🌱 How does deforestation impact the Mashco Piro people?
The Mashco Piro people are considered to be “the largest uncontacted tribe in the world”. They “usually avoid contact with the outside world” and “live in seclusion in the Peruvian rainforest”. Yet, over 50 of them have recently been seen “on a river in southeastern Peru, near a logging area” and they have asked villagers from Monte Salvado – located on the other side of the river – for bananas. An additional 17 Mashco Piro people were sighted close to the neighboring village of Puerto Nuevo. The Indigenous Yine people have said that the “Mashco Piro had previously complained about the loggers in their territory”.[i]
🌱 Why are the Mashco Piro people at risk?
The land rights of the Mashco Piro have not been adequately “recognized and protected by law”. Instead, forestry concessions were sold by the government to logging companies. Notably, “one company has already built roads in the region with a total length of 200 kilometers”, which are being used to transport the felled trees and wood. In the case of the Mashco Piro, there is a serious risk that diseases introduced by loggers could wipe out the whole tribe and that violence could also break out.[ii]
🌱 How does deforestation impact the Penan people?
The island of Borneo in Malaysia is considered to be “one of the regions of the world with the greatest biological diversity”. The rainforests on Borneo “are home to a variety of plants and animals and a rich indigenous culture that has been shaped over centuries”.[iii] These forests alone are estimated to be home to “6% of the world’s biodiversity”.[iv] Since the early 1970s, the rainforest has, however, seen a considerable amount of deforestation.[v]
🌱 Why are the Penan people at risk?
A large part of the Borneo rainforest has been cleared to make space for palm oil and timber plantations, as well as logging roads. Currently, roughly “10% of Borneo has become covered in industrial-scale monoculture plantations”. This has negatively impacted the Penan tribe, who rely on the woodlands for shelter, food, and their cultural practices. Due to deforestation, the Penan people now “no longer have access to their traditional resources”. This, in turn, “causes food poverty and a loss of cultural identity”.[vi]
🌱 What are the Penan people up against?
For over 30 years, the Penan have continuously struggled “for the survival of their forest and their way of life”.[vii] They have accused the Malay government of approving timber concessions in Borneo without attaining community consent. The Penan are, hence, effectively up against “one of the world’s biggest timber companies with little help from state authorities”. Over the years, they have erected several blockades to hold off logging operations.[viii]
This post has been adapted from a newsletter written by Christine Nikander and Heidrun Kordholste-Nikander. The newsletter titled “How can companies protect Indigenous Peoples’ rights by caring for forests?” was originally published in “The Just Transition Newsletter” by Palsa & Pulk.
[i] Westdeutscher Rundfunk: Kein Kontakt zur Außenwelt: Isoliertes Volk in Peru gesichtet. https://www1.wdr.de/unkontaktiertes-volk-in-peru-aufgetaucht-100.html (05.11.2024); https://www.prosieben.de/serien/newstime/news/unkontaktierte-indigene-in-peru-nahe-abholzungsgebiet-gesichtet-407898 (05.11.2024)
[ii] Westdeutscher Rundfunk: Kein Kontakt zur Außenwelt: Isoliertes Volk in Peru gesichtet. https://www1.wdr.de/unkontaktiertes-volk-in-peru-aufgetaucht-100.html (05.11.2024);
Pro Sieben: Unkontaktierte Indigene in Peru nahe Abholzungsgebiet gesichtet. https://www.prosieben.de/serien/newstime/news/unkontaktierte-indigene-in-peru-nahe-abholzungsgebiet-gesichtet-407898 (05.11.2024)
[iii] Bruno-Manser-Fonds: The Penan. https://bmf.ch/en/topics/the-penan-20 (05.11.2024)
[iv] Brunei Darussalam–Indonesia–Malaysia–Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area: Saving the Heart of Borneo. https://bimp-eaga.asia/article/saving-heart-borneo (05.11.2024); Planète Urgence: Preserving forests, Borneo-Mekong Basin. https://planete-urgence.org/en/borneo-mekong-basin/ (05.11.2024)
[v] David L. A. Gaveau, Sean Sloan, Elis Molidena, Husna Yaen, Doug Sheil, Nicola K. Abram, Marc Ancrenaz, Robert Nasi, Marcela Quinones, Niels Wielaard, Erik Meijaard: Four Decades of Forest Persistence, Clearance and Logging on Borneo. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0101654 (05.11.2024)
[vi] Kanungo, Alokya: The Silent Cry of the Forest: How Deforestation Impacts Indigenous Communities. https://earth.org/the-silent-cry-of-the-forest-how-deforestation-impacts-indigenous-communities/ (05.11.2024)
[vii] Bruno-Manser-Fonds: The Penan. https://bmf.ch/en/topics/the-penan-20 (05.11.2024)
[viii] Donald, Rachel: Malaysia’s Indigenous Penan block roads to stop logging in Borneo. https://news.mongabay.com/2021/10/malaysias-indigenous-penan-block-roads-to-stop-logging-in-borneo/ (05.11.2024)