Ulu Baram

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Ulu Baram is a remote area of Sarawak in Malaysia. It is an encased alluvial plain, created in part by the Baram River.

The forest is certified for logging. Most of Ulu Baram belongs to the traditional area of the Orang Ulu (Upriver People), a collective name that includes the Penan people (about 10,000 overall), Kayan, Kenyah, Saban, Punan and Kelabit. There has been large-scale logging and subsequent creation of oil palm or monoculture acacia (used for paper) estates within the surrounding area, which continues despite the protracted protests of the indigenous inhabitants who claim these commercial activities are encroaching into their ancestral land and destroying their livelihood. [1]

It is thought that this part of Sarawak may be the prime habitat for the very rare Hose's civet (Diplogale hosei), a small carnivore endemic to the montane forests of northern Borneo. [2]

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Sarawak State of Malaysia

Sarawak is a state within Malaysia. The largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia, Sarawak is located in northwest Borneo Island, and is bordered by the Malaysian state of Sabah to the northeast, Kalimantan to the south, and Brunei in the north. The capital city, Kuching, is the largest city in Sarawak, the economic centre of the state, and the seat of the Sarawak state government. Other cities and towns in Sarawak include Miri, Sibu, and Bintulu. As of the 2020 census, the population of Sarawak was estimated over 2,907,500. Sarawak has an equatorial climate with tropical rainforests and abundant animal and plant species. It has several prominent cave systems at Gunung Mulu National Park. Rajang River is the longest river in Malaysia; Bakun Dam, one of the largest dams in Southeast Asia, is located on one of its tributaries, the Balui River. Mount Murud is the highest point in Sarawak.

Otter civet Species of carnivore

The otter civet is a semiaquatic viverrid native to Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. It is listed as Endangered because of a serious ongoing population decline, estimated to be more than 50% over the past three generations, inferred from direct habitat destruction, and indirect inferred declines due to pollutants.

Kelabit people Ethnic group of Borneo

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Penan people

The Penan are a nomadic indigenous people living in Sarawak and Brunei, although there is only one small community in Brunei; among those in Brunei half have been converted to Islam, even if only superficially. Penan are one of the last such peoples remaining as hunters and gatherers. The Penan are noted for their practice of 'molong' which means never taking more than necessary. Most Penan were nomadic hunter-gatherers until the post-World War II missionaries settled many of the Penan, mainly in the Ulu-Baram district but also in the Limbang district. They eat plants, which are also used as medicines, and animals and use the hides, skin, fur, and other parts for clothing and shelter.

Hoses palm civet Species of carnivore

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Orang Ulu is an ethnic designation politically coined to group together roughly 27 very small but ethnically diverse tribal groups in northeastern Sarawak, Malaysia with populations ranging from less than 300 persons to over 25,000 persons. Orang Ulu is not a legal term, and no such racial group exists or is listed in the Malaysian Constitution. The term was popularised by the Orang Ulu National Association (OUNA), which was formed in 1969.

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References

  1. 'Our Land is Our Livelihood: The undermining of indigenous land rights and the victimisation of indigenous people in Sarawak. Report by IDEAL. http://www.rengah.c2o.org/news/article.php?identifer=de0132t&subject=10
  2. Mathai, J. (2010). Hose's Civet: Borneo's mysterious carnivore. Nature Watch 18/4:2-8.