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| Penan, Sarawak, Malaysia
©Robin Hanbury-Tenison/Survival |
Hundreds of Penan hunter-gatherers have signed a letter of protest
about a logging permit awarded to a notorious timber company. The
company, Samling Plywood, has a long history of destroying the Penan's
rainforest home. The Penan have taken their protest to the Malaysian
Timber Certification Council (MTCC), the body which certifies that
timber has been logged sustainably'. The letter was signed by 16 Penan
headmen, and carried the thumbprints of more than 600 others. The area
being logged by Samling is one of the last remaining primary rainforest
areas in the province of Sarawak and is therefore essential for the
survival of the Penan as a people, who have already witnessed the
destruction of much of their forest.
