Persatuan Penduduk Uma Bawang (UBRA, Uma Bawang Residents’ Association)
This community-based organization operates in the forests of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. While the customary land rights of the association's indigenous Kayan people are recognized by the Malaysian government, many lands have not been officially demarcated, making them vulnerable to conflicting claims from outside interests. Members of the association work with GIS survey and mapping technology to compile land use maps of communally managed forests, providing a spatial basis for legally defending community land claims in court.
Combined with active resistance to incursions by commercial logging and palm oil interests, including road blockades and political advocacy, and underpinned by two decades of livelihoods development, this association has been able to resist the destruction of the Kayan's traditional forest lands, and instead demonstrate their sustainable management by the local communities that directly depend on them.
Key Facts
Equator Prize Winner: 2002
Founded: 1990
Location: Northern Sarawak
Beneficiaries: Roughly 100 indigenous Kayan
Biodiversity: Reforestation with native tree species
Case Study
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Related Multimedia Resources
Uma Bawang Residents’ Association (UBRA), Malaysia - Equator Prize 2002 Winner
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Equator Prize 2002
Asia And The Pacific
Biodiversity Conservation
Ecoagriculture and Food Security
Sustainable Forestry
Freshwater Management
Community-Based Adaptation to Climate Change
Contact Information
Jok Jau Evong
PO Box 216,
Marudi Baram,
Sarawak 98050 Malaysia
Tel: 60-85-756-973
Email: jvon_ei@yahoo.com
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