(Kuala Lumpur – 27 August 2026) A new report by the Bruno Manser Fonds, “Plundering the Baram Peace Park,” reveals how a community-led conservation vision in Sarawak’s Upper Baram was dismantled, paving the way for renewed industrial logging in one of Borneo’s last remaining primary rainforests.
For decades, Indigenous communities have resisted logging and protected their ancestral forests. Their efforts gave rise to the Baram Peace Park, a project later adopted by the Malaysian government and International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO) as the “Upper Baram Forest Area (UBFA).”
In 2024, Borneoland Timber Resources Sdn. Bhd. (“Borneoland”) was granted a timber concession covering more than 100,000 hectares of the proposed conservation area, without public tender, transparency, or the Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of affected communities. Logging has since expanded into forests that communities understood to be protected, damaging rivers, wildlife habitat, and vital cultural and livelihood resources.
The report raises serious questions about the responsibilities of the Sarawak and Malaysian governments, international institutions, and timber supply chains. It also highlights the need to investigate how the UBFA project was undermined and how the concession was granted.
Civil society organizations call for an immediate moratorium on Borneoland’s logging activities and demand the licence be made public. Furthermore, the Malaysian government needs to prioritize transparency and freedom of information. Continuous lack of transparency lays the ground for corruption.
The Baram Peace Park may have been abandoned on paper, but its vision remains alive. Indigenous communities continue to defend their forests through blockades, legal action, and advocacy.
ENDS
Download the report: www.savebaramforest.
