SAVE Rivers supports and empowers rural communities to protect their land, rivers, and watersheds through capacity building, networking, research, education, and advocacy. Since 2011 we have promoted environmental and indigenous rights awareness and sustainable development solutions. We believe that development can be achieved without destruction of livelihoods or rivers and forests.
Originally established in 2011 to organize communities of Baram against the proposed Baram Dam, we had a major victory in 2016 with the official cancellation of the dam. We now work with local and international partners to promote village-scale renewable energy systems, promote indigenous land rights and indigenous-led conservation, build capacity in rural communities, and further the protection of all of Sarawak’s rivers.
Partners
We partner with local and international organizations, including:
TONIBUNG – Friends of Village Development
TONIBUNG was originally founded in 1991 to train relocated indigenous peoples struggling to adapt to unfamiliar agricultural circumstances. For the past 10 years, TONIBUNG has turned their attention towards rural electrification, focusing predominantly on micro-hydroelectric systems. TONIBUNG is currently seeking to build their capacity by empowering rural indigenous technicians, enabling them to design and implement renewable resource management schemes of their own.
Jaringan Orang Asal SeMalaysia – JOAS
The Indigenous Peoples Network of Malaysia (JOAS) is the umbrella network for 21 community-based non-governmental organizations that have indigenous peoples’ issues as the focus. As the focal point for indigenous rights and advocacy in Malaysia, JOAS provides the indigenous communities with representation not just nationally but regionally and internationally as well.
The Borneo Project brings international attention and support to community-led efforts to defend forests, sustainable livelihoods, and human rights. Since its founding in the early 90s, the project has trained dozens of indigenous activists in community mapping, enabling communities to map areas of ancestral land claims and win legal cases and negotiations. The Project responds to the needs of local partners, providing whatever support best suits programmatic and campaign needs.
The Bruno Manser Fund stands for fairness in the tropical forest. BMF are committed to campaigning for the conservation of the threatened tropical rainforests with their biodiversity and strive for the respect of the rights of the rainforest dwellers. In consideration of the fact that the founder and long-standing chair, Bruno Manser, spent many years living with the Penan in the Malaysian federal state of Sarawak on Borneo, BMF are primarily committed to working for this people and for the protection of the Sarawak forests.
Team
- Peter Kallang
- Thomas Jalong
- Mark Bujang
- Caroline Nyurang
SAVE Rivers 