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recent study by Bartholomew et al. (2016) showed that there were at least 21 plants
used by the Orang Asli in Kampung Sungai Berua as medicine and food. This
dependence had made the Orang Asli people really concerned about forest sustainability and they would not compromise that with development growth. They would
accept development only as long as they could live in and off the forest. From
unstructured interviews, it was discovered that logging and dam construction were
the major activities initiated by the government that affected sustainability of the
Orang Asli’s livelihood.
Logging was the leading cause of forest destruction around Tasik Kenyir.
Malaysia is rich in biodiversity and according to the International Tropical Timber
Organisation (ITTO) (2014), Malaysia is ranked 21st for biodiversity in the world.
However, the country was also one of the world’s biggest timber producers from
2012 to 2014. Malaysia had become well known for its Neobalanocarpus heimi,
Shorea acuminata and Aquilaria malaccensis products. The World Bank (2015) had
estimated that trees would be cut down four times the sustainable rate in Malaysia.
Logging did not have to be a destructive practice in Malaysia. In the past two
decades, Malaysia had moved towards diversifying its economy although the logging industry was still in the picture. Forest destruction was partially the result of
high demand in the timber industry, besides pressure from palm oil producers to
open more plantations. According to Gripne (2008), Malaysia produced 85.0% of
the global supply of palm oil. The expansion of oil palm plantations had caused land
degradations, and indirectly affected the Orang Asli community. The destruction of
their prime resources had brought adverse effects to their traditional way of life. As
the forests disappear, so would their culture. The Orang Asli community in Kampung
Sungai Berua seemed to be affected by land developments. Most of the forest where
they used to roam had been taken over by developers. The land status had been
changed from Orang Asli reserve to agriculture land. The developers hoped to get
the Orang Asli to work in their plantations but these changes were not accepted. For
the Orang Asli, they were more content to forage in the forest than labour in palm
oil plantations.
As development projects expanded into their territory, they had to go deeper into
the woods to find products, and some were even forced to cross state borders into
Kelantan and Pahang. They had to spend more time in the forest and leave their
families for a long time. Sometimes, they also took their children along with them,
causing them to skip school or drop out entirely. The interview also found that the
Kenyir dam had also made the Orang Asli’s life unsustainable. According to
Abdullah et al. (2016), the Sultan Mahmud dam and power station had changed the
Orang Asli way of life. Decades ago, the area had been populated by the Semoq Beri
and Bateq tribes. In 1978, the government identified that the river flow was suitable
for generating the nation’s hydroelectric power. Unfortunately, the dam’s construction had put tremendous pressure on the Orang Asli by submerging large areas of
their forest. With fewer resources and the pressure of limited space, the Orang Asli
community were forced to move and find other places to live (Khori et al. 2016).
Fortunately, the government had tried to relocate them to Kampung Sungai Berua
under the Ninth Malaysian Plan (2006–2010) (9MP). The village was provided with
Socio-economic Development and Sustainable Livelihood of the Orang Asli
recent study by Bartholomew et al. (2016) showed that there were at least 21 plants
used by the Orang Asli in Kampung Sungai Berua as medicine and food. This
dependence had made the Orang Asli people really concerned about forest sustainability and they would not compromise that with development growth. They would
accept development only as long as they could live in and off the forest. From
unstructured interviews, it was discovered that logging and dam construction were
the major activities initiated by the government that affected sustainability of the
Orang Asli’s livelihood.
Logging was the leading cause of forest destruction around Tasik Kenyir.
Malaysia is rich in biodiversity and according to the International Tropical Timber
Organisation (ITTO) (2014), Malaysia is ranked 21st for biodiversity in the world.
However, the country was also one of the world’s biggest timber producers from
2012 to 2014. Malaysia had become well known for its Neobalanocarpus heimi,
Shorea acuminata and Aquilaria malaccensis products. The World Bank (2015) had
estimated that trees would be cut down four times the sustainable rate in Malaysia.
Logging did not have to be a destructive practice in Malaysia. In the past two
decades, Malaysia had moved towards diversifying its economy although the logging industry was still in the picture. Forest destruction was partially the result of
high demand in the timber industry, besides pressure from palm oil producers to
open more plantations. According to Gripne (2008), Malaysia produced 85.0% of
the global supply of palm oil. The expansion of oil palm plantations had caused land
degradations, and indirectly affected the Orang Asli community. The destruction of
their prime resources had brought adverse effects to their traditional way of life. As
the forests disappear, so would their culture. The Orang Asli community in Kampung
Sungai Berua seemed to be affected by land developments. Most of the forest where
they used to roam had been taken over by developers. The land status had been
changed from Orang Asli reserve to agriculture land. The developers hoped to get
the Orang Asli to work in their plantations but these changes were not accepted. For
the Orang Asli, they were more content to forage in the forest than labour in palm
oil plantations.
As development projects expanded into their territory, they had to go deeper into
the woods to find products, and some were even forced to cross state borders into
Kelantan and Pahang. They had to spend more time in the forest and leave their
families for a long time. Sometimes, they also took their children along with them,
causing them to skip school or drop out entirely. The interview also found that the
Kenyir dam had also made the Orang Asli’s life unsustainable. According to
Abdullah et al. (2016), the Sultan Mahmud dam and power station had changed the
Orang Asli way of life. Decades ago, the area had been populated by the Semoq Beri
and Bateq tribes. In 1978, the government identified that the river flow was suitable
for generating the nation’s hydroelectric power. Unfortunately, the dam’s construction had put tremendous pressure on the Orang Asli by submerging large areas of
their forest. With fewer resources and the pressure of limited space, the Orang Asli
community were forced to move and find other places to live (Khori et al. 2016).
Fortunately, the government had tried to relocate them to Kampung Sungai Berua
under the Ninth Malaysian Plan (2006–2010) (9MP). The village was provided with
Socio-economic Development and Sustainable Livelihood of the Orang Asli