds newsletter
December 1st, 2000
Penan leaders express their solidarity with Manser, and their sorrow that he appears to be gone.

SWISS ACTIVIST BRUNO MANSER MISSING IN BORNEO
Compiled from Bruno Manser Fonds press releases
November 20th, 2000
The original story, based on materials from his non-profit, Bruno Manser Fonds. Manser has been missing since May of 2000, and it is increasingly unlikely he will ever be found alive.

Genetically Modified Food

Genetic modification, also interchangeably known as genetic engineering or gene splicing, is a set of technologies that alter the genetic makeup of living organisms, such as animals, plants, or bacteria. It involves the isolation, manipulation, and reintroduction of DNA into cells. These techniques in genetics are generally known as recombinant DNA technology, which is the ability to combine DNA from multiple sources into a single molecule in a test tube.
Genetically modified food then is a food product developed from a different genetically modified organism, GMO . The phenotype (i.e. the organism’s total appearance or a specific trait like size or behavior) can be changed through the modification of genes. The most common genetically modified organisms are crop plants. However, the technology has been applied to nearly all walks of life- including a pets that glow under UV light to goats which can produce spider silk.

Essentially, the aim of genetic modification is to introduce new physical or physiological attributes that through conventional breeding would not be possible.

China launches surprise crackdown on plastic bags

BEIJING (Reuters) - China launched a surprise crackdown on plastic bags on Tuesday, banning production of ultra-thin bags and forbidding its supermarkets and shops from handing out free carriers from June 1.

China uses too many of the bags and fails to dispose of them properly, wasting valuable oil and littering the country, China's cabinet, the State Council, said in a notice posted on the central government Web site (www.gov.cn).

"Our country consumes huge amounts of plastic bags every year. While providing convenience to consumers, they have also caused serious pollution, and waste of energy and resources, because of excessive use and inadequate recycling," it said.

Worries about pollution are growing among ordinary citizens, as years of breakneck growth take their toll on the country's air and water, but the new ban may not be universally welcomed.

Late last year the southern boom town of Shenzhen sparked a public controversy by unveiling draft regulations to ban free plastic bags in its shops.

Shopkeepers fretted that customers might be turned away and some people accused the government of making residents shoulder the costs of environmental protection.

Part of the new rules seem similar to the Shenzhen plan, stating that from June shops, supermarkets and sales outlets would be forbidden to offer free plastic bags and all carriers must be clearly marked with their prices.

"We should encourage people to return to carrying cloth bags, using baskets for their vegetables," the notice said.

In addition the manufacture, sale and use of bags under 0.025 mm thick is banned from the same date, with fines and confiscation of goods and profits for firms that flout the rules.

The cabinet also said finance authorities should consider adjusting taxes to discourage the production and sale of plastic bags and encourage the recycling industry.

Rubbish collectors were urged to separate plastic for reprocessing and cut the amount burnt or buried.

The move brings China in line with a growing international trend to cut back use of plastic bags. From Ireland to Uganda and South Africa governments have experimented with heavy taxes, outright bans or eliminating the thinnest bags.

In some countries where the central government has not acted communities ranging from San Francisco to a small British town have taken unilateral action to outlaw the carriers.

Chinese people use up to 3 billion plastic bags a day and the country has to refine 5 million tons (37 million barrels) of crude oil every year to make plastics used for packaging, according to a report on the Web site of China Trade News (www.chinatradenews.com.cn).

The Campaign for Permission to Wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia

Greetings ...

By now you will have become aware of the unacceptable response from the Cabinet Office in answer to our Rebuttal. This 'final decision' (Mr Brennan's words, not mine!) reaffirmation of the 31 January recommendation demonstrates determined effort by Whitehall to further perpetuate their already discredited myths of the 'Double Medalling' and '5 Year' rules. It has also become perfectly apparent that they intend to persistently reiterate misinformation to the effect that British veterans could wear their PJM if they wanted, on the basis that such wear is not policed. You and I know, in our hearts and minds, that this is simply not the case - and it's a worrying development that civil servants should entice British veterans into an action that suits the civil servants' purpose on the basis that it is 'not policed'!

When the HD Committee placed their recommendations for approval before the Queen, we are told that they asked Her to approve only acceptance of the PJM...they did not ask Her to approve the right for wear...In Her role as a constitutional monarch, Her Majesty consequently approved the recommended acceptance of the PJM. In that context, a London Gazette Notice becomes very relevant indeed!
London Gazette, 3rd May 1968

After more than a year's work including much researching of files, some of which became inexplicably unavailable to us for nearly a year (they had been borrowed from the National Archives by the FCO), we uncovered the London Gazette notice below.

The purpose of this 1968 Notice was to cut down on administration and bureaucracy within an overloaded and confused Honours system. Civil servants today wish to put the clock back to before that Notice so that they can continue their stranglehold on the System. To achieve that they claim this Notice does not apply to PJMers ... only their own discredited decree must apply. We do not agree with them because the 1968 papers are clear - if you are a private citizen when a medal is conferred on you with The Queen's permission, then you have Her permission to wear it.

The text of this notice is clear, concise and incontrovertible - I urge you to read it carefully and ask yourself...Am I eligible under this notice? If the answer to that question is 'Yes' then you can wear your PJM with honour on formal occasions.

Those of us in the Fight4the PJM Team who previously felt unable to wear their PJM, will now do so in the light of the Gazette Notice. We remain loyal to The Queen and will abide by her known decrees. Until the Gazette Notice is rescinded or amended by Her we shall wear our PJMs with honour.

And so our job is done.

Or is it? ...
The Future

... as for the future, we intend to continue the fight until all recipients can wear their PJM - not just those eligible under the London Gazette notice.

Furthermore, we shall continue to campaign until permission to wear the PJM is publicly proclaimed, and British Malaya-Borneo veterans do not have to rely upon their interpretation of formal Notices.
THE CASE FOR THE WEARING OF THE PINGAT JASA MALAYSIA
The Fight4thePJM campaign has proved its case.

It is incongruous that two spurious ‘rules’ should be first waived so that British veterans could receive the PJM and then immediately invoked to stop them wearing it - despite a London Gazette Notice stating private civilians can.

We have only ever requested a fair and even-handed hearing from the British Government regarding our case that British veterans should have the same right to wear their medal that The Queen has approved for their Commonwealth former comrades in arms.



We have been rewarded only with obfuscation. We have been branded as “disaffected Veterans” by the Ministry of Defence Veterans Agency. The Cabinet Office say British veterans should be grateful for what the civil servants have done for them! The Foreign Office says nothing - we have been told that our requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act will not be answered. What are they hiding?

We have support for our case from around the world – in 30 countries where the British PJM decision has been met with utter disbelief.



The vast majority of MP’s across the parties support us including Lord Denis Healey who was the Defence Minister at the time of Confrontation. The Conservative Party is committed to a review of the inconsistent and incongruous Foreign Decorations Rules.

The ex-Veteran’s Minister now supports us. The Rt Hon Don Touhig MP, Veterans Ministers at the time of the discredited PJM decision, now supports our case and is seeking a debate in the Commons.



Crucially, the Rt Hon Ian Pearson MP, the Foreign Office Minister who filed the original PJM statement in January 2006 now admits that his Statement was flawed and incongruous (he calls the civil service case a “nonsense”) and has pledged his active support for our campaign.

We have considerable support in the Scottish Parliament, and amongst the general public. Right-minded people simply cannot understand why civil servants should take such a discriminatory stance against British veterans - their antics have been likened to Brian Rix’s farces (staged, ironically, at the Whitehall theatre!).



Resolutions calling for the PJM decision to be reversed and for their associations to actively campaign for the PJM to be worn were passed unanimously this year by the Royal British Legion, the Royal Naval Association and the Royal British Legion ( Scotland).

A lot of talk has been made recently of the nation’s debt to its Veterans. If the charge of further spin and hyperbole is to be avoided, action must be seen to be forthcoming. And a good way to show to the nation that it is deeds and not words that count would be to grant unrestricted permission for the PJM to be worn.
What we at Fight4thePJM are For ... and what we are Against

FOR the Government’s acknowledgement that ex-servicemen and women, British private citizens, can wear their PJM along with the rest of the Commonwealth.



Civil servants are trying to impose antiquated and conflicting ‘rules’, which they confirm have no legal standing, to try and prevent British veterans from formally displaying their medal.

FOR Foreign Decorations rules to be reviewed so that never again will ‘rules’ such as the 5-year rule be applied so inconsistently and incongruously just to deny ordinary men and women the right to display a medal that The Queen has already approved.



The 5-year rule cannot logically apply to prevent the PJM being worn. The PJM is not a British campaign medal to which the 5-year rule primarily applies. It is a Foreign commemorative service medal like the Malta and Russian medals that The Queen approved for formal wear 50 years after the events.

FOR the end of the retrospective application of new and inappropriate ‘rules’, rules such as the double medal restriction which, having been re-written in secret, appeared in Foreign Decorations rules for the first time in November 2005 and then applied to deny the 2004 PJM.



The PJM is not a double medal. It falls under Foreign medal rules (not British campaign medal rules to which the double medal rule primarily applies) and, in its scope and its eligibility terms and its service and its timescales, is quite different to any British medal and clearly cannot double any British medal (which, in any event, most PJMers do not have).

FOR the even-handed application of Foreign Decorations and British Medals policy when the application of such policy protects the integrity of a British Medal bar.



Unrestrained proliferation of medals should be challenged. But rules should be applied consistently – not just to deny ordinary men and women while the number of medals awarded to the privileged increases.

AGAINST gratuitous medal chasing. We did not seek any acknowledgement. We did not ask for any medal. But it has been conferred on us by Malaysia with The Queen's approval, and we are honoured to receive it. We should therefore be able to display the PJM.



We are campaigning solely for the right to display the medal – a right already given by The Queen to the rest of the Commonwealth.

AGAINST ‘Bling’ (the wearing of unofficial medals). The Pingat Jasa Malaysia is not ‘Bling’. The Malaysian medal has been formally approved for acceptance by The Queen.



Having been approved for acceptance by The Queen, the PJM is an official medal and there are no ‘bling’ implications –even when worn.

FOR a cause that will not cost hard-pressed British taxpayers any money.



Malaysia has graciously agreed to meet the full cost of this medal.

The Fight4thePJM Association and Campaign

Fight4thePJM is an organisation run by veterans for veterans. It was established to promote the campaign fighting to reverse the decision that, alone in the Commonwealth, British citizens have been forbidden to wear the Pingat Jasa Malaysia.

We are non-political and have no connections with any other organisation.

Membership of the association is free - we do not seek or raise funds.

Ours is a single issue campaign. Lobbying is not our natural habitat. When we are successful we’ll pack our kitbags and go home.
A Thank You

Your 'Fight4' team wishes to thank and congratulate all members for their continuing support and determined lobbying in the pursuit of our collective rights....The 'Fight4' team are, to a man, proud to have been permitted to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in this honourable campaign.

Sincerely,

'Jock' Fenton
Chairman: Fight4thePJM Association

Tattoo Basics

The word 'tattoo' is derived from the Tahitian word "tatu", which means 'to mark something'. Tattoo has been commonly practiced by different civilizations and cultures since 12,000 BC. The purpose and aim of getting a tattoo varied from one culture to another.

One of the earliest people who practiced tattooing were the Egyptians. Archaeological digs have shown us that tattooing was practiced in Egypt from the time the Great Pyramids were being constructed. As the Egyptian empire grew, so did this art form spread to other civilisations such as Crete, Greece, Arabia and China. During the 17th century, pilgrims returning from Jerusalem were seen bearing permanent marks on their bodies.

However, tattoos and people who bore them were not always viewed as pious or having good moral fiber. In the early 1800s, tattoos became associated with the criminal underclass as they were branded in order to display their illicit status. Eventually, tattoos became synonymous with the tough working class and criminals.

These days, tattoos have become an acceptable part of our lives, mainly due to its revival by celebrities. While it has enjoyed an astounding comeback, the purpose behind getting a tattoo nowadays are somewhat different. These days, tattoos are used to carry the identity of certain groups, the mark of a person's individuality and the symbol of beauty.

Tattooing in Borneo
Borneo, located in South East Asia is the third largest island in the world. The natives of Borneo consist of different tribes where each has its own language and culture. Though their languages and cultures are different, all tribes share something in common: the tradition and practice of tattooing.

For many centuries, the tradition and practice of tattooing has also been a way of life for the Iban - one of the largest tribe amongst the natives. Tattoos were very much entwined with every aspect of their culture. The practice of tattooing was a sacred activity that connected the people to the spiritual world. Tattooing was also linked to the men's success in headhunting and the coming of age amongst the womenfolk. Aside from symbolizing their social status, tattoos also enhanced the women's beauty. It is believed that the darker the color of the tattoo, the more beautiful the tattoo and the bearer is. Women were also tattooed as proof of their accomplishments in weaving, dancing or singing. Aside from these, the Ibans also bore tattoos for protective purposes as it is said to help ward off harm and disease.

Long House Appeal

About Hunger

International Hunger Facts

About 24,000 people die every day from hunger or hunger-related causes. This is down from 35,000 ten years ago, and 41,000 twenty years ago. Three-fourths of the deaths are children under the age of five. The Hunger Project, United Nations

In 1999, 10% of children in developing countries died before the age of five. This was down from 28% fifty years ago. CARE

Famine and wars cause just 10% of hunger deaths, although these tend to be the ones you hear about most often. The majority of hunger deaths are caused by chronic malnutrition. Families simply cannot get enough to eat. This in turn is caused by extreme poverty. The Institute for Food and Development Policy

Besides death, chronic malnutrition also causes impaired vision, listlessness, stunted growth and greatly increased susceptibility to disease. Severely malnourished people are unable to function at even a basic level. United Nations World Food Programme (WFP)

In 1999, it was estimated that one billion people in the world suffered from hunger and malnutrition, about 100 times as many as those who actually died from it each year. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

According to the 1996 World Food Summit, 840 million people live in the condition of chronic, persistent hunger, one-seventh of our human family. The vast majority of hungry people live in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.

Often it takes just a few simple resources for impoverished people to be able to grow enough food to become self-sufficient. These resources include quality seeds, appropriate tools and access to water. Small improvements in farming techniques and food storage methods are also helpful. Oxfam

Many hunger experts believe that ultimately the best way to reduce hunger is through education. Educated people are best able to break out of the cycle of poverty that causes hunger. United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

RARE

Rare appears on Fast Company's and Monitor Group's Social Capitalist Awards list for the fourth year in a row. Since last year's listing, this U.S.-based conservation group has embarked on a growth plan to triple in size because of the growing demand from larger groups and foreign governments for its creative methods and business-style marketing strategies. Instead of marketing products, Rare-trained organizers market conservation—using the power of local pride.

Rare's approach is to identify promising leaders in the world's most threatened natural areas and provide them with two years of training and support to launch a campaign for the environment in their communities.

These local leaders start with 11 weeks of coursework (currently in four languages) at one of Rare's university-based training centers. They return home equipped with new outreach tools, a two-year budget, a Rare mentor, and peer support from an online platform developed in partnership with Omidyar Network (run by eBay founder Pierre Omidyar).

Rare organizers turn on the power of local pride using over 30 different grassroots marketing vehicles. Giant costumed mascots represent a charismatic endangered animal or bird. They march in parades and visit festivals, churches, and schools. These same local mascots are also featured in pop songs, puppetry, billboards, radio programs, even beauty contests -- all designed to increase community support for conservation.

Such Rare "Pride" campaigns have now been used in 110 locations in 40 countries, with often dramatic results:

1. An organizer in Manantlan, Mexico, cut the rate of forest fires by two-thirds within 18 months by adopting the Trogon, a forest bird that happens to have the red, white and green colors of the Mexican flag in its plumage.
2. A Rare-trained conservationist in Indonesia motivated remote fishing communities to stop destroying reefs and instead work with the government to create a huge national marine protected area.
3. And Rare's first partnership in China led to a measurable reduction in forest clearing by local people, helping to conserve Yunnan Province's irresistible and highly endangered golden monkey.

Rare has now reached nearly 6 million people in biodiversity-rich areas and is now seeking investment capital to take its successful model to scale: Groups such as The Nature Conservancy, Conservation International, Wildlife Conservation Society, National Audubon Society, and the United Nations have contracted with Rare to develop Pride campaigns. And, a newly signed agreement with China's State Environmental Protection Administration will bring in Rare to train hundreds of local leaders from across China in coming years.

As Pulitzer Prize-winning author and naturalist E.O. Wilson has noted: "In an original manner, Rare attends to conservation where it has ultimately the most lasting effect—through education tuned to the culture and needs of local people."

Malaysia and Rare Conservation projects

YTL Corporation continues its efforts in environmental protection by funding a substantial amount to two conservation groups who have shown success in their conservation work both globally and locally.



Tan Sri (Dr.) Francis Yeoh, Managing Director and Ruth Yeoh, Director of Investments of YTL Corporation Berhad together with Dato Yeoh Soo Min presented the grants worth USD 100, 000 each to WWF-Malaysia and Rare in support of their local conservation projects.



The event saw heads of the NGOs, Dr. Dionysius Sharma, Executive Director/CEO of WWF-Malaysia and Nigel Sizer, Rare’s Vice President for Asia Pacific share their vision and mission and how they would utilise the grants.



WWF-Malaysia will strengthen its tiger conservation efforts, with its “Save our Tigers! Save our Crest! Save our Lungs!” campaign specifically to resolve the human-tiger conflict in Jeli District, Kelantan. Tigers have long been a symbol of pride and strength as portrayed in the Malaysian crest but these creatures are sadly vanishing with only a mere 500 left in Malaysia. Rapid development and unsustainable logging have caused tigers and humans to involuntarily come into contact with each other, causing conflict, which more than often results in one party’s fatal end. WWF-Malaysia plans to harness expertise to conduct awareness-raising programmes for local communities, as well as educate them on conserving the tiger habitat and adopt better management practices in their farming activities.



Rare, a leading global conservation group based in the U.S; also launched Rare Pride in Malaysia at the ceremony today. Rare focuses on training local partners to conduct unique social marketing campaigns that work with local communities, motivating them to conserve biodiversity. As this is Rare’s first venture into Malaysia, they have committed to matching YTL’s grant 2:1 with an additional USD 200,000 that will enable them to establish three projects in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak, respectively.



YTL Corp has played a big role in advocating environment protection, which started with their Climate Change Week programme. Their efforts still continue today as they take up the corporate social responsibility of a ‘green’ lifestyle in all YTL owned companies and work towards sustainable development.



“ I have always felt that we (YTL) have a personal responsibility to get involved because as business leaders, we have an ethical obligation to be part of the solution, especially in the great opportunity God has given us to use our positions, influence and connections to affect changes at a higher level, such as in policy decisions and enabling important conservation efforts within and beyond our borders,” said Tan Sri (Dr.) Francis Yeoh.



Ruth Yeoh, YTL’s ambassador for Climate Change said that she had been groomed from young to appreciate the environment and appreciate nature around her. Her passion for the environment has led her to co-author the book entitled “Cut Carbon, Grow Profits” which was launched earlier this year.



“YTL has been practicing conservation for a very long time but we are now moving more swiftly into sustainability projects to not only adapt but to educate on the benefits of conservation in the impending low carbon economy,” said Ruth in her speech.



The cry for preservation of the environment has been ongoing for many years and as we move towards a new era in development we should follow the lead of these exemplary organisations in spreading awareness and inspiring action in our fight against global warming.

How To Plant A Tree

Tree Planting Tips

The ideal time to plant a tree is during the rainy season, in the tropics and subtropics, or the dormant season, in temperate zones, after leaf drop or before bud break. Trees that have been well cared for in a nursery can be planted throughout the growing season.
Proper handling during planting is essential to ensure healthy growth. Proper site preparation before and during planting, coupled with good follow-up care, allows the seedlings to quickly establish roots in the new location and overcome what is known as transplant shock, a phenomenon that can slow the growth and reduce the vigour of the tree.
Seeds can be sown in seed beds or seedling containers (preferably biodegradable) prepared with a mixture of sand, compost and soil. The plants will need watering before and after germination. Reduce the frequency of watering as the seedlings grow. Shade the seedlings and gradually reduce the shade as they grow.
If you decide to plant seeds, collect them from an area that enjoys similar climatic conditions to where the trees will be planted. Collect the seeds from a number of healthy mature trees.

To Plant a tree
1. Dig a hole at least twice the width of the root ball to allow the roots to spread out. Remove the tree from its container, carefully cut off broken roots, and slightly loosen the root ball.
2. Place the tree in the planting hole. Always lift the tree by the root ball and never by the trunk. Spread periphery roots outwards. Avoid planting the tree too deep. Make sure that the soil line of the young tree is higher than the surface of the surrounding hole.
3. Shovel some soil into the planting hole. Check the planting depth and adjust if needed. Confirm that the tree is straight. Fill the hole gently but firmly. Pat the soil around the base of the root ball.
4. It is not recommended to apply fertilizer at the time of planting. Water the seedling thoroughly with a slow stream of water to settle the soil. Do not stake the tree. The sooner the tree can stand alone, the sooner it will become strong.
5. Provide follow up care. Protect the tree from pests and diseases by removing plants nearby which are likely to affect it. Remove weeds as they will compete with tree roots for moisture and nutrients. Protect the tree from destruction by livestock.
6. If suitable, space trees well to avoid competition for air and soil nutrients, and to encourage the growth of branches. Watch out for drought conditions and provide water if needed, especially during the first few months. Watch out for yellowing of leaves. Always maintain good air circulation in the tree by pruning to avoid pests and other diseases.

Contact an arborist or a nearby environmental non-governmental organization
for advice on caring for your tree.
For further information consult the following web sites:

http://www.greenbeltmovement.org
http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org

SAM

The Sarawak office of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM - the Friends of the Earth organisation in Malaysia) has been involved since 1986 with the native people of Sarawak in a desperate struggle against logging in the province. In 1983 this logging was proceeding at the rate of 75 acres per hour, enabling Sarawak to provide 39 per cent of Malaysia's tropical log exports, which amount to over 50 per cent of the world's total. The logging is systematically destroying the culture and livelihood of the area's native inhabitants, including the Kelabit, Kayan and Penan peoples.

The SAM Sarawak office is run by Harrison Ngau, a Kayan who has for some years helped the native communities with the problems caused by the logging: pollution, soil erosion, land spoilage and destruction of trees and other forest resources. But when the letters and petitions to government departments which he helped them to draft brought no improvement, the Penan people began in 1987 to blockade the logging camps and roads, bringing much of the logging to a halt.

In June 1987, SAM Sarawak arranged for a delegation of native leaders to go to Kuala Lumpur for talks with the Malaysian government. Though these were fruitless, the trip and the blockades generated considerable publicity at home and abroad. Later the same year, Ngau and dozens of tribals were arrested and the blockades broken in a police crackdown. But they started again a few months later, affecting particularly the operations of a company owned by the Minister for Environment and Tourism. Ngau himself was released after 60 days but is still bound by a restricted residence order. He left SAM when he was elected as Member of Parliament for Baram, Sarawak, 1990-95, but the rejoined SAM in November 1995.

SAM Sarawak has been fully supported by the central SAM office in Penang. SAM itself was founded in 1978 by its President, S. Mohammed Idris, a businessman who also started the influential Consumers' Association of Penang (1969), Asia-Pacific Peoples Environment Network (APPEN-1983) and Third World Network news agency (1984). SAM's other concerns include resource depletion, loss of indigenous seeds, abuse of pesticides in agriculture and soil contamination. It also has an extensive news service and numerous single publications. SAM also pioneered the concept of 'State of the Environment' reports with its State of the Malaysian Environment in 1983/83.
Quotation
"It is the responsibility of all of us who live in the modern world to heed the call of the world's indigenous peoples, so that a new world will come into being when all peoples can live according to human need and not according to human greed."
Mohamed Idris