Malaysia: Court ruling may support tribes in opposing deforestation

Date: 8 May 2009

Indigenous tribes on the island of Borneo may be able to stop companies from logging or creating oil palm plantations following a ruling made by the Malaysian Federal Court.

According to the ruling, the Penan and other tribes in Sarawak, have enforceable rights to land that they use for hunting and gathering, as well as land being used for food crops. Previously, they had to show that there had been a history of growing crops on the land in order to establish a claim - a disadvantage to the Penan who are mainly hunter-gatherers.

Land has been leased out to logging and oil companies in the past, with considerable negative consequences from pollution and other disruption, according to campaign group Survival International.

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