BLOCKADE against GT logging company by the Penan Community of Kampung Ba Abang Baram, Sarawak.
The Penan People in Ba Abang had set up a blockade on 31 Jan 2023, to prevent the GT Interhill logging company from continuing to log in Ba Abang Penan land area. But days later the blockade was removed by workers from GT Interhill logging company.
The communal land area of the Penan people has been under threat since 2020, and a number of blockades have been created by the community to protect the forest. The heavy hard wood tree - Belian, has been caught up in the destruction despite being a protected species. Belian is an incredibly slow growing wood and is the official tree of Sarawak. (PLEASE NOTE: The timber from Ba Abang is not certified with MTSC or FSC.)
YOU CAN HELP TO CLEAN UP THE TROPICAL TIMBER TRADE! Go to our TAKE ACTION page for links and info about how to:
Sign our petition: Call for new UK legislation to hold corporations to account and give legal redress to communities harmed by extractive practices.
Ask Before You Buy: Do you know where your wood comes from? Ask timber suppliers, furniture manufacturers and retailers if their wood products come from Malaysia or another rainforest region. Explain that PEFC and FSC certification is no guarantee of sustainability.
Support Indigenous land defenders: Please donate to support the valuable grass-roots work undertaken by SAVE Rivers to empower Indigenous communities to protect their forests in Sarawak.